by Frank Morin
Connor grinned. “Did you see the duck?”
95
One Feast Is Not Enough
Merkland was chaotic. From his comfortable seat beside Verena in the Swift, Connor spotted signs of the titanic eruption as they soared past the wall. Many buildings looked damaged, while some had collapsed entirely. The famous white walls looked unaffected, but the city looked even more battered than before. The streets were crowded with people, and fear radiated up to his chert senses, even shuttered as they were.
It seemed a cruel stroke of rotten luck for Merkland to suffer more when they were still dealing with the damage from the summoned swarm. The palace looked about as beat up as it had before, except one of the smaller towers on the southern wing had collapsed. The debris had created a terrible mess. He cringed to see the pain and death. It was his fault. He hadn’t been fast enough or strong enough.
Verena muttered, “All her fault.”
“What?”
She dropped her window shielding and he clearly saw her anguish. She gestured at the battered city. “All of this is Queen Dreokt’s fault. I hate that woman. I wish we’d finished her off.”
Connor still felt responsible, but Verena was right. Queen Dreokt had chosen to unleash that sculpted stone. Did she recognize the damage it caused? Did she care? The shaking probably hurt Crann at least as much as it had Merkland. What would she say to her people?
Connor doubted she’d even acknowledge responsibility.
“I see Rory,” Connor said, spotting the general in the square in front of the palace.
The other flying craft had all landed there, and a crowd had gathered. Kilian and Evander were already speaking with Ivor, Shona, and Aifric. The Juggernaut pilots lingered around the Albatross with General Wolfram and Lady Briet. Seeing them reminded Connor he had to ask Kilian how he’d moved so fast.
Connor and Verena had lingered only a few minutes, but he smiled at the memory. She’d been very impressed by the mountain he’d carved for her, and she loved the duck memorial. Despite everything he’d experienced that day, those brief moments together were still treasured highlights.
They landed near their friends, and Rory rushed to them, looking more distraught than Connor had ever seen. Anika trailed close behind. Rory grabbed Connor’s arm and asked, “Did you save them?”
Connor didn’t have to ask who. He felt ashamed that he’d actually forgotten briefly about Tomas and Cameron’s heroic sacrifice on the flight back. He had a lot on his mind, but none of that mattered in that moment facing his friend.
He hated himself for having to shake his head sadly. “I’m sorry. There just wasn’t enough time.”
Rory seemed to wilt. He staggered back into Anika’s arms and she held him tenderly, whispering comforting words through her own tears. Rory clung to her, not hiding his grief as tears ran down his cheeks.
Verena slipped under Connor’s arm and he held her tight. She was openly crying, and he sniffled a couple of times too. Rory’s anguish moved him deeply. He considered Tomas and Cameron good friends. They were irreverent, but genuine. They were unapologetic bash fighters who were far more brilliant than they liked to admit. They had trained him and helped him through some very difficult times, and their loss created a terrible, aching hole in his heart.
He doubted he felt a fraction of the sorrow Rory did. Rory had been their captain, then their general. He’d trained them, worked with them, relied upon them for years. They were more like annoying younger brothers than soldiers under his command, and their loss beat him down worse than anything Connor had ever seen.
Connor gripped Rory’s shoulder. “They saved everyone. They broke Queen Dreokt’s control over the eruption when not even I could touch her. Without that, Merkland would be gone by now.”
Rory sniffled and managed a weak smile. He did not pull away from Anika but nodded his thanks. “Tell me.”
So Connor did. He explained about how the fight had been going so well until the queen pulled out that sculpted marble stone. He described how she’d sealed herself away from their affinity powers and unleashed the volcano. As he talked, the rest of their close friends gathered around in somber silence.
Hamish cursed softly and tossed aside a breadstick he’d been chewing on. “I should have taken their blind coal. I could have managed it better. I might have gotten away.”
Connor sighed. He too was beating himself up for not doing more, but they couldn’t change what happened. “Maybe, but maybe not. The eruption would have probably caught you too, and I might not have been able to reach you in time. You probably would have died.”
“But I’m the Builder, and I was their leader. I should have been the one to see the opening,” Hamish protested.
Verena hugged him. Hamish wasn’t as close to Tomas and Cameron, but he’d liked them too, and he was struggling to handle their deaths. They’d been part of his team, so of course he felt responsible for their safety.
Rory said, “They were bash fighters, Hamish. They saw through the complexities of battle better than anyone I ever knew. They always found a way to boil the complex calculations down to how best to get to bash fighting. That’s why I insisted they go to that fight.”
“They bashed the queen real good,” Connor said with a smile. He described how they’d punched through her barrier, crushed her chest, and broken her grip on the sculpted stone. “That gave us the chance to set things right. Without them, she would have blocked me.”
Anika raised one fist and lifted her beautiful face high. “Hail the victorious dead!”
Connor raised his fist with the others and repeated the phrase. It felt right. He could imagine Tomas and Cameron looking down at them and getting a good laugh at all the honor they were bestowing upon the pair. The thought made him smile.
Rory rubbed his eyes and said, “Best bash fight ever. Those two figured out how to bash fight with the biggest Builder mechanicals ever built.”
Shona, leaning on Ivor and looking shaken by the loss of the two warriors said, “Come. We have much to discuss. There’s still an army preparing to march against us, and it sounds like the queen will restore her potency soon.”
Hamish protested. “We can’t just jump into another meeting. We have a triple-huge feast to throw.”
“I think a normal feast would be plenty,” Verena said.
Hamish shook his head, looking determined. “First, we need to feast to honor everyone who died today.”
“Absolutely,” Rory said.
“Second, we need an almost-but-not-quite celebratory feast for how close we came to killing Queen Dreokt,” Hamish added, raising two fingers.
Ivor chuckled. “Let’s just call it a celebration feast.”
“Fine. Third, we need to feast Connor’s elfonnel return and the birth of a whole new mountain range,” Hamish concluded, spreading all the fingers of his hand.
“That’s more than three fingers,” Shona pointed out.
“Because I’m planning on eating a few extra helpings,” Hamish stated simply.
Connor smiled, grateful that Hamish insisted they make the time to feast together. They needed it. He wrapped an arm around Verena’s shoulder and said, “I agree.”
Kilian said, “Very well. Let’s feast.”
“And no one thinks about all the work we have to do until tomorrow,” Verena added.
That was an excellent idea, because tomorrow they needed to figure out how to win a war against a woman they still had no idea how to kill.
<< END >>
Where’s the Next Book?
After an epic read like that, the last thing you want is to catch up on sleep or actually go to work or even take a shower.
You want the next book!
I get it, and I believe you NEED the next book.
Good thing it’s already finished.
At the end of each of the earlier books, I’ve made exclusive short story content available for you to download. Hopefully you’ve taken advantage of that. I
f not, you can still get these free, fantastic short stories here.
Hamish’s story. Set in Stone: Home Sweets Home
Jean’s story. A Stone’s Throw: Mind Over Muscle
Gregor’s story. No Stone Unturned: A Servant of Two Masters
Aifric’s story. Affinity for War: A Gaggle of One
Connor’s story. The Queen’s Quarry: A Duel to the Duck
This time, I’m combining the next book and special content into one fun package. The next Petralist book is Builder of Intrigue, a Petralist origins story like When Torcs Fly, or Game of Garlands, but this time it’s Aunt Ailsa’s story.
Set immediately prior to Set in Stone, the little gem details an exciting adventure Ailsa has in Merkland. She plans to travel to Alasdair to prevent Connor from swearing fealty to High Lord Dougal, but also must deal with a dire threat that could destroy all chances for either her or Connor to ever find freedom.
Things don’t go according to plan.
Get Builder of Intrigue here.
And the final main book in the series—Blood of the Tallan—will be released shortly after Builder of Intrigue. Get it here.
Thumbs Up? Or Thumbs Down?
How did you like the book?
Are you willing to take 5 seconds and share it with the world? Now, while it’s still fresh?
Reviews help more than you imagine. How many times have you looked at reviews of books or products before buying?
If you’ve never posted a review before, it’s super simple. Just two steps:
Rate the book 1-5 stars. Be honest. Be generous.
Write a short review. One or two sentences is plenty.
What goes in those sentences? Here are a few suggestions:
Your feelings about the book.
Something you loved about it. (no spoilers please!)
The fact that you couldn’t put the book down all night.
Your favorite line of Sentry speak.
Who is your favorite character?
If you were a Petralist, what affinity would you most love to have?
Just pick one suggestion, or come up with your own. It’s that simple.
And just like that, you really help me out.
To post a review on Amazon head here.
Thanks!
Frank
Author’s Note
You might not have guessed, but I love big, epic fantasy adventures. The Petralist has been such an amazing journey. It’s fitting that it takes two huge novels to finish the final showdown.
After finishing this incredible epic, you may be wondering how Blood of the Tallan could possibly take the stakes higher, delve deeper into the magic, or threaten the lives of our beloved heroes any more.
It does.
My goal with every one of these books has been to make the adventure bigger, the stakes higher, the threat more personal, the magic more fascinating. I’m glad you’ve joined me this far, and I am confident you’ll love the final chapter of The Petralist.
Frank
Also by Frank Morin
Find all books here!
The Petralist Series
Set in Stone—Book One
A Stone’s Throw—Book Two
No Stone Unturned—Book Three
Affinity for War—Book Four
The Queen’s Quarry—Book Five
The King’s Craft—Book Six
Blood of the Tallan—Book Seven
Other Petralist Stories
When Torcs Fly—Tomas and Cameron prequel
Game of Garlands—Anika prequel
Builder of Intrigue—Aunt Ailsa prequel
The Facetakers Series
Face Lift—Prequel short story
Saving Face—Book One
Memory Hunter—Book Two
Rune Warrior—Book Three
Aeon Champion—Book Four
Short Stories
“Odin’s Eye”—Part of A Game of Horns: A Red Unicorn Anthology
“Only Logical”—Part of Unseen: United! Box Set Anthology to raise funds to fight plagiarism
“The Essence”—Part of Dragon Writers: An Anthology
“The Seventh Strike”—Part of Cursed Collectibles: An Anthology
About the Author
Frank Morin is an avid storyteller and story consumer. When not writing or trying to keep up with his active family, he’s often found hiking, camping, Scuba diving, or enjoying other outdoor activities.
Frank writes all types of fantasy, from his exciting Facetakers time-travel fantasy thrillers, to these popular Petralist novels, and more. Check his website for updates and to sign up for his newsletter to receive the latest on all his releases, scheduled events, and insider information:
www.frankmorin.org.
Or you can follow him on Twitter: @MorinWrites
Or like his Author Facebook page: www.facebook.com/authorfrankmorin
Frank lives in Oregon with his family, who are his most enthusiastic fans and his most brutal critics. In their home, storytelling is a cherished family tradition that keeps magic alive.
