Age of Valor: Awakening

by D. E. Morris

  Careful with the words he chose, Wessely grimaced. “Demons exist, Ashlynn, as does the Deceiver. He knows where you are vulnerable and how to get under your skin. It is your job not to let him.”

  “How?”

  “Arm yourself as you would going up against any other enemy. If you are not prepared to do battle you will be defeated. But if you are prepared and ready when he comes for you, victory will be yours.” Wessely rose and went to his desk, searching amid the documents for something. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he straightened and put his hands on his waist. “Go home and read the letter to the people of Ephesus in the scriptures. The armor you need will be there.”

  Ashlynn nodded. “I will.”

  “And be patient with Jaryn. I find it hard to believe that he of all people would argue against what you know to be true, but perhaps in time...”

  Shrugging, Ashlynn gave a sad smile. “I think he chooses not to believe because it is easier.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “He asked me once to put myself in his position, to see how I would feel if he were the one having the nightmares and the visions, and I understand a bit better than I originally did. If there was something haunting him, harming him in this way and I could neither see it nor do anything to stop it or guard against it, I would rather deny its existence as well.”

  “Indeed.” Wessely walked back around his desk and took both of his daughter's hands, pulling her first to her feet and then into an embrace. “I will be praying for you.”

  “I will take all the prayers I can get.”

  She pulled away, knowing he was not dismissing her because he was busy but because he didn't want her to feel obligated to stay. It made her long for the easier years of childhood when she had nothing pressing to worry about, and she could spend as much time as she wanted with both Wessely and Emiline. But no child appreciates that luxury when it is before them. It's only after the opportunity has been taken away that the time becomes so precious. With an ache in her heart, Ashlynn kissed her father's bristly cheek. “Promise you'll come see Lochlainn soon. I want him to know his grandfather.”

  “Before the month is out. You have my word.”

  “Love you, Papa.”

  “And I you, heartling.”

  ~*~*~*~

  Ashlynn found her husband in one of the solars, a smaller round room that was nearly all windows. Jaryn often preferred to work there during the day over the confines of his office or study. He said that a solid door, whether it stood open or closed, suggested he was inaccessible. When he became king it was a priority to remain available as often as he could.

  On the table before him was a map of Ibays and various scattered documents. An open inkwell and two different sized quills sat in wait, along with a candle and a thick stick of red sealing wax. Drawing up to the room, Ashlynn slowed to watch her husband. He read something with deep concentration, a look upon his face that reminded her of the times she spied on Wessely working. She adored how much Jaryn enjoyed being High King in Siness. He loved the land and the people just as much as she did, and it made him a great ruler. Some compared him to Ashlynn’s own father, Nir, when he had been the high king. Though he felt it was often undeserved, the compliment always gave Jaryn a swell of pride.

  “I see you out there,” he said after a moment, not even bothering to glance away from what he read. “Perhaps you can help me understand this request. I am just a lowly minstrel, after all. You are the one who was raised in understanding these political things.”

  She entered the room and sat beside him, trading the scroll in her hands for the document. “What’s this?” Jaryn asked, already working on the ties holding it closed. He didn’t wait for Ashlynn’s answer and unrolled the old parchment to examine it. “Oooh,” he moaned in appreciation. “This is beautiful.”

  Ashlynn reached under the scroll for a quill and the ink well, drawing them closer. “Isn’t it?” She dipped the quill and bent to write on the bottom of the document she held. “Rhiannon owns the entirety of the island in the middle of Lake Ettrick. Thornhill has been trying to expand his properties west since before I was even born and that includes trying to buy the island from Rhiannon. I think it might be time to have a meeting with him since Rhiannon has all but left the land there to grow untamed while Thornhill has proven himself a competent landlord.” She signed her name with a flourish, then melted wax to drip onto the bottom of the petition and dip her insignia ring into. With that taken care of, she set the document aside and sat back to look at the scroll with her husband.

  “How is your father?”

  She sighed quietly. “Not well by the look of it. He has aged too much in the past year.”

  “Emiline’s passing was hard on him. Did you tell him what was going on?”

  “Yes, and now Nadie is afraid it’s Merrik returned from the dead to kill all the Elementals.” Jaryn grimaced and Ashlynn frowned. “You think so, too?”

  “It is a possibility we were entertaining the other morning.”

  “You and the boys?” Ashlynn smirked. “Kenayde and Elas are engaged.”

  “I saw that coming.” Jaryn kissed his wife.

  “And I tried to talk my father into remarrying.”

  Jaryn groaned. “Oh, love. You didn't.” Her nod said she did and he shook his head. “It hasn't even been a year.”

  “I know. I regretted it the moment I saw the look on his face. It was foolish of me to suggest.”

  “Aye, it was.”

  For a moment they were silent as they both examined the scroll. Though she was only just beginning to feel like herself, a part of Ashlynn wanted to seek out Cavalon and Badru and join them on their adventure. But she wasn't a free spirit anymore; now she had a kingdom to run and a family that needed her attention.

  Jaryn set the scroll down carefully and pulled Ashlynn to him, draping his arm around her shoulder as she snuggled into his side. “Are you feeling neglected?”

  “No.” His voice was soft, sadness evident in his tone. “I am simply smart enough to understand that we will not have moments like these for much longer. Not for awhile, anyway.” His head rested atop hers. “The past several months have been close to paradise, Ashlynn. I am not looking forward to seeing them leave.”

  “You know I'm not leaving you, don’t you?”

  “I do, but at any moment Cavalon or Badru could come back and tell you you’re needed. Being married to you is a bit like being married to a soldier, really. When you’re called into action, you must go.”

  Ashlynn nodded, eyes downcast. “My duties as an Elemental come before all else.”

  “I understand that, and I support it. That does not mean I always have to like it.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to.” She took his hand and wove her fingers with his, looking at the rings they both wore and the intricate knot work that encircled both bands. There were moments, sometimes unexpected in their randomness, that love for Jaryn swelled up inside Ashlynn so strong that it startled her. It was one of those moments now and she shifted, nuzzling her face against the side of his neck. “Do you ever dream of a normal life?”

  Jaryn chuckled. “Define normal.”

  “Just you and me living on a farm somewhere, raising lots of children, our biggest worry being which of the fattest cattle to have for our meals.”

  She closed her eyes, the scenario easy to picture. It was beautiful, the cottage they would have. Children could run about and play over the scattered hills. She would hang the freshly cleaned wash and Jaryn would plow the fields. It was lovely, but it wasn’t real.

  “I don’t know,” he said at length. “This has been normal for so long, I have a hard time thinking of us in that life.”

  “I never said I could live that life.” Ashlynn grinned, kissing his neck. “I just dream about it sometimes.” She lifted her head to look into Jaryn’s eyes. “I am so very much in love with you.”

  “Well that’s good. If you weren’t, we’d ha
ve a long life ahead of us.”

  She kissed his lips, taking his face in her hands. His arms snaked around her waist and he kissed her back. Maybe she didn't have the freedom she used to have, but her life was truly blessed, and she would no longer take a single moment of it for granted.

  Chapter Eleven

  “So I told him she was part of an order and I just about thought he was going to wet himself!”

  It had been three weeks since Cavalon, Badru, and Jessiah had set forth from Lerranyth. Three weeks of walking, meeting strangers and asking them questions. Three weeks of sleeping wherever a bed could be found or using a rock for a pillow. Three weeks since Cavalon even knew what silence was. Jessiah, it seemed, loved the sound of his own voice and never stopped talking. Badru, being as even-tempered as always, was getting on fine with the young man. As the days passed, however, Cavalon was becoming less and less agreeable.

  He missed Nuala and the comfort that her presence brought him. Every now and then he would catch a whiff of a certain flower on the late summer air and it reminded him of her. Thinking of her inevitably led his thoughts to Lucien and his mood would darken even further. The boy would have grown so much already and Cavalon hated thinking about him getting any older. He realized with some astonishment that he missed the forest canopies in Breamar and how every home in the Volarim high kingdom was built in and around the trees to keep them a part of their lives.

  Mostly, he missed the quiet.

  “And I thought he was there to rob us but really, he just wanted our help. It turned out to be a wonderful friendship, if you can believe it.”

  “I can,” Badru answered with a nod. He cast a wary look at Cavalon. “Perhaps we should stop for the night. It has been a long day of walking and my feet are tired.”

  “Aye,” Jessiah agreed easily. “I’ve still got some of that chicken in my pack. If one of you would be so kind as to start a fyre...”

  Blue and gold flames sprang up a little too close to where Jessiah stood and he jumped back with a yelp. “Sorry,” said Cavalon lazily. “Must have misjudged where you were standing.”

  Jessiah blinked, looking at Cavalon with surprise. After a moment, he said, “No worries,” and forced a smile. “It happens.”

  If Cavalon had hoped to startle Jessiah into silence for a few moments, it worked. He started unpacking his bedroll while Jessiah dug around in his pack for the chicken, and Badru looked up at the darkening sky. “I’m tired of walking,” Cavalon complained. “Explain to me again why we can’t just shift and I put the kid on my back?”

  “We would need to fly low enough so that we do not miss anything,” Badru replied patiently and not for the first time. “Flying that low would take more energy since the currents closer to the earth are not as strong. Ultimately, we would not cover any more ground because we would have to rest more frequently.”

  “I’m still tired of walking,” the Badarian grumbled. His bedroll was flattened onto the ground and he sat close to the fyre, accepting some of the meat Jessiah handed him.

  “There is a stream over there.” Badru pointed in the direction they would be heading in the morning. “Give me your skins and I will refill them.”

  The two men did as asked with Jessiah handing Badru a metal pot. “For tea,” he explained. When Badru had gone, Jessiah sat and draped his arms over his knees. Inquisitive, he turned his gaze to Cavalon. “You don’t say much, do you?”

  “Got nothing to say,” Cavalon replied, never taking his eyes from the fyre.

  Jessiah shook his head. “I doubt that very much. Someone who has been alive as long as you? I’m sure you have a whole cartload of stories to tell.”

  “None that I feel like sharing.”

  “Nothing personal, then. Fair enough.” He paused to close his eyes and say a quiet prayer before consuming his own bit of chicken. Eating did not stop him from talking. “Tell me more about Elementals. Until a couple of years ago they were just a myth that my brother and I grew up hearing about. I never believed they - you - existed until Cailin told me about the high queen of Siness.”

  Cavalon afforded him a cautious glance. “What did she tell you?”

  “That she can make fyre like you and that she can shift into a dragon bigger than the castle.”

  The statement made Cavalon chuckle. “She’s big, but she’s not that big. Actually, as far as Elementals go, she’s on the smaller size. I’m probably the biggest.”

  “So the high queen really is an Elemental?”

  “Yep. So is the the one newly crowned in Caedia.”

  Jessiah’s brows raised. “The princess Luella? Tadhg’s daughter? How can that be?”

  “She wasn’t really his daughter.” Cavalon scratched his chin. “It’s kind of a long story.”

  “What is her Element? What about the others?”

  Badru was coming back with the water, sparing Cavalon from answering. He got to his feet to grab the full pot. The middle of the fyre parted, leaving burnt grass and ground for the pot to sit on and heat. As he sat back down, he caught the expectant gaze of Jessiah on his face. It made him uncomfortable. “Why do you want to know so much?”

  “I’m curious,” he answered evenly. “Like I said, you were all a myth until a couple of years ago.”

  “What are we talking about?” Badru threw a handful of dried herbs and spices into the pot from a pouch he carried and graciously accepted the last of the chicken before sitting by the fyre as well.

  “Elementals. The kid’s got a lot of questions.”

  Badru gave Cavalon a puzzled look. “It is natural to want to know more about something you do not understand.”

  “Exactly,” said Jessiah gratefully. “It’s like a favorite story of mine has come to life. I want to know all the characters. Understanding them better will aid me in helping you find the missing Elemental as well.”

  Cavalon smirked. “How do you figure?”

  “I am good at finding people. It’s part of what I do. Everything I learn about them is valuable.”

  “Cavalon.” Badru shook his head wearily. “The boy is trying to help us. He is not an enemy, as you assume everyone is. He is a Follower.”

  “Maybe not as pious as they come,” Jessiah admitted with a shrug, “but I do my best.” He looked at Cavalon in earnest. “I am not a person who will betray what I believe in.”

  For a moment, the two men stared at each other. It was as though Jessiah was trying to stare Cavalon into trusting him, and Cavalon was trying to find something hidden in the younger man’s gaze. When both were equally disappointed, Cavalon fell back onto his blanket roll and turned over on his side, his back to Jessiah. “I’m going to sleep,” he rumbled. “The kid wants answers; Badru, feel free to give them to him.”

  With a small shake of his head, Badru asked Jessiah, “What would you like to know?”

  ~*~*~*~

  They were walking in wild areas now, having passed the more populated areas of Ibays. Once it had been a thriving nation, full of people and animals. When Tadhg had come into his reign and began making war on the other nations, Ibays was the first one destroyed. At the time they’d had the strongest military forces out of all the nations. Tadhg started big by conquering Ibays, killing and destroying as he went, then worked his way down. He’d wanted to prove he was no pup, but a feral wolf who could be defeated by no one. After that, the weaker nations and lesser kingdoms were small victories in comparison, and Ibays was left as but of a shadow of the great nation it had once been.

  It had been years since any human had lived in the area the men traveled in now. Only that morning they’d passed a village that was nothing but ghosts and ruins. They did not linger, knowing death had been a strong element there. It was not their first deserted town, nor would it be their last.

  This day had them walking on past sunset with the moon and stars to light their path. Their motivation for a continued journey was the spire of a castle in the distance. Badru insisted they walk so as not to alarm a
nyone below. From what they could see, the castle was still standing and could very well have been livable.

  Drawing closer, any hope for civilization was crushed. It seemed the tower was the only thing on the castle left undamaged and whole. Badru ran a hand over the stone of the front gate, still warm from the heat of the day. “At least we will not have to sleep out in the open tonight.”

  Cavalon looked at his friend with raised brows. “We haven’t stopped anywhere else to sleep before. Why would you want to stay here?”

  “The villages were different. It felt invasive to be there. Here, I feel drawn to explore inside.”

  “Anything we might find useful would have been taken already,” said Cavalon with a glance up at the tall spire. “This place has been empty for years, I’m sure. You don’t think anyone’s been here already?”

  Badru shook his head and started inside. “It is not about treasure, my friend.”

  “Then what’s it about?”

  “I do not yet know."

  The heavy front doors opened with a groan, grinding against the floor as they pulled on their hinges to hang crookedly. Badru entered first, his eyes going skyward to see the moon through a hole blown into the high walls of the foyer. He lifted his hand to summon a fyre to see by and heard the beat of wings overhead. Several bats flew out through the hole, others found new places to rest and watch.

  Jessiah passed by and sank into the darkness without a word. He came back moments later with a torch that was old and worn. “There’s no oil to dip it in,” he explained. “So we’ll have to use your fyre.” He pointed into the darkness. “It looked like there were a few more along the walls.”

  As Badru clenched his fist closed, the torch Jessiah held, as well as several others along the large foyer, lit up in color. Every bat that had remained took off in a flurry of wings and chirping complaints, leaving through the many holes in the castle walls.