The Morgannate: The Dregian Chronicles Book 3

by D E Boske

“I’m just glad you’re okay, son,” he whispered, kissing the boy’s forehead. He gripped Brandiel’s hand in thanks and turned away so Renlyss could see Hunter.

  “What’s happened?” asked Brandiel.

  “Come,” said Kelindril. “We will need the new recruits this week, Brandiel. Tonight was…” the Gor Li’ Khan leader showed Brandiel what had occurred and Brandiel nearly fainted.

  “How could this happen, Kel?” asked Brandiel, shocked and sickened by the carnage.

  “I don’t know. One second, I was standing over Darian and the next, I heard the commotion and went to secure the area. The Dark Mage was here, Brandiel. He opened a portal to the Plane of Shadows and summoned Mortal Shadows.” Brandiel’s face paled at his leader’s words.

  “How is that possible? We’ve been taught that none alive know the way anymore.”

  “Well, I’d say this disproves that theory,” stated Kel. Brandiel merely nodded his agreement.

  “You handled yourself well tonight, Brandiel. I’m proud of you!” said Kelindril.

  “Thank you!”

  “You faltered at first and then found yourself. Always be confident, Brandiel. You’re an

  excellent warrior and Darian trusts you, otherwise he’d never allow you near Hunter. It’s good to see your confidence growing. That’s the only thing that’s held you back, you know that, right?” asked Kelindril, looking him in the eye.

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I’ve wanted to promote you for a long time but I couldn’t justify it with your lack of confidence. I’ve been watching you for a while now and Darian has been a good influence on you. You listened to his advice and took it to heart. I can’t believe the changes in you, Brandiel. Effective immediately, you’re third in command.”

  “Thank you, Kel! I won’t let you down.”

  “I know,” Kelindril stated simply.

  46

  The Gor Li’ Khan spent the remainder of the night cleaning up the mess while Darian, Renlyss, and Hunter went back to bed. The Mage needed his rest. They all felt the amount of power he pulled from the Weave and it was more than anyone should be able to safely handle. Yet he had done so with minimal effort. However, Kelindril knew that Darian was also using Dark Magic and that had to be more taxing on the young Mage.

  Kelindril would get no rest for days, as he pondered how the Dark Mage was able to get this close. What if the Dark Mage succeeded in killing Darian? Kelindril went over every entry point and every scenario that he could think of to keep it from happening again.

  The Dark Mage used a portal to escape. Maybe he’d used one to enter as well? Something didn’t sit right with Kelindril and he combed the Mage’s chamber repeatedly, hoping to find something he may have missed before.

  On the seventh day, Darian went to Kel with a plate of food and a mug of ale. “Kel, it’s time to eat,” said the young Mage, proffering the plate and mug to the weary looking elf.

  “There’s no time, Darian. I have to…” but the Mage cut him off.

  “You will eat and drink this, Kel. You cannot keep this up. Together, we will find the answers, but you do yourself no good here. I need you at your best and right now, you are far from it, my friend,” said Darian.

  “I’ve gone longer than this without sustenance,” admitted Kelindril.

  “Not while working for me, you haven’t. You need a bath and rest,” said Darian. “Nym can take over while you do so. None of us should be alone anymore. Who knows when the next attempt will be?”

  Kelindril took the plate of food and began to eat. Darian set the mug down by the elf and sat next to him. The young Mage knew Kelindril blamed himself for the attack but there was nothing he could have done. Darian must ask for help in order to find the traitor. The trouble was, he didn’t know who he could trust anymore. The Dark Mage among them was originally trusted, he’d been in Kiri A’ Nouell with them. Darian had to determine which one it was and end them. Painfully.

  He’d have to ask Aganor and this didn’t set well with the proud Mage. He felt he should be able to do this on his own, but his foe was cunning. The Dark Mage would be sorry when Darian finally had him alone. The pain that he’d have to endure would be greater than the Test of Power, Darian promised.

  Delvishan, hear me, Darian prayed. Give me the strength to see this through. Help me to locate the Dark Mage and punish him so that I may do your will. Keep Renlyss, our unborn child, and Hunter safe from the evil of the Dark Mage. I am strong, stronger than I’ve ever been and I know you can feel my power. It has grown, as have I, and I am ready to take control of The Order. My anger will burn through their inferior ranks and purify them until only the devout remain. They have turned from you and your command and do not deserve their ill-gotten life. If it be thy will, let the traitors be known to me, that I may exact vengeance and restore the reputation of The Order. Hear me, god of Mages!

  Darian, came Delvishan’s response. You have grown stronger and I can feel your power. The life of your unborn child is known to me and it pleases me that you have chosen Renlyss as your consort. She will serve you and The Order well. The child growing within her is strong and pure and represents the New Order. The Order as it always should have been. With you at their head, they will become a force to be reckoned with. You have learned compassion. Taking Hunter in was risky but right and you chose well. Though he is no Mage of The Order, he is no less your son and he will serve us well. Guide him and let him learn the ways of the elves if they will teach him. This will benefit him and you. Keep Kelindril by your side, for he is as loyal as they come, but watch those around you. I cannot tell you what you wish to know, though I would, if allowed to do so. There are limits to what I may share, Darian. But know this, when I am able, I will steer you in the right direction, as I did with Declan. Look inside yourself for the answers, for you hold them all. Meditate and you will find what you seek. You are my chosen and I will bless you and damn all others. The Gor Li’ Khan will flock to you in droves, accept them, for you will need them to fight in the coming war. They are loyal and need the direction that you can give them. There is no traitor among them. Look to the forest elves and tighten your security for you have become lax and too trusting. Become an Order Mage once more and step into what is rightfully yours. Only then will you truly be ready to accept command of The Order. Think like a leader for you are naturally born.

  Darian was quick to inscribe the words into the magical tome that he never left alone. It was an old, priceless treasure and one that the Mage had gladly killed for. Why Delvishan hadn’t rebuked him was beyond his understanding. Look inside. Meditate and you will find what you seek.

  “Thank you, Darian. I’m ready to lead once more,” said Kelindril.

  “Tomorrow, my friend. Today, you relax and gather your wits. For they will be needed in the coming days. I must go meditate. Will you be okay?”

  “Aye,” responded Kelindril, watching Nym, Brandiel, Stilhan, Floran, and Gibron flank the Mage. He sighed in relief but hated that he wasn’t beside Darian. He felt like he’d let the Mage down, even though he knew he was being foolish. He had to prove that Darian could trust him with his security. After that sorry display, he was surprised Darian still trusted him. How had the Dark Mage gotten so close? Darian’s power far exceeded the Dark Mage’s, so how?

  The Gor Li’ Khan leader made his way to Kylee’s door and knocked. He’d been too preoccupied lately and had neglected her and was ashamed. She opened the door and when she saw her caller, she squealed in delight, tugging him into her room.

  Much later, they fell into Ru Nay’ Sha, thoroughly exhausted. Kylee lay in Kelindril’s embrace and her dreams were of him.

  Somewhere in deep night, a sound awoke the Gor Li’ Khan and he jumped out of bed to dress quickly.

  “What is it, Kel?” asked Kylee, rising and tugging her robe on.

  “I heard a noise. Shhh,” he whispered and she complied, readying her magic. He listened carefully and only heard one set of footfalls. An
assassin come to finish the job? Kelindril knew he was a target because if they could separate him from Darian, that would leave the Mage greatly weakened, in terms of security.

  The doorknob slowly turned, but blocked their entry. Kelindril had locked the door upon his arrival. The Gor Li’ Kahn could hear soft shuffling, as the would-be intruder brandished a lock pick. Kelindril motioned Kylee behind him and he crept to the door. As the door swung silently inward, Kelindril struck without mercy, killing the offender instantly.

  Blood pooled across the floor as the Gor Li’ Khan checked the perimeter for additional threats. Finding none, he used the stone the Mage had given him to submit a report. Darian was there less than a minute later, smelling of sex.

  “What happened, Kel?” asked the Mage.

  Kylee blushed when she looked at Darian. Takasha! He’s Liv Ta’ Lo! And he knows it, damn him. There was no doubt that Kelindril’s communication had disturbed his nocturnal activities, but he wasn’t angry. He smelled so damn good, his cologne blending with late night sex to make an intoxicating aroma that made her heady.

  Darian winked at her and she blushed involuntarily. Her eyes glided over his tightly muscled frame, feasting on his bare chest and the sexy V leading to his…

  “Have you touched or moved the body, Kel?” Darian asked, winking at her while Kelindril was distracted.

  “No, I thought it best to alert you first,” the Gor Li’ Khan responded.

  “Wise choice,” said the Mage, already casting.

  Darian had no need to touch the body, preferring his magic to do the work for him. His eyes had a faraway look, as if he was listening to something in the distance and it caused Kelindril to turn around to see what Darian was looking at. For the Mage’s attention was clearly not in this room.

  Darian began casting and Kelindril didn’t like the feel of the power emanating from the young Mage. It had a dark, almost evil intensity that tainted the room with undisguised terror. The elves’ skin crawled as the words poured out of Darian’s mouth. Red light glowed around the corpse and simultaneously, the Death Portal opened to reveal the giant form of the demon crossing over to their plane of existence, his fiery sword in his ready grasp.

  The Mage’s chant hit the climax and the body on the floor began to shuffle and stand on its own.

  “Takasha, Darian! Obst Del’ Rua! Shavan Ti’ Oloa den Lurimai Di’ Soh!” Kelindril exclaimed in horrified shock. He’d never seen Darian call the dead before. Was the Dark Magic advancing beyond all hope? Kelindril didn’t know, but what he did know, was that this was wrong.

  Darian turned his cold, dispassionate gaze upon Kelindril, silencing him instantly. “Who sent you?” Darian turned his attention back to the animated corpse, commanding it to answer. It was a human man, aged around thirty, and he had the look of a thief or cutthroat. Undoubtedly, the puppet master either knew this attack would fail and used it as a ruse or he had no idea of the true power the Mage held in his grasp. Kelindril was barely remaining upright due to the enormous pull on the Weave and Darian wasn’t even using the Staff of Power. One look at Kylee

  and he saw she was feeling much the same.

  The cadaver began to tremble, its mouth opened to answer the command of the powerful Mage before him, but before it could give up valuable information, it exploded in a shower of gore that decorated the room in blood, brain matter, and tissue. Blood covered Darian from head to foot, the hot, sticky substance dripping down his body. He cast a cantrip in a clipped, irritated tone to clean himself but bent to inspect the area around them.

  “Did you recognize this man, Kel?” he asked.

  “No, but there are many like him in the human port towns. Do you think Thelarki sent him?”

  “Is that what you think?” Darian answered with a question, but Kelindril had become used to Darian’s probing ways. Darian would oft ask question after question to whittle down to the root of the matter. He would answer with a question to gain the other’s perspective, which often helped him solve the riddle, though unbeknownst to the others.

  “No, this doesn’t feel like him. He’d have used Gor Li’ Khan. Besides, I get the feeling that he’s trying to win you over. He wants you for a friend and will stop at nothing to get it. He didn’t do this,” explained Kelindril.

  “Then that leaves the damn Dark Mage, which of course makes perfect sense. He obviously knows that you’re responsible for my security and that your death would hurt me. He probably wants to eliminate you to weaken my defense so that he can get close to me. Well, let him come!” Darian was furious and Kylee took a few steps back form the powerful Mage’s visage.

  How can he still be so gorgeous? It’s just not fair, she thought, eyes roaming over his delicious form. Had he not been such a womanizer, she would have dated him, but that’s not what he’d wanted at the time. Renlyss is one lucky elf, she thought.

  Kelindril enveloped her in his arms and kissed her forehead, “Are you okay?”

  “Mm,” she replied, snuggling closer to him. Darian watched them both with a grin. Kelindril had come far in the months he’d been in the Mage’s service.

  “Where are your guards, Kelindril?” asked Darian, already knowing the answer.

  “I sent them back to you. You’re the one that needs guarding, not any of us.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Kel. I specifically said that none of us should be alone anymore until we catch this bastard. What part of that did you not understand?” Darian was angry. Kelindril was smarter than this and he knew how the elf would try to rationalize it.

  “I did what I thought was right, Darian. You’re the one that needs protection. At all costs.”

  “And what, pray tell, do you think would happen to me if you were killed? I chose you to be the head of my security for a reason. You are the best at what you do, Kelindril and I cannot afford to lose you. Get your head out of your ass and start acting like the leader you are!” Darian roared.

  Kylee shrank back from the Mage. She’d never seen him this angry before. He signaled to Nym who immediately assigned ten guards to remain with Kelindril and Kylee. Nym nodded to Kelindril and the Gor Li’ Khan leader gripped his hand in thanks.

  “Kel, I hope you understand that I’m only angry because you’re my friend and I care about you. Please, do not disobey me again or it will not go as nicely for you.”

  “I understand,” the contrite elf replied, knowing he’d gotten off easy, for the Mage was ever volatile.

  “Good,” said the Mage, winking at Kylee, then disappeared through a portal back to his room and his lover.

  ¤ ¤ ¤

  Tynuviel sat looking out her bedroom window at the dark forest, wondering where Darian was at this very moment. She ached with his absence and she missed him more than she thought possible. When he was near, she couldn’t stand to be around him but when he was gone, she missed him terribly. She felt raw inside and she didn’t know how to handle the tumultuous emotions that roiled through her soul. Would she ever be normal again? Would she ever be able to look him in the eye without feeling revulsion? Could she love him the way she wanted to? The way she used to? The way he wanted her to? She didn’t know but she hated herself, hated the way she felt, hated what she’d gone through and hated that she wasn’t with the Mage right now.

  A soft knock on her door brought her attention around, she knew who her caller was. “Gayla, come in,” she said, waving a hand to the table and taking a seat across from the striking human woman who had once been Darian’s lover.

  “Thank you for seeing me, Tynuviel. I know how awkward this is but I believe what I have to say is of the utmost importance.”

  “What is it that I can do for you?” asked Tynuviel.

  “It’s not what you can do for me but what I believe I can do for you.”

  “And what would that be, Gayla?” asked Tynuviel, suddenly exhausted and not knowing why.

  “Darian loves you, Tynuviel. You don’t know him as well as I do, so it may not mean as
much to you to hear those words. Believe me when I say he is a good man and I don’t believe he’s capable of hurting someone the way that you were. And no, I have no idea what you endured but I know it was horrible to have scarred you so.

  “Darian loves and respects women and never hurt us. He spoiled us, bought us gifts and treated us with respect. He is the only one who did. The others… Yes, some were nice but… the rest… The rest of them were vile, disgusting, and downright evil. The things that I endured at their hands… I just had to come and talk to you. Darian would no doubt be furious with me if he knew, which is why I waited until he was gone.

  “I have never seen him in love before and it’s… truly amazing. I can tell that he loves you. His eyes sparkle every time he sees you and the smile that he shares with only you. Just… don’t throw away what you have. He’s special, Tynuviel. Gods! If only he looked at me the way he looks at you. It’s all I ever wanted but it just wasn’t meant to be, ya’ know?”

  Tears streamed down Gayla’s cheeks and for some reason, the sight deeply touched the forest elf and she reached across the table to grasp her hand. She never thought she’d be in the same room with this woman, let alone having a heart to heart with her.

  “You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?” asked Tynuviel.

  “Yes. Believe me, I wish I wasn’t. The pain of knowing he never loved me is almost more

  than I can bear. I know he did it to save me and I do love Asa, but… Darian is a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Yes, he is,” Tynuviel said, mind wandering and thinking of Darian in a time when his presence didn’t cause her so much distress.

  Gayla shared her story with Tynuviel and she was finally ready to hear it. Her eyes swelled with tears as Darian’s former lover told her in detail what she’d been through. Once done, Tynuviel hugged her as they both cried. Then, something unforeseen happened. Tynuviel spoke about what happened to her for the first time.

  “Kyler and I… we were competing… who could fill the most baskets of berries,” Tynuviel croaked as the memories flooded her. But this time, rather than run from them, she faced them head on. If she was to heal, then this is what she must do. She just never expected it to be with Gayla.