Hardt's Tale: A Mobious' Quest Novel

by Gwendolyn Druyor

  I thought I understood him to be telling me that the journey would be long. How little I understood. I wanted to choose the sword, to fight the dragon. I didn’t want to abandon my people; to leave, I felt would be to desert them. Again, how little I understood. But I owed him much, and to find such a queen . . .

  I asked him to have patience while I considered my responsibilities. And I let him out through the public entrance to the Hearing chamber. I locked the doors and I retreated through the larder to my little sleeping room in the queen’s suite where I sat at the window and watched the festivities.

  I’ve seen so many festivals through that window. When I was little, my parents would dress me and set me on the cushioned ledge to look for friends in the crowds while they dressed. Sapets would fly up at my father’s whistle and flit around me, calling out a trill if it looked as though I was going to fly out of my little nest. My mother would dress quickly, doing up her short hair with flowers while my father got around to choosing his outfit. She would always chide him for dressing so slowly. I wonder if she ever knew that he waited until she was done so that his outfit would compliment hers. I watched him. He’d dawdle, seemingly distracted by the sapets or a new tapestry, all the while watching her intently. And if she changed some part of her costume, I knew that he might change completely. When they were both satisfied with themselves, they would take down the long, metal chain of their bond ring which was draped in a circle above their sleeping pillows, and twist it about their wrists. They would sometimes wear the ring, connecting them physically to each other as they were emotionally connected, throughout the event. But other times, when they had to go separate ways, they would take the bond ring off and drape it around my neck.

  The ring had gone with them on their journey to the Dormounts and it had not returned either. The pegs above their empty pillows waited as patiently, as ignorantly as I had waited for the bond to return.

  So many callers tell it with me kneeling at Mobious’ feet, they get the odd kneeling in but mix up the subjects. They have him prophesying my futures and me wisely and quickly choosing the queen quest. But truly I sat at my window until the eve meal was well begun, neighbors feasting together at long tables thrown together in the streets. I can’t remember what I thought about, but when I was done thinking I walked through my parents’ rooms, our living areas. I touched things and remembered their tales. I visited the sapet roost outside the study window and filled the feeder. I lay down on my parents’ pillows and stared at the empty circle of pegs. And then I packed. Five times.

  I packed haphazardly, emotionally, eventually throwing the piles of luggage out in favor of a single carrysac from my father’s stores and a cloak with many pockets. Then I returned to the window.

  Mobious stood at the tree-arch talking with Deeva. I hollered down with the voice of a lazy castle-bred child aided by a little nature, the wind honoring a light request and carrying my words to Mobious’ ear. He joined me and we walked together to the southern balcony. The castle is not tall for all it is wide and the southern balcony juts out over the formal entranceway just at the height of two tall people. As a little boy, I had dashed as fast as I could into the castle for fear the unsupported stone would fall on me. I urged my parents and friends to run with me, fearing as much for their lives not understanding that the castle was built with natural assistance and that it would not fall as long as we dealt with nature on the same principles that we dealt with each other. An intricately carved wooden railing edged the curve of the ten greg wide circle, but even so, when you’re a smaller than average six frseasoner used to slipping through barriers, stepping out to wave to the city is a torturous ordeal. I’d since developed an uneasy trust of the balcony.

  Someone had woven some vines and fieldpurples, my mother’s favorite flower, into the wooden rail for the festival. I plucked one from its fellows and traced its veins against my palm. I waited, and Mobious waited with me. Deeva noticed people looking up at the balcony and turned from her stone game to waggle a few fingers at me. I smiled and waggled a handful back at her. Slowly, the people of the city left their meals and gathered in front of the balcony. When I judged that the grounds were as filled as they could get, I began, knowing that these two or three thousand would relay my message to the rest of the city by sundown.

  “Hi.”

  A few minutes passed as the responses and tittering faded out. I tried to gather my thoughts in that time.

  “I have to go away for a little bit. Mobious here tells me that there is a woman out there destined to be a fantastic queen and I’ve decided to go find her.” I am so much less formal with large crowds. I can’t explain it except to think that I was such a wild kid that I knew most of these people by name and they could all recite my life’s tale. One on one I get nervous and self-conscious, but there is really no hiding when you’re talking to 3,000 people and drawing on so much nature to be heard. “I hope you all will accept Mobious as my regent and respect his leadership until my return.”

  A cry went up of equal parts dismay and approval and continued despite my protest. I looked down at Deeva who was holding her peace.

  “Deeva, do you approve?”

  “Of your leaving?” She raised a shaggy eyebrow at me.

  “No. That is not the question.”

  She sighed, “I approve Mobious and will accept his leadership.”

  “He’s a teacher, not a leader!” Tahnt, one of my tutors, spoke up from his perch in a window of the castle.

  I turned to him, “I trust him.”

  “As do I, but with your blood to guide him.”

  “My blood, healer, does not make me a leader.”

  Tahnt shook his head, “One of the family must watch.”

  “Geoffrey needs a queen!” “It’s only for a little bit!” “He’s right! What if something happens to Geoffrey?”

  The arguments rose out of the crowd and I stepped back to let them debate for a little while. Mobious laid an arm across my shoulders. He did not argue his fitness for the position or join the discussion, but waited with me. As the debate was not resolving itself to either side of the question, I announced that those who approved Mobious should give their markers to Tahnt and those opposed to his leadership should give theirs to Deeva. Tahnt’s bond protested from the same window, but Tahnt calmed her and accepted the responsibility, leaving the window to take up an approachable position in the courtyard. Deeva quietly cleared away her gaming stones and set out a blanket in front of her seat. I watched the vote proceed. After a little time, I reminded everyone that the outcome would not change my decision to follow this journey, it would only decide whether Mobious or some other watched in my stead. That announcement changed the flow of people somewhat. I saw Shillar go back to Deeva’s blanket and retrieve his marker and head over to Tahnt’s basket. The crowd moved slowly so his ten frseason daughter, Chaon who had been standing still with her brand new marker, caught up to him and they engaged in a serious discussion for a few moments. Then she walked deliberately over to a spot in front of me and looked up. She looked at the marker in her hand and then offered it up to me.

  I smiled down at her, “I approve Mobious.”

  Chaon nodded and then looked confusedly in both directions.

  “So, you should give your marker to Tahnt.”

  She nodded and smiled and joined the majority of the crowd in line to vote for Mobious’ approval. The vote was obvious from above, so I went in to wander the castle until the count came in.

  The most senior Royal Guardesman, Girard brought it in with four of my royal wingmen carrying the baskets of markers. They found me in the Hearing room talking with Mobious about the most volatile issues of recent days, which of course he already understood as well as I did.

  “My lord, the count of 6,237 marks,” he paused to let this number sink in. That meant that virtually all the people who had been deemed intelligently responsible and awarded markers by their parents and neighbors had voted on this issue. The
usual full count was only around 3,000. “The count reveals that over three quarters of the people approve Mobious. And Tahnt sends to you that if you can’t stay he approves Mobious over anyone else. Upon reminder of your Aunt Fierell, he regrets his comment about blood and wishes you a safe journey.”

  “Thank you. You can return the markers.”

  Girard turned and released the wingmen to pour the markers together into the courtyard circle where the people could retrieve them. He escorted them out, but returned and shut the doors behind him.

  Girard was a large man built broad, dark, and imposing, but with a mind that made him a perfect First Guarde. “I have a request, lord.”

  I stood and crossed to him, “What is it?”

  “I want to retire, Geoffrey. I’m tired and I haven’t got the heart. I felt required to protect you, but if you go, I would like to accompany you, lord.”

  Mobious did not stand. He spoke from his seat beside the empty table, “He must go alone. You can help him begin, but you can go no farther than five days distance with him.”

  “Well, if you will allow me retirement, lord, I would accompany you that far. I will then go to Sapproach to give what protection I can to that distant village.”

  “I leave in one turning of the sand. I will meet you at the barrack chambers entrance.”

  I gathered my cloak and my sac, acquired a purse of negotiable marks and muntcoins—none I noticed originating from Voferen—from Aneke and closed up the family wing. Mobious was waiting for me in the hall with a bedroll packed up for me by the royal wing guarde as a goodbye. He helped me hang it across my chest under the cloak and thanked me. Before he left me to meet Girard on my own, he told me that I would return when I had found my queen.

  To be continued. . .

  I hope you enjoyed this little teaser for Geoffrey’s Queen. You can buy it at your favorite Ebook retailer. If it isn’t available at your favorite, please let me know. Contact me at gwendolyndruyor.com

  Thanks!

  Gwendolyn

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  More books by Gwendolyn Druyor

  Mobious' Quest fantasy series

  Geoffrey’s Queen

  Hardt’s Tale

  Callie’s Crown (coming soon)

  Killer on Call thriller series

  Ecstasy

  Gin

  Morphine

  Valium

  Pot

  Absinthe

  Killer on Call 6 book Bundle

  Wyrdos urban fantasy series

  WereHuman: The Witch’s Daughter

  Dee

  Laylea

  Junior (coming soon)

  Amal (coming soon)

  This is a work of fiction. All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is all in your imagination.

  Copyright © 2017 by Gwendolyn Druyor

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without the permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

  Second Edition, March, 2017

  Cover design by Logan Prather

  Editing by Pieces of Nine

  Published in the United States of America.

  gwendolyndruyor.com