Making of a Warrior

by Frank David

  “I do, Excellency.” Stela found the question perplexing. “I think he loves all of us equally, as long as we do our best to live according to his laws. I do believe some of those laws have been skewed by man.”

  “I think as your journey progresses you will find the true nature of God. You will come to see God for who he really is, and I fear you will be quite disappointed upon the revelation.” Antonio turned back to Roderick. “Might I have a few moments alone with my grandson?”

  “Yes, of course,” Stela left.

  “Braynard,” he called out. “Why have you done this? You promised Roderick would be unharmed.”

  “He is, Morgan,” the voice answered his call.

  He saw the man materialize next to him. “He is merely sleeping. You know as well as I if he were conscious he would not allow Stela to face Edmund. He would protect her. I cannot have that. She must face and defeat Edmund.” Braynard placed his hand on Antonio’s shoulder.

  “Please, do not call me Morgan. It is a name associated with much pain. A name I abandoned many years ago.” Antonio put his hand on Braynard’s. “Could you please return him? I will take him with me to Carpathia, keep him from the battle.”

  “You know he would not go with you. He would not leave his sister alone.” Braynard could feel the old man’s pain. “I promise once the battle has ended, he will be awakened, regardless of who wins.”

  “I have served you well these forty years. Have I not earned the right to request one favor?” Antonio worried. He knew the man was not one to always keep promises. He knew Braynard expected things to always go his way, for they always had. If Edmund were to win in battle, he feared Braynard would take the defeat out on Roderick.

  “Worry not, my friend,” Braynard handed Antonio a small bottle. “Once the battle has ended, use this to wake Roderick. Please understand, I cannot have him play the hero. Stela must face Edmund.”

  “I saw Thomasine’s fate. Why did you do it?” Antonio saw the woman fall to her death, the vision was clear. “She was your most trusted advisor in the Scientia.”

  “She had grown tired of serving me. I could not allow her to live. She would have confessed all she knew to Stela.” Braynard paused. “It pained me to end her life. Like you, she served me many years.”

  “If I were to tell Stela the truth, would you end my life as well?” Antonio asked.

  “No, I would end the lives of those you care about. Thomasine had no family. You have a family you long to meet. They are your weakness. Your age would make it easy for you to betray me and not fear death but the fear that I could easily end the life of your grandson and his children will ensure you serve me faithfully.” Braynard’s statement was cold. Antonio realized the man had little emotion for anyone.

  “I have great emotion for all of you, but I will not allow that emotion to conflict with what I need.” Braynard knew the man’s thoughts.

  “How can you claim to care when you have had a hand in so many deaths? I know the blood is heavy on your hands. One that claims to love us as you do could not so easily dispose of us.” Antonio knew the crimes of which Braynard was guilty.

  “It is that love that drives me. Do you not understand? Braynard’s voice sounded defeated.

  “I understand your end game but is this the way for it to be accomplished?” Antonio sensed Braynard was weakening.

  “The moment I saw her, I knew she was the one. I thought for years it was Abigail, but I was mistaken. Everything that has been done has been done for her.” Braynard sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Why must all of this come at the cost of others?” Antonio asked.

  “When she took the throne, she was emotional. She cared deeply for the people of Hulsteria. It was an admirable trait but one that I needed to crush. She will never do what is best for Saaveth if her loyalties only lie with her heart.” Braynard looked at Roderick. “I needed to show her that her heart is her weakness.”

  “Her heart is her greatest strength.” Antonio disagreed. “She sat with Frederick through his final hours. She sits with Roderick, while you keep him in this state. You have failed to break her heart. Her love is stronger than your magic, my lord. You have taken much from her, but she does not sway from the love she holds for those around her. Even now she worries if she can take Edmund’s life. She still loves him.”

  “Perhaps I should take all those she holds dear. Leave her to find her way alone? Alone, she would be drawn to me.” Braynard’s voice grew with anger.

  “You cannot do that. You would take the lives of all whom she holds dear just to have her turn to you?” Antonio’s own anger was rising.

  “I am your Lord, God. I will do as I see necessary. You are my servant and would be wise to not question my judgment further.” Braynard’s anger had peaked, his body was covered in a glowing light which filled the room. “You cannot begin to imagine all that I have forsaken to serve the people of Saaveth. They cry out to me in times of sorrow and curse me in times of crisis. I have served her people well. I have loved them as my children. Do not claim to understand what I have endured.”

  “I am sorry, my lord,” Antonio had never experienced this level of anger from the man he served. “I did not mean to question your dedication to the people of Saaveth. You are correct, I cannot imagine all that you have experienced. I know what I have suffered hearing the confessions of the people of the realms, the cries when the crops fail or a newborn dies, but for you my Lord, the cries must be deafening.”

  “The cries are maddening. I cannot escape the cries, the curses. I am done serving them. I see now why the old man came to me and now I will go to her when the time is right. She will be my relief.” Braynard calmed.

  “But why her, my Lord?” Antonio asked. “She has no power. It would seem her birthright escaped her.”

  “That is where your visions fail you, Antonio.” Braynard placed his hand on the man’s knee. “She will be the most powerful. She has already discovered her ability to move things with her mind. That is just the first of her powers. She may even be capable of defeating Diana and her followers. When she faces Daniella, I will know for certain.”

  “Diana is of the old God; therefore, she is outside of your realm and Stelaphina’s.” Antonio knew of Diana, and Braynard’s disdain for her and her followers. They were beyond Braynard’s senses and this angered him.

  “I am not sure why, but I believe she could bring them to an end,” Braynard admitted. “She will be stronger than even I am. There is something about her blood that intrigues me.”

  “Is she not of your blood? What mystery could it contain that is not contained within your own?” Antonio questioned.

  “That is what I must discover,” Braynard responded. “I must go. Use the mixture I have given you to bring Roderick back after the battle has ended and not a minute before.”

  Antonio sat alone in the room, watching Roderick sleep.

  ****

  The ship settled in port. It felt as if it had been forever since she left and now she had returned, in exile. She and her family had been prominent members of Norland society. Now they returned shamed. She needed to find the followers. She needed to find Elliot. He was not aware of their situation. He had been busy taking care of their father’s business. Though he had nothing to do with any of what happened, he was just as guilty because they shared blood.

  “Luke, you need to go to father’s shop and find Elliot,” Daniella ordered her younger brother. “Hurry and meet us back here. Do not delay.”

  A young woman approached the group. “My Lady,” she curtsied. “Luke, there is no need to gather your brother, he is safe.”

  “I am no lady,” Daniella quickly responded. She did not want her identity known. “How do you know my brother’s name? How do you know the identity of my other brother?”

  “You are Imperial Archduchess Daniella Gallagher of Red Hill. One of Norland’s own who found favor with the Empress. Your greed and Braynard brought you shame. You have ret
urned looking for safety among those who bow before the Goddess.” The young woman knew her, but how?

  “How do you know these things?” Daniella whispered.

  “I have visions, and I have been sent by my tribe to bring you to them, to safety. I am Celeste of Tribe Killmire. My tribe lives in the woods just north of the city of Kanieri.” She curtsied again.

  “Please do not do that, I wish to bring no notice to our arrival,” Daniella pleaded with the woman.

  “Your brother, Elliot, has already been brought into the fold of the tribe. We must hurry if you do not wish to be seen.” Celeste rushed them to the wagon waiting for them. The driver was an old man, with a toothless smile.

  The woman had the typical features of those from Norland. Her hair was a darker shade of red then was Daniella’s, but she had blue eyes instead of the normal green which led Daniella to believe she was not purely of Norland. One of her parents must have been from the mainland. Daniella had such features that betrayed her union with Norland. Her hair was lighter than most but still had the red tint. Her skin was paler than the others who for centuries called the kingdom home.

  “You serve Diana?” Casey asked.

  “I do since I was a child,” Celeste confessed. “I have lived with my tribe my entire life. Many of the followers are forced to remain hidden. The Benedictus is not fond of the Goddess or those who believe in her.”

  “I have never heard the Benedictus speak out against the Goddess.” Daniella tried to get comfortable.

  “He and Braynard seek to destroy Diana. They fear her power. Braynard is strong, but Diana is older.” Celeste knew much about Diana. “She is a creation of the old God. Many believe her to be a mistake. The old God cast her out, left her forsaken.”

  “How do you know so much about her?” Luke asked. He found the woman quite appealing.

  “I have met the Goddess. She has blessed me with many conversations. Most who are consecrated to her are done so with a priest, sharing only his blood. The priests who perform the consecration have received the blood ritual from other priests, all sharing traces of the Goddess. I was consecrated by the Goddess herself, as were both of you. Her blood is stronger in us, not diluted as other followers.” Celeste looked at her palm, the scar still visible after fifteen years. “I am surprised she has never visited either of you. The connection would be stronger.” She reached out and grabbed Daniella’s hand. “See, the scar is still present.” She pointed to the mark on Daniella’s palm. “You are stronger still, having Imperial blood. You have the blood of the God and Goddess flowing through your veins.”

  “What do you mean the blood of God?” Daniella started to think the woman was mad.

  “You don’t know the stories?” Celeste asked. “You know you are of Imperial blood, but you don’t know where that blood came from?” She laughed.

  “The Imperial blood comes from my father and his father before him, back to Declan, the first Emperor of Hulsteria.” Daniella was offended by the woman’s laughter.

  “Your blood goes further back, Imperial Highness.” Celeste continued. “You will learn of your true heritage in time, it is not for me to share.” Celeste would allow them to discover the truth of their bloodline.

  The wagon came to a stop deep in the northern forest. Daniella saw the area was empty, no homes or people.

  “We are here,” Celeste jumped down from the wagon. Luke followed, helping his mother down.

  “There is no one here,” Daniella noted.

  “We don’t live out in the open. We must keep ourselves and our religion hidden.” Celeste ran off. “Follow me,” she called out.

  Daniella and Luke followed closely, their parents unable to keep the pace. Celeste stood in front of the mouth of a cave. “This is where you live, in a cave?” Daniella could not hide her contempt. “I have gone from living in a great manor to this, a cave.”

  “Do not judge the house by its external appearance.” Celeste disappeared into the cave.

  Daniella entered. The way was lit as it led down deeper into the earth. The steps wound downward. She could hear talking. The stairway seemed to go on forever. The area finally opened to a wider passage. She could see the light ahead and she heard actual voices. The voices grew louder as she approached the opening.

  Stepping through the opening, she was in a large room. She could not see the far end. It appeared homes were carved into the walls of the cave. People were gathered in the center around a fire. Celeste grabbed her hand and led her to those gathered.

  “I have brought her, Imperial Archduchess of Red Hill. The one who holds the blood of the God and Goddess. The one who will bring glory in the name of Diana,” Celeste announced. Those gathered fell to their knees in adoration. “She will lead us out of the shadows. Diana has shown me the glory that is Daniella Gallagher.”

  Daniella blushed. “What are you talking about Celeste?”

  “Braynard has Stelaphina, Diana has you.” The voice came from behind. It was familiar, but she could not place it.

  She turned, surprised to find the woman here. “What are you doing here?”

  ****

  Edmund stood at the helm, waiting for word of the death of the Imperial families. The men stood anxiously waiting to set sail.

  “Men, when we land on Jascaessau, harm none unless they attack you. If any should disobey, they will face my sword. The Empress is to be mine. None of you will approach her. You may do as you wish to any Imperial that approaches you. The Imperials are gifted with powers from Hell and will prove to be difficult targets, but you are well trained.” Edmund gave the final instructions. “We have one on our side who will help you succeed. Do not fear the Imperials.”

  He could see the valet rushing toward the ship. He quickly disembarked to meet the man. “Is it completed?”

  “Regent, the prisoners, they are all dead. Was that your intention? You promised to release them. Did the Grand Archduke and Archduchess not succeed in their ventures?” The man was distraught realizing he had delivered death to the innocent.

  “You are not meant to understand. Walk with me,” he led the man away from the ship. He did not want his men to see him take the man’s life. “You have served my family and me well. This was the last task that will be asked of you. I am sorry, but he demanded it be you and that this is your payment.” Edmund pulled his sword and plunged it in the man’s stomach. The man grabbed Edmund’s tunic as he fell to his knees.

  “Why, my Lord?” the man asked as his eyes closed.

  “Because I can,” Edmund responded, releasing the man’s grip.

  Edmund returned to his ship. “Captain, we are free to set sail. How long will it take to reach Jascaessau?”

  “If God be on our side and the winds agree it should be but a few days, Regent,” the captain responded as he gave the command to raise the anchor and lower the sails.

  Edmund watched as the other ships followed suit. The wind was indeed in their favor. The wind blew strong from the south, carrying the ships quickly north toward Hulsteria.

  Thirty-Two

  Stela knocked on the door. She could hear the man telling her to enter.

  “Benedictus, don’t you think you should get some rest?” Stela approached the old man. “You have been by his side since you arrived.”

  “You sat by Frederick’s side while he died, did you not?” He looked at her. His eyes were red, but she could not tell if it was from tears or exhaustion.

  “I did, Benedictus,” Stela pulled a chair next to him, “But he is not dying. Braynard has promised he would be restored after I face Edmund. You do not need to worry so.”

  “Do you find your duty difficult?” Antonio asked.

  “My duty? I am afraid I don’t understand.” Stela looked at him.

  “Has it been easy for you, ruling the realm? I know it has only been just over a year but has it been difficult?” Antonio questioned.

  “It has been a challenge,” she responded, not wishing to relive the los
ses she faced.

  “Was it painful when you lost your cousin, Rupert?” Antonio needed to know if Braynard was successful in his plot.

  “I did not think I would survive. I locked myself away. I did not wish to face any. It was my cousin, the Grand Archduchess of Colonstay, who brought me back to the living.” Stela was forced to face the memories. “I wonder what has happened to her. She was by my side through my hardest times, but now she is gone.”

  “Was it just the death of your cousin that hurt you so deeply?” Antonio pushed the subject, making her face the pain again.

  “I do not know. So much had happened at that time. I was left alone. They had all left me: Charity, Roderick, Edmund, and Sofia.” Stela remembered the isolation, having no one on whom she could rely.

  “How do you think you would fair if they were all gone again, and you had to face Edmund alone? Do you think you could be victorious?” He stared at her, watching her face for signs of uncertainty.

  “I believe I could. I have many that I hold dear, but I see how fragile those relationships are. I know that I must rely on myself alone.” Stela knew her love was a weakness she could not afford.

  “Do you know what lies beyond Edmund?” Antonio wasn’t sure if Braynard would approve, but he needed to know if she was truly prepared.

  “I am to face Daniella.” Stela knew her destiny was to battle Daniella.

  “Do you know why you must face Daniella?” Antonio was playing a dangerous game. He was tempting Braynard.

  “Because she believes she is the rightful heir to Hulsteria and wishes to take my throne.” Stela was confused by the line of questioning.

  “There is more, my dear,” Antonio paused, sure Braynard would appear to stop him. “Daniella is consecrated to Diana, the old Goddess. War is brewing between those who follow God and those who follow the false Goddess.”

  “Yes, Braynard told me. He said the battle would be Joseph’s,” Stela shared the information with the Benedictus.