Champion of the Gods Box Set

by Andrew Q. Gordon

  “How do you conclude that?” The dwarves should have seen his staff. “Everything worked and they still couldn’t see the way home.”

  “Yar-del required six years of work before we could leave the tents and move into our new homes.” He motioned for Farrell to join him. “The Kings of Colograd waited two centuries for their permanent home to be built. Agloth is still being built after countless years of work.”

  “All of that is true, but they had a plan that they executed.”

  Kel smoothed the front of his robe. “And none of them went according to design. Each project required some attempts and revision. This attempt didn’t work, but we have accomplished several good foundational steps.”

  “But . . .” He shook his head. Kel was right. He had achieved some success. “You’re right. What’s our next move?”

  Kel winked at Farrell. “Let’s go over what happened. If we review what you just did, we may find some things you could have done differently.”

  Farrell entered their suite to unexpected silence. In the short time Geena and Bren had been living with him and Miceral, he’d learned they were only quiet when they slept. He used a spell to muffle his steps and went in search of Miceral. Passing through the bedroom, Farrell found his partner in the room adjacent to theirs. What had once been their private space was now a playroom most of the day.

  “How long have they been asleep?” He sat next to his life partner and leaned closer for a kiss.

  “Lisle said they’d only just gotten to sleep when I returned home about ten minutes ago.” Miceral pulled off his left boot and set it on the floor quietly. “She looked frazzled, so I suggested she go lie down for a bit.”

  “Where are . . .?” He was embarrassed to have forgotten the names of the two sisters Lisle hired to help her.

  “Urana and Teless?” Miceral arched his brow before removing his other boot. “If I were you, I’d remember their names. They’re Lisle’s third cousins, after all.”

  “You forgot their names again, too, didn’t you?”

  Miceral rolled his eyes and nodded. “I referred to Teless as Telana, and Lisle lectured me for five minutes on how they were caring for our children and cleaning our rooms and that the least I could do was remember their names.”

  “Maybe I should put a spell on them so whenever they come into a room, their names appear above their heads, but only you and I can see it?”

  “You can do that?” The hopeful note in Miceral’s voice made Farrell laugh.

  “I’ve never tried, so I’m not sure.” Farrell had only seen the sisters twice in the ten days they’d been hired. They were so quiet, he’d barely spoken to either, though that was no excuse. “I think, however, we can manage to remember two names without magic.”

  “We’d better, because if they quit, we won’t get any work done.” Miceral stood and stretched. “Geena and Bren ran enough to make a complete circle around the Plains of Gharaha before they finally settled down. And that was just the bit I saw before I went to weapons practice.”

  “Sorry I missed all the excitement.” Farrell glanced down the “nursery hall” toward the children’s room. He still wished he’d held his ground and had it built on the other side of their suite. Not that he minded the children’s room so close to his, but the rooms for Lisle and the others were down that wing as well. When he had time, he’d figure something out to ensure he and Miceral had more privacy.

  “How did your attempt go?” Miceral asked.

  “It was a failure.” Farrell didn’t hide his disappointment. “Kel said it was a successful first attempt, but I don’t feel I accomplished anything.”

  “Kel wouldn’t have counted it as positive if it weren’t. Why don’t you agree?”

  “It raised more questions than it answered. Yes, we confirmed a few things I was already certain would work, but now I’m worried the dwarves won’t see the Door even if it’s opened in the right place.”

  Miceral sat next to Farrell. “Maybe if you start at the beginning, I’ll better understand.”

  Farrell spent the next ten minutes recounting the failed attempt.

  “Try not to be discouraged.” Miceral took Farrell’s hand in his and rubbed gently. “I don’t think Kel would give you false encouragement.”

  “I don’t think anything short of divine intervention is going to help, and I don’t think they’re . . . listening.” The last word was barely a whisper.

  “They’re what?”

  “The Ear of Lenore.” Farrell couldn’t believe he’d forgotten. “That has to be the key.”

  “What?” Miceral frowned. “How can that be the key?”

  “I don’t know for certain, but it makes sense.” It had to be. “Why couldn’t Kel free them, but I can? It’s certainly not because I’m a better wizard or I have more experience or knowledge. It has to be something I have that he didn’t. The only Gift that could make a difference that Kel never possessed is the Ear of Lenore.”

  “Assume that’s correct. How do you use it to free the dwarves?” Miceral’s eyes narrowed. “Do you even have a clue how it will help, or is this little more than fetch the Ear and make the rest up once we get home?”

  His partner’s skepticism didn’t rattle his conviction. “No, I can’t tell you exactly how to use it—yet. But I’m sure it plays a role. Seritia told me I needed to collect all the Gifts.”

  “The connection isn’t as obvious to me, but that still leaves you one Gift short.”

  “True, but I don’t think the Blood of Arritisa will be needed. The book in Honorus’s temple said Her Gift gave strength and endurance to those who labored in Her name.”

  “Yes, and the Ear allows you to hear—”

  “—and communicate with anything.” Farrell watched as a flicker of understanding played its way across Miceral’s face. “I won’t be sure until I try, but I believe I can use it to speak to the dwarves in the void.”

  Miceral’s body relaxed and he nodded. “There is a certain logic to it, and if it doesn’t help, you’ve moved one step closer to getting all seven Gifts.”

  “Exactly.” He smiled and moved closer for a kiss. “We should go talk to your father while the children are asleep and ask how soon we can go to Primilian.”

  Farrell spent most of the rest of the day searching Haven’s library for a map of Primilian with no success. Even the charts of that area of the world were vague, often not having any mention of the island. Those drawings that included Primilian didn’t agree on its location. Farrell saw Primilian listed off the east and west coasts of Erd; one map had put it in the center of the Delmun Ocean; two had it just off the east coast of Lourdria; and one claimed it wasn’t even an island and put it in the vast, empty spaces of northern Erd.

  He voiced his frustration to his father-in-law and ended up wishing he hadn’t.

  “Do you think we could have kept our existence so secret if we allowed maps to our home to exist?” Horgon said. He chided Farrell as if Farrell was a child who didn’t know how to saddle a horse.

  Fortunately Horgon had a record of his ancestral home.

  After reviewing the map provided, Farrell learned Primilian sat off the southeast coast of Erd, almost due north of Agloth. Horgon explained Primilian had remained hidden due to divine intervention. Arritisa had surrounded it with unfavorable currents that pushed ships away, Honorus made sure the winds kept casual flyers from crossing over, and Lenore surrounded the island in fog.

  Primilian was the second largest island on Nendor after Dumbarten. A mountain range separated the fertile plains in the East from a dense forest in the West. Farrell noted only two ports, one on the northeast tip and the other to the west, and no designated capital city.

  “That is because Primilian does not have a formal government like human nations,” Nerti explained when Farrell asked her. “It would be pointless to have a large organized administration when our numbers are scattered across Nendor.”

  Given the time difference between Pr
imilian and Haven, Miceral and Farrell decided to leave after the children went to sleep. Farrell had intended to go with just Miceral, Nerti, and Klissmor, but once he voiced his plan to visit Primilian, their numbers grew. Horgon wanted to come, and Nerti asked to bring her daughter, Natice. Then Rothdin requested to join them. Having so many of Haven’s leaders away—even for a short time—required a full day’s planning.

  The second evening after he decided to visit, Farrell exited a Door and set foot on Primilian. Glendora waved good-bye before she closed the portal. The sun, which had set in Haven, was up and lighting their day.

  Facing the distant mountains to the west, Farrell breathed deeply to catch the smell of the sea air. Despite all the time he’d lived inside a mountain, he’d never lost the love of the ocean that seemed to live in all who were born in Yar-del.

  “Which way?” he asked Nerti.

  “For now, we wait here,” she answered.

  “Here? We wait here?”

  “Yes, little one, we wait here. Be patient.”

  Farrell checked his surroundings, expecting to see some sign of what Nerti alluded to. The large clearing where they’d emerged was at the junction of two well-tended roads. One ran north–south, the other east–west. Cultivated fields, well into their growing stage, bounded them on all sides. West, between them and the mountains, sat a dense, ancient forest. It stretched north and south as far as he could see.

  “From here we left to find a new home to the south,” Rothdin said. “It is right that we return to this place first.”

  Farrell was scanning the mountains when he thought he saw movement. At first, he decided his eyes were mistaken, but then it happened again. Soon the odd flickering became a swarm of motion up and down the face of the mountain. Concerned, he enhanced his sight, only to relax when the movement turned out to be peregrines leaving their aeries high in the hills.

  Just as he was about to dismiss the spell and wait, more action occurred on the ground. Expecting to find unicorns, he saw Muchari riding their way. Through the tall grass, he saw the occasional horn or white head with no rider.

  “They come,” Farrell said out loud.

  “Indeed they do.” Rothdin sounded as happy as Farrell had ever seen him. “It is good to be home.”

  “Aye, old friend,” Klissmor said. “It is indeed.”

  Soon the clear blue sky was filled with dozens, if not hundreds, of peregrines flying toward them. The sound of so many hooves told Farrell the riders were close.

  No one spoke as they waited. Dressed in his dwarf-made armor, Farrell sweated in the nearly still air. Everyone else seemed unbothered, so he did his best to ignore the heat.

  Farrell knew Miceral and Horgon had been born in Northhelm, and they’d never been home before. Farrell believed Natice had been born after the move to Ardus, but he’d never had a long enough conversation with her to ask such questions.

  Once the first riderless unicorn charged into the clearing, chaos erupted. Unicorns, with and without Muchari riders, appeared in waves, filling what had seemed to Farrell to be a large space. Now it felt crowded, and the peregrines hadn’t arrived. The giant raptors soared down and gracefully landed in spaces barely wider than themselves.

  Farrell stood beside Nerti, unsure what he should do. He alone had no connection to Primilian. When everyone had arrived, a peregrine swooped in and landed almost on top of them.

  Rothdin’s feathers twitched into a formation Farrell didn’t understand. They suggested his adopted father was happy, but not like he’d seen before. Rothdin quickly summoned Farrell and Miceral to move closer.

  “Farrell. Miceral. This is Hesnera.” Rothdin moved his left wing until the tips grazed the other peregrine. The gesture was familiar and intimate. “She is my mate.”

  “Mate?” The word escaped Farrell’s mouth before he could stop himself. “I mean, a pleasure to meet you, Hesnera.”

  As he processed the information, Miceral said something. He’d always assumed she’d died. His brothers never spoke of her, nor did Rothdin or anyone else.

  “. . .…gone for more than a hundred years but has returned to join our fight,” Rothdin said. “And to rejoin our family.”

  The use of our wasn’t lost on Farrell.

  “It is an honor to meet you, Servant of Honorus.” Her voice had the same alien feel as his brothers and father, but warmer and more inviting. “Rothdin and my other sons speak fondly of you. Takala told me you saved his life at great risk to your own.”

  “As I’m sure you have experienced, my brother exaggerates quite a bit.” He hoped someone would explain more, but no one spoke. “I apologize for my outburst. No one mentioned . . . told me you were still living.”

  “My mission required I remain apart. Everyone needed to believe I was lost. Only Rothdin and your brothers knew the truth.” They looked at each other, and Rothdin’s eyes sparkled with a joy Farrell had never seen before.

  “What do I call her?” Farrell asked Miceral.

  “By ‘her’ I assume you mean Hesnera.”

  “Of course, Hesnera.” Farrell calmed himself before adding, “Calling Rothdin Father was easy. I’ve never had anyone who fit that title.”

  Miceral reached for Farrell’s hand. “I think you should explain that to Hesnera and Rothdin when you’re ready. I don’t think anyone will object if you reserve ‘Mother’ for Zenora.”

  Before Farrell could address the topic with his father, a swarm of unicorns, peregrines, and Muchari surrounded them. Horgon and Miceral talked while Farrell looked around. The return of so many old friends produced the joyous backslapping Farrell expected, but he also saw caution on the faces of more than a few.

  A commotion in front of them caused the crowd to part, and a unicorn and an old man rode closer. The man looked familiar, but Farrell knew he’d never met him before. He turned to ask who the rider was, but the smile on Horgon’s face stopped his question.

  “Father.” Horgon quickly walked to the unicorn’s side and held out his hand to help his father down.

  “You look well, Son. I’m so pleased to see you.” His eyes darted around until he looked in Miceral’s direction. “And that, I assume, is my grandson?”

  Horgon nodded and beckoned for Miceral to join them. Not wanting to intrude, Farrell stayed behind. Watching Miceral reunite with his grandfather twisted his emotions. He searched for Nerti and found her and Klissmor engulfed by a score of unicorns. Rothdin, standing happily next to his mate, was similarly surrounded. Feeling out of place, Farrell stepped back.

  He’d nearly cleared the group when he ran into a unicorn.

  “Sorry.” He spun around and found Natice standing behind him. “Hello.”

  “Why do you move away?” She eyed him carefully. “They are your family, too.”

  He shook his head. “They’re fine without me interfering.”

  Natice’s gaze had a hard edge that reminded him of Nerti. “Do you doubt that you are welcome with any of them?”

  “No. But—”

  “Then your self-pity will not help bring you closer to them, Chosen.”

  Her words stung, and he glared at her. Everyone but Farrell had known Miceral’s grandfather—whose name Farrell still didn’t know—and Hesnera were alive. How could he be part of that family? “It’s hard to feel close to a family when they don’t trust you enough to tell you who else is part of it.”

  Natice didn’t look convinced. Her lack of response, however, told Farrell more about the truth of his words.

  “Farrell?” Miceral’s call broke their eye contact. Farrell turned back to where he’d left his partner and saw Miceral wading through the crowd. “Why are you back here?”

  “I thought to give you a bit of space to say hello to your grandfather.” He almost added, “whatever his name is,” but he didn’t want to pick a fight with Miceral too.

  “I’m sorry.” Miceral appeared genuinely remorseful. “I shouldn’t have left you alone. Not that this is an excuse, but I di
dn’t know he was still alive. He left Northhelm before I was born.”

  “It’s fine. I’m glad you and Horgon got to see him.”

  Miceral cleared the crowd and reached for Farrell’s hand when he arrived. “No, it’s not fine. We, Father and I, realized we’d left you there. And when we turned to find you, you were gone. What happened?”

  “I might have been feeling a bit… um….” Farrell glanced at Natice from the corner of his eye. “Out of place.”

  “Ah.” Miceral nodded and seemed to hear what Farrell didn’t say. “Sorry again. Everyone had someone they wanted to see, but Grogon, my grandfather, wants to meet you.”

  Farrell smiled and started to go with Miceral but stopped when he remembered Natice. He faced her. “Thank you. You were right.”

  She winked and bobbed her horn. “You are welcome.”

  “What was that about?” Miceral asked, as they began to walk back.

  “Nothing.” He squeezed Miceral’s hand. “She just kept me company while I waited for you.”

  Chapter Three

  Grogon reminded Farrell more of the grandson than the father. Though Horgon had changed much since they first met, Farrell still saw the strong, resolute leader in his father-in-law. Grogon had a more playful side. He joked with Miceral about being a consort—even after it was explained they were both Kings of Trellham—and warned Farrell to be careful that Miceral didn’t hurt him in bed. The last comment turned Farrell bright red, something Grogon took great delight in.

  “Father.” Horgon didn’t sound too upset, but he also hadn’t joined in the mood. “Not only is he a Chosen of the gods and Their Champion, it is also bad form to discuss the bedroom habits of other people.”

  “I can see you inherited your mother’s sense of propriety.” Grogon winked at Miceral and Farrell. “But if you think I’m bad, you forget what your siblings and their children are like. This is nothing compared to the jokes you three can expect from them.”

  “That is if Mother doesn’t set you all in your places first.” Horgon’s smile returned. “I assume she’s well.”