This is a work of fiction. All of the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or event is purely coincidental.
THE RISING PAST
Copyright © 2015 J.G. Gatewood
The phrases “The Keepers of the Orbs™” is a trademark of J.G. Gatewood
Cover image courtesy of Sattva at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
A J.G. Gatewood Book
www.jggatewood.com
This book is dedicated to the love of my life, my wife, Sarah. She is my inspiration. She pushes me when I want to give up, encourages me when I get stuck, and is always there as a sounding board when I need someone to listen to me. You don’t get enough credit, but I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I appreciate your effort. I love you, and thank you for giving me two amazing young sons.
Contents
Prologue
A Headache
An Unexpected Visit to Kumla
A Dragon and her Rider
Part I: A Look into the Future
Earliest Memories
A Free Afternoon
A Regular Watch
A First Love
An Arrangement for the Throne
The Test Begins
Second Phase
Final Phase
Self Sacrifice
Interlude
An Heir, a Keeper and a Dragon Rider:
Journey of Self Discovery
A Battle Looms
Encounter with Martul
Picking up the Pieces
MIlenthia
Dragon Rider Training
Training Completed
Confrontation with Tirell
A Visit from Old Friends
Visit to Shakiel
A Meeting in Drognard
Gauging the Enemy
Battle with the Kahloom
A Painful Mistake
Surrender
A Well-timed Distraction
A Celebration
Tirell’s Transformation
Conclusion
Filling in the Gaps
The Battle for Shakiel
A Headache
Raythum lay in a bed in a small bedroom of Norlun’s cottage. His eyes opened and he stared at the white ceiling as he tried to collect himself. A thick sweat covered his body, and his head thumped rhythmically with each beat of his heart. He raised his right hand to his forehead to ward it off—feeling as if his head were about to explode. He sat up and braced himself on the comfortable bed to look around and gather his surroundings. The room loomed dark and the candle on the table next to the bed he slept in appeared to have burned out hours before. Condensation covered the cold windows lining the room. He spotted a figure fast asleep in a chair next to him. She looked haggard, as if she hadn’t moved in a couple of days.
Realization flowed through his mind and registered on his face. He brushed several strands of his blond hair away from his clear blue eyes. I’m a prince. The prince of Havenbrook. And I traveled back in time to stop my brother, he thought. He stretched his arms, ready to get out of bed and eager to find his brother. His gaze shifted toward Liniana who still sat asleep in the chair by his bed. She had a slender, but muscular figure, with long dark hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall flowing over a mountainside. He stared at her when more memories flooded his mind. What have I done? he asked himself.
A new and sudden pain materialized in his head and he brought both hands up and placed them on his forehead—driving himself into the bed as he howled. Liniana awoke to his screams and reached over, placing a soothing hand on his back. This had become her evening routine, waiting for Raythum to return to consciousness—unaware he awoke while she slept. She brought her fingers up and ran them through his curly, sweat drenched hair, trying to calm him down so she could go back to sleep. It had been a long three nights and the hours began to wear on her. Between the love of her life, and the baby she carried, she felt exhausted, and there seemed to be no end in sight. She yearned for the day he would awaken, rested, and with his memories restored.
“Thank you, Liniana.” He looked up at her and even through the dark, she could make out his crystal, clear, blue eyes staring up at her.
She gasped. Startled, she pulled back her hands. “Raythum! You’re conscious!”
He leaned forward and propped himself into a sitting position with his arm. “Aye that I am.” He smiled at her, although he felt uncomfortable—a pain nagging him in the back of his mind with a steady thump thump thump. “You didn’t have to stay with me.”
She returned his smile. “Where else would I have gone, my love?” She returned her hand to his forehead to soothe him. She could see his pain, but she wanted nothing more than to embrace him—exhilarated that he had finally come to.
He smiled and embraced her hand. She smelled of a sweetness, a sweetness reminiscent of flowers. “Well I appreciate it none the less.” He looked out the window and noticed the long beams of light the moons cast across the pastures standing outside his window, and carried out over the valley shrouded in thick trees. He brought his gaze back to her. “How long have I been unconscious?”
She gave him a reassuring smile. “Three nights have passed since Norlun initiated the procedure to return your memories to you.” She rubbed his shoulders. “You have been out ever since, and in a lot of pain I might add. You would scream in the middle of the night. It hurt me, realizing I couldn’t do anything to help you.”
He stumbled across the bed and reached over to kiss her sweet lips. Her pregnancy dawned on him and he pulled back. A stern look crossed his face as the memories started to organize themselves in his mind. “You’re pregnant?” She smiled, which answered his question. He returned his gaze to the window. “I almost let the memory slip my mind. And how are you doing…and feeling?”
She could tell he was upset—more now than ever—by the fact he impregnated her. That is, now that he could remember his identity and where he came from. “We have been just fine.” She paused and pulled his face back to hers. “Tell me, you’ve been bothered by my pregnancy since Norlun gave you your memories back. Why?”
He tried to look deep into her eyes, but felt ashamed. He should never have allowed himself to fall into this predicament. He wanted to explain it to her, but the words were hard to gather and organize in his thoughts. It felt as if so much assaulted his mind all at once, and it seemed a bit confusing. Still, the pressing matter was how he could have let this happen. Anger and frustration coursed through him, and he put the blame on Norlun’s shoulders. Not that he would take any of it back. He hadn’t remembered who he was and he has fallen in love with her. He just knew he wouldn’t be able to stay with her, to love her until her death, and to be there for the child. She looked at him eagerly and he wanted to do something.
He took her hand in his own, while he tried to explain. “You have to understand, knowing who I am does nothing to change the way I feel about you. I came here on a mission; a mission in which I knew I had to be careful, or I risked damaging the natural time-line. I never should’ve fallen in love. I came here to stop my brother. I have failed thus far on both accounts.” He frowned and lowered his eyes to the floor.
She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “What has happened between us has changed my life. I wouldn’t take it back for anything.” He looked up at her. “Why should it change things between us?”
“Liniana, you have to understand.” He stood up, although a little wobbly since he hadn’t moved or eaten in a couple of days. She rose to steady him. “I’m here to put an end to my brother�
�s conquests. Once completed, I will use the orb to return home. I cannot stay here or I risk damaging the natural course of events.” He turned and stalked toward the window; it seemed to be his only escape in these tight, confined quarters. “I have already damaged enough.”
“You have damaged nothing,” she pleaded and crept up behind him. “I know, and understand our position. The child changes nothing for me. I know you will have to leave us behind, and I accept that. I have had a long time to think on it while you were unconscious. Let’s enjoy the time we do have together, and leave the parting and sorrow until the time at which you leave.”
He turned around and faced her with a look of anger on his face. “You don’t understand Liniana. In my history, my past…you die young!” He realized his anger forced him to say too much. A look of pure anguish clouded his features.
She took a startled step back. Her face looked as if he had slapped her. No one is supposed to know when they are to die. She tried to organize her thoughts while trying not to look terrified.
Raythum’s anger with himself subsided. She had died during an ambush while traveling to Shakiel. It had been the single event ending the alliance between the three major cities. Norlun had instructed him not to say anything; he even warned of the importance before Raythum ever undertook this journey. He had to make up for his outburst and crept toward her. “I’m sorry. I let my anger overwhelm me and I didn’t mean to blurt it out.” He hugged her, even though she seemed hesitant to accept. “But, this is why I’m so angry with myself. I shouldn’t have allowed it to happen this way.” She looked up at him. “Norlun seemed concerned with side-effects—not to mention he sent me to Havenbrook during a time when he thought he would be there, to assist me in case there were issues.” He looked down at her. “It doesn’t change the fact I’m sorry, though.”
She silenced him with a kiss, which calmed them both a bit. She didn’t want to deal with it anymore—the pain was too much—and decided to change the subject. “Perhaps we should alert the others to your return.” She turned and walked out of the room.
Before she reached the door, Raythum caught up to her. “I mean it, Liniana, I’m sorry and I will do everything I can to protect you. I love you.”
She gazed at him over her shoulder, and with a sad smile working across her face said, “I know. Now come on.”
It neared dawn and Aglina ran around the kitchen, busy at work preparing breakfast for everyone. Raythum smiled when he first set his eyes upon her. Like seeing an old friend for the first time—in a long time—she brought him comfort. She was a larger woman by Dwarven standards, but her look could deceive. Her years working in the forge had built and defined the muscle she kept hidden under her apron. Her long, braided, red hair fell to her waist.
She spotted Liniana first, and looked surprised to see Raythum. “Well, well, well, ‘bout time you could rouse yourself and join the conscious world. We’ve been itching for you to come back to us so we could be back out on the road and on with our business.” She cackled and then her face became somber. “Really though, how are you feeling?”
He smiled, seeing the old Dwarf improved his spirits. “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
Aglina erupted in raucous laughter. “If the sight of the likes of me uplifts your spirit, then I think you need to have your eyes checked.”
“That may be so, Aglina. That may be so.” Another jolt of pain struck his head, and he fell to a knee. When it passed, he rose to his feet. “I’m feeling good, but it would seem I still have some pain reappearing from time to time,” he said with a wry smile on his face.
Liniana helped him to Norlun’s table. “You sit, I’m going to wake everyone else up so we can figure out our plans from here. And now that you know why you are here, we can finally organize an offensive. We’ll have to pass through Ferrindale, they are eager to hear more from you. Folois and Arthanis left after you collapsed. I promised them we would send word once you regained consciousness.” He nodded as she left the room.
He rested his head on his hand and sat at the table while Aglina continued to prepare breakfast, but she couldn’t help herself and continued to stare in his direction. “Do you remember everything now?”
He couldn’t speak as another shockwave ran through his brain, but managed to nod. Aglina decided it best if she reserved her questions for later. She could see he wasn’t just in pain, but in a brood as well. She was certain he had more on his mind to sift through than he ever expected to.
Matt walked in, the first member to join the kitchen. He had short, dark hair and a stubbly beard. He stood a full head shorter than Raythum and Jaeden. He walked in sleepy eyed, but with a large grin on his face. “Maybe now we can start to get some sleep around here Raythum.” He chuckled.
Raythum looked up from the table and smiled. Even though he may have been a thief in his former life, Raythum had come to trust his opinions—not to mention his skills with the knife—and it warmed him to be back in his company. “I doubt it. We need to be back on the road as soon as possible. My guess is we are far away after our travels to find Norlun.” As he said his name, the old wizard walked into the kitchen looking wide-eyed and excited Raythum was awake and moving. Norlun showed his age. Wrinkles and age spots filled his face, surrounded by long, gray hair, with a matching white beard.
He rushed up to the warrior and placed his hand on his head. “That took a bit longer than I would’ve expected. I’m sorry I could be of no further assistance to you. I hope it wasn’t too painful of an experience.”
Raythum glared at the wizard. He had grown up around him and recognized his shrewd sense of humor. “Fortunately, I was unconscious for most of it, as you are well aware.” The old man sat down at the table across from him. “Now tell me, why is it you weren’t in Havenbrook when I first arrived here one hundred and thirty years in the past? From your own memories, you were supposed to be in the city”
Norlun furrowed his brow as he thought about what the young knight said. After a long moment of silence, the wizard spoke up. “I should’ve been in Havenbrook, which would then seem logical as to why I sent you there when I did, but then the odd traveler appeared in Riverfell with the orb and my plans changed.”
“But it would’ve been the same had I not come back. Nothing I have done would’ve altered his course. Something else must have stopped you,” Raythum prodded.
“Yes. I received visions, visions of you and the orbs. Suddenly traveling to Havenbrook seemed the farthest thing from my mind. Everything I saw made it appear you were after the orbs and I had to do everything in my power to prevent you from getting your hands on them. So I put all of my effort into securing it from the traveler.”
Raythum took all of this new information in and leaned back in his chair. “I can understand your logic, Norlun. I would’ve done the same if I were in your place.” He had never had a vision himself, in the same sense Norlun had had them, but his own dreams were sometimes enough to spur him into action.
Aglina carried a tray of biscuits and a pan of cooked strips of deer meat. She brought them to the table where she set them down. She also offered piping hot coffee. The aromas from the hot beverage perked everyone around the table up. Most of them awoke far earlier than they would have on a normal day, and the coffee brought out a level of excitement in them. She took the empty seat next to Raythum. “I’m glad you’re doing better, and I know it’s forward of me to ask,” she chuckled, “but now that you have your memories back, I have to know who made your armor and sword.”
He knew the answer to this question must be killing her, and couldn’t believe it took so long for her to bring it up. “There is just one craftsman in this world that I think could produce such beautiful pieces, Aglina, and it would be you.” He watched her mouth drop open, as did several others at the table. “You were commissioned to craft them both by Drognard after…” His thoughts drifted off. “Milenthia, I had almost forgotten about her. Where is she?”
; Before any of them could speak up, her voice filled his head. I wondered if you would ever get around to inquiring about me, she chuckled. I’m outside.
I’m sorry, Milenthia. There are so many thoughts and memories rushing through my mind and I overlooked it. I will join you in a moment.
Raythum’s face cleared, and Norlun took the opportunity to speak. “Worry about you filled her, and she waited outside for you to regain consciousness.”
Raythum stood. “Thank you.” He bowed his head. “I’m sorry, but I need to speak with her for a moment before I continue.” He could tell Aglina wanted more information, but now didn’t seem appropriate. There were other pressing matters needing his attention. He turned to Aglina, “I know I owe you more, and I promise I will get back to it.”
They nodded their understanding, and watched him walk out of the home. Liniana looked up as the young boy, Jaeden, walked in. Just when they thought they would finally get their answers, other priorities took him away. Jaeden threw his hands up in the air as Raythum passed, and rolled his eyes, as if he wanted to know now what?
An Unexpected Visit to Kumla
Lutheras sat in a high-backed chair in the stifling hot tent, which served as his temporary quarters while they marched toward Shakiel. He took a long drink from a large golden goblet, spilling drops in his black goatee. He finalized his plans for his attack on Shakiel and they would arrive at the capital city by the end of the week. He leaned back, satisfied with himself, and as such, relaxed a bit and opened a bottle of red wine. He ran his hands through his short, black hair and sighed in relief. He had been unnerved when Rylson visited him a week ago, but felt better with the knowledge that his brother so far hadn’t been searching for him. He poured himself another glass and kicked up his feet, resting them on his table. He also threw his arms back and locked them behind his head. Beginning to feel rested for the first time in a long time, and feeling as if his plan had regained its course, he couldn’t help but smile.
The Rising Past: Book 2 in The Keepers of the Orbs Series Page 1