Chronicles Of Aronshae (3 Book Omnibus)

by J. K. Barber

Jared turned, looked at King Morgan and then back at Branden’s kneeling form. The hunter began to join the larger man on the floor but was interrupted by the King.

  “Please, that will not be necessary,” Morgan said to Jared, motioning for him to remain standing. “Branden, rise if you would.” The former smith stood once more, his back as straight as one of the many longswords he had crafted and his chin held high.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” Branden said, his voice steady but deferent.

  King Morgan stepped fully into the room and two men, clad in the silver mail and white tabards of the King’s Guard, took position outside the doorway. “As for you,” the King said, addressing Gabriel and pointing at the infant. “I owe you an apology.” Jared held his son closer and eyed the monarch warily. Branden shot the hunter a look, which elicited a look of both surprise and apology from Jared.

  King Morgan, if he noticed the hunter’s protective gesture or the resulting glares, did not give any indication that he was offended. “You have been a guest of mine almost your entire life, and I have not had the common courtesy to come see you.”

  “Your Majesty is a very busy man,” Branden said quickly. “It is perfectly understandable.”

  “Yes,” Jared said hesitantly. “I’m sure you have better things to do than come look at a baby.” Branden coughed. “Your Majesty,” the hunter quickly added.

  “There is no need to be so formal, Jared,” King Morgan said, gently taking Gabriel’s hand. The baby grabbed one of the monarch’s fingers and smiled at him. “After all, you have saved my kingdom twice, and, if what General Frey has told me is true, you will do so again in the very near future.”

  “Great Mother willing,” Jared replied, his voice steadier now. The hunter, though not completely comfortable in the palace, had finally stopped watching the exits of every room he entered.

  “Now it is to you I must apologize, Jared,” King Morgan said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. The hunter’s look went from one of discomfort to confusion. “I wish to speak to Branden alone and must ask for you to excuse us.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty,” Jared replied. The hunter made a hesitant bow, made even more awkward by the now squirming baby in his arms and quickly left the room. As Jared left, the King motioned to one of the King’s Guards at the door, and the man closed the door to Branden’s chambers.

  “Your Majesty?” he asked.

  “Please, old friend,” Morgan said, his tone now of one comrade speaking to another and not a monarch addressing his liegeman. “I’m coming to you as a father and not your king.”

  Branden was confused. “I’m not certain I understand, Your Majesty.”

  King Morgan sighed, took off his crown, a simple gold circlet set with round cut rubies and sapphires, and set it on top of the dresser next to Branden’s neatly folded white tabard. “Let’s start by you sitting down. I know you’ve had a long day and could use some time off of your feet.” Morgan gestured towards Branden’s bed. The King’s Guard hesitated but then finally sat down, the soft bed sinking underneath his great weight. King Morgan settled down into the chair next to the one holding Branden’s mail and ran his hand through his thick brown hair.

  “How are you?” Morgan asked without preamble.

  “Your Majesty?” Branden asked, not understanding the question.

  How are you?” he inquired again. “You have seemed melancholy of late, and I am concerned.”

  “Your Majesty,” Branden replied quickly. “If my mood has been unsatisfactory, I humbly apologize and promise to….”

  King Morgan cut him off. “I’m not worried about your duties as a King’s Guard, Branden. I am worried about you as a person and as a father.” He leaned forward earnestly. “What you’ve had to deal with and what is going to happen has to be weighing heavily on you.”

  Branden started to reply formally, but then sank further onto his bed, his shoulders slumped, and a great sigh escaped his huge barrel chest. “Thank you, for your concern, Your Majesty, but….”

  The Monarch interrupted him again. “Now is not the time to play obedient soldier, Branden,” Morgan said, again not using the King’s Guard’s title, as he always had before. “I wish to speak to you as a friend and as a fellow father. You are in a unique position that no one can even begin to understand. You are a King’s Guard with children, which has never happened before. On top of that, you have left your post and returned, which again is unprecedented. Furthermore, your daughters have saved Illyander not once, but twice and are preparing to do so again; a deed, which we both know means that you will never see them again. A lesser man would have been crushed by these events, and yet you stand as stoic as ever, as loyal a King’s Guard as there has ever been.”

  The room stood silent for several minutes while Branden tried to frame a reply to such a litany of weights that had piled atop his shoulders. He took a deep breath and addressed his king. “Your Majesty. While it is true that I have had my share of tragedies, including the destruction of my home, the death of my wife and the impeding fates of my daughters….”

  “Some would say you’ve had your share and many others’ as well,” King Morgan interjected, but then motioned for Branden to continue.

  “I can’t help but feel pride for what I have accomplished and what my children have done. I have risen from a simple smith’s son to one of the most highly respected positions in the kingdom. I have given that up for the love of one of the best women that the Great Mother has blessed Aronshae with, and she bore me two lovely daughters who will go on to eclipse my accomplishments with their deeds. It’s true that I have lost my wife and my home, but I am comforted by the women Sasha and Katya have become. And though I will never admit this in his hearing, the man that Sasha has chosen as the father of my grandson is as worthy of her as any father will admit about the man that takes his daughter from his home. On top of this, he has given me a grandson that will be a comfort to me as I grow older and finally pass on into the Great Mother’s embrace, hopefully to see my Dara again in my next life. Furthermore, Your Majesty has blessed me with allowing me to return to your service as a King’s Guard, so that even as my life as a husband and father ends, I will not want for purpose.” Branden took a deep breath, the outpouring of so many words and feeling at once, draining the strength from him.

  “And yet,” he continued, “there is no honor, no glory, no accomplishment by me or my daughters that will comfort me when I hear the news of their passing.” King Morgan reached out and placed his hand on Branden’s knee. The former smith continued, gaining strength from the kind gesture of his sovereign. Outside of his own family, only King Morgan, and Branden’s old friend General Cewin Frey, could have reached the forlorn father with such a simple show of support. “I truly wish that with their deaths they will accomplish the dream and duty of any King’s Guard. That they will die protecting the King and Kingdom of Illyander. My only hope is that once that happens I will have the strength to carry on, that I will be strong enough to be a good grandfather to Sasha’s son, and that I will be able to pass along to him the barest glimmer of the truly great people that his mother, father and aunt were. He will know the heroes that they became.”

  For a moment King Morgan said nothing, just sat there taking in all that Branden had said. After a time, he stood, walked over to the dresser and then placed his crown atop his head. As he turned, Branden arose, bringing himself up to his full height and stood straight before his king.

  “King’s Guard Branden Ironwright,” the monarch intoned.

  “Your Majesty,” the former smith replied, saluting with his fist pressed to his thick chest.

  “You are hereby relieved of your duties as King’s Guard,” Morgan said. Branden’s heart sank in his chest, but he kept his thoughts to himself. The King placed his hand on the smith’s shoulder, and his voice softened. “It’s only temporary, old friend. Go and be with your daughters this night. They will leave at first light to confront the Ice Queen, and m
ay the Great Mother be with them. You should spend every moment you can with them and see them off in the morning.”

  “They are departing so soon?” Branden asked, his breath catching in his throat as his heart sank further.

  “There is no need for further delay,” the King replied, his tone firm but understanding of Branden’s surprise and sorrow. “The preparations for their journey have been in the works for some time now, awaiting only further confirmation that Salamasca had escaped to the East. We could not base our plans solely on the word of Ra’thet that she had fled into the Aishe Desert. The information that Jared and Brother Talas brought us, however, lends credence to what he told us. The lead is too strong for us to ignore, and we cannot delay for fear that Salamasca will slip through our fingers again. Sasha and Katya have already received their orders by now. I would expect that they are in their rooms as we speak, packing for the trip. I have ordered a ship to be ready for them to depart Aeirsga’s port at dawn. Additionally, Brother Talas’ friend,” King Morgan’s voice caught slightly on the word, “Captain Damon, has already been commissioned to sail them across the Sea of Twylight and is awaiting them in Valshet.”

  Branden looked down into his monarch’s eyes and saw a melancholy he had never seen in all his years as a King’s Guard. “Go,” Morgan said quietly. “Be with your girls; see them off at the docks, in the morning.” King Morgan continued, his voice still gentle, but with a more official tone to it than his previous words. “At which time I expect you to return to your post and fulfill your duties with the high level of skill and honor with which I know you are capable.” King Morgan extended his hand. “You will always have a place waiting for you at my side, King’s Guard.”

  Unable to speak, Branden shook his King’s hand, forearm to forearm in the way of old friends, and nodded his thanks. He walked to the door and opened it, receiving a salute from the two King’s Guards who stood watch outside. Branden returned the gesture and then left his room, determined to spend every possible moment with his family as he could before they left, never to return.

  Chapter 2

  “Gabriel, the day men understand women the forests of Illyander will uproot, travel to the coast and drink up the Sea of Twylight,” Jared said to his three month-old son as he dandled him on his leather-clad knee. Damon, Captain of The Isabella, sputtered ale out his nose. The pale brew dribbled down his well-tailored, burgundy linen vest as he laughed. Iluak chuckled, and Katya, next to him on one of the long wooden benches that were bolted to the floor of the ship's galley, elbowed him in the ribs. Unfazed, he grinned at the sorceress, who rolled her eyes and continued absently running her slender fingers over the carved runes on her wooden staff next to her. The therianthrope man put his arm around her blue-mantled shoulders and raised his cup in salute to the woodsman's statement. With his other hand, the hawk-faced man absently ran his fingers along the gold cording of the woman's garment that marked her as one of the few remaining Master Sorcerers of Snowhaven.

  Jared noted the gesture, as he often now noticed that Iluak and Katya were growing closer, possibly becoming more than friends. The therianthrope man had flown to Snowhaven in his owl form after the first few days of spring. His trip was to inform the Illyanders that the Ice Queen had not returned to the Frozen March, and that his village, Tunkaschila Mukwa, was still safe from her wrath after assisting them in the destruction of her Glacial Palace. Iluak had not left Snowhaven after his message was delivered. In fact, he had been with them ever since, traveling with them even now to the Eastern Kingdoms after they had heard reports from Damon that a woman riding a dragon was subjugating the desert tribes. Even though the woodsman's heart belonged fully to Sasha now, there was still that initial attraction he had originally had towards the sorceress. She was beautiful with her unbound raven-black hair, smooth pale skin, and deep brown eyes.

  Things were difficult now with Sasha and their new child. The strength of their relationship had definitely been tested after she had snuck their son aboard The Isabella. She had done it despite his and her father's wishes to leave the child in the care of a nursemaid in Illyander's capital city, Aeirsga, where the girls’ father served as a King's Guard. The woodsman's anger flared once again. Gabriel would have been safer with Branden, he thought. What was Sasha thinking bringing our infant son along as we seek out the Ice Queen in the Eastern Kingdoms? It is too dangerous for him to be here, and his presence will just endanger us all as we try to protect him AND kill the Empress of Ice. Jared's attention was drawn back to the room, as the sorceress leaned into the embrace of the bare-chested, well-muscled therianthrope. Show off. I know it is hot, but still he could wear a shirt. Jared couldn't help the small twinge of jealously he felt at Iluak and Katya's strengthening friendship. He realized his mind had been wandering as his meandering thoughts were soon interrupted by Iluak’s laughter. Sleep deprivation from the care of a newborn tended to cause that.

  "Hear, hear!" Iluak shouted, his gray eyes joyful as he made his toast and drank.

  "I'll drink to that!" Damon cheered, "To women and all their fine qualities. To all the ships at sea and all the women on land; may the former be well-rigged and the latter be well-manned." The captain laughed again, raised his own cup, and took another swig of his drink. Instead of wiping his mouth on his sleeve like any common seaman on his ship would, he dabbed his lips with a cloth napkin and then began using it to clean the beverage off his vest.

  Katya detached herself from Iluak, handed the therianthrope her staff, and stood, her blue robes flowing back over her shapely legs as she stepped away from the bench. She took Gabriel from the woodsman, wrapping his soft blanket back in place where it had slipped away, and hugged her nephew tight. She stood bouncing him gently on her hip next to his father.

  "Don't listen to them, Gabriel," the Master Sorceress said, smiling brightly. "You are going to be twice the man any of them are." The baby cooed happily in her arms.

  Jared moodily turned back to his own drink, absently pondering its contents.

  Wow, Jared thought. Has it really been that long since I was intimate with Sasha to be ogling her sister's legs? Before his relationship with Sasha, he had been years without sex, mistrusting humankind all around because of their fear of his animal abilities, and it had never driven him to distraction like this. However, he had grown used to frequent encounters in his whirlwind romance with the now Master Swordswoman. But with Sasha being pregnant, her having given birth just a few months back, and their current disagreement, they hadn't been intimate recently. Their relationship went from passion-filled to parents far too quickly. They weren't even married. They just never got a chance to settle into being a couple first before she became pregnant. Maybe it is just this damned long voyage, the smell of sweaty, unwashed bodies, and the sea sickness that are getting to me, the woodsman thought.

  Everyone was disappointed when Katya explained they couldn't take the Ley Lines all the way to the Eastern Kingdoms. The young sorceress wasn’t familiar with the lands across the sea, nor attuned to any of the nexuses there and would be unsuccessful in her navigation if she were to attempt such a feat.

  "Do we have anything other than ale to drink?" the woodsman asked, changing the topic dully. "Alcohol only intensifies my current mood."

  "Our drinking water ran out two days ago," Captain Damon stated nonchalantly, sipping his ale. "It is all that is left to drink. We reach Tammat tomorrow though. You'll have fresh water in your belly, a warm fire, and a soft tavern bed under you in no time, friend."

  "I'll skip the fire," Sasha said, entering the galley and accepting a plate of prepared scrap as the cook, Jon, called it. It was whatever food they had left after their month-long voyage thrown in a pot and warmed up. The redhead, with her hair bound tightly in a neat braid, turned her nose slightly up at the food but took it gratefully and continued her sentence, "but a soft bed sounds wonderful." Jared's mood darkened at her arrival, but Damon smiled cheerfully at her, ignoring the woodsman. Everyone was mo
re than tired of listening to Jared and Sasha argue. A month was a long time to hear them quarrel constantly like an old married couple. Everyone aboard The Isabella had been hearing it since the second day of the voyage when the baby was discovered on board. Jared had been furious at Sasha and then at Damon for not turning the ship around immediately to return the infant to Illyander's shore. The captain had stated it was too far into the voyage to turn around. The swift current was just too strong, pulling them faster and faster out into the deepest waters of the Sea of Twylight.

  "Good morning, Sasha! I hope last night's storm didn't disturb your sleep too much," the captain beamed. "Old Jared here was up all night at the rail, giving his best HEAVE HOE to the Great Mother's waters." Damon laughed heartily.

  Katya giggled, and Jared glared at her. The woodsman went back to ignoring all of them. Damon had refused to turn the ship around and Katya had been in on the deception, knowing about and supporting her sister's decision to bring the baby along. The sorceress had even helped write the note for Branden that was left with the nursemaid in Valshet. The letter explained that Gabriel was taken aboard The Isabella instead of returning on the boat they had arrived on from Aeirsga. Talas and Iluak hadn’t known the sisters’ plan, but they had gotten over it despite their reservations; the child was onboard and officially along for the ride. Nothing anyone did was going to change that.

  Sasha knew better than to laugh at Damon's jest and studied the father of her child's gloomy demeanor. He looked every bit a new father with his disheveled hair and days-old stubble on his face. His leathers needed a good scrubbing too. She made a mental note to do so for him that night as he slept. Clearly by his current state, Jared had been helping with Gabriel a good bit in the past couple weeks, after deciding to finally speak to Sasha again after her deception. She was grateful for his help and knew that it would take time for him to see that she was right. I hope I am right, she thought. Otherwise I have put my child in horrible danger. Well, he is in danger coming along, but he'd be in more danger in Aeirsga should the Ice Queen send an assassin. Gabriel would only have had a helpless nursemaid to protect him, if Branden been busy at his post in the Palace. No, he is safer with his parents despite our perilous journey into a foreign land. Also, she knew this was a suicide mission; she now knew the price the Great Mother demanded in exchange for the power that embodied Akor'shi-kai. To kill the Empress of Ice, she and Katya had to sacrifice their lives. Sasha selfishly wanted the extra time with her child before that price was to be paid. Moreover, it was the only way to keep Jared out of the fight when the Ice Queen and Akor'shi-kai met in battle; he would keep Gabriel safe and stay away. She was fairly certain Jared hadn't thought that far into the future, but she had. Sasha was sure her decision would keep her lover and her son alive. It was worth the disdain she saw in his eyes when he looked at her now. She loved him that much. If only he could see that, she thought.