After nightfall, it didn’t take long for Gondrial to fall asleep and begin snoring. Restless, Lady Shey walked the perimeter of the camp, occasionally gazing at the stars, which were bright and brilliant. Alerted to the faint noise of what sounded like an animal’s whimper, she stopped and listened. She felt a slight tremor beneath her feet, and she looked back at Gondrial, who was still fast asleep. Without any effort, she abruptly felt essence flow into her body. She didn’t draw any essence; it just entered her on its own. The essence felt different somehow, more powerful, easier to control. The tips of her fingers and the tips of her toes tingled. Before her eyes, near the marker, two white, partially transparent apparitions appeared. They floated toward her, but she was not afraid. As the apparitions drew nearer, she recognized one of them as the hero of the War of the Oracle, Ashonda.
“How can this be?” Shey asked.
“I have returned to these lands to seek you out, Sheyna of the Vale of Morgoran.”
“Is that the reason Morgoran thought it important that I come here? You were his vision.”
“This isn’t a social visit,” Ashonda asserted. “We have business.” She pointed her finger at Gondrial. “Awaken!”
Gondrial sprang to life as if he was stung by a scorpion. “Who’s that?”
“I’m called Ashonda.”
Still shaken, Gondrial joined Lady Shey. “Is this real, or am I dreaming?”
“I think you’re dreaming,” Lady Shey said.
Gondrial nonchalantly reached over to Lady Shey’s arm and gave her a pinch. She yanked her arm away. “It’s real,” he said.
“Do you know why you have come here?” Ashonda asked.
Shey responded, “There have been reports of strange happenings here. Activity in the Sacred Land. Morgoran Cleareyes, the man cursed to only see into the future, sent me here to investigate.”
“Indeed, there have,” Ashonda said. “The Sacred Land is awakening. Essence and life return. Over the next few seasons, the Sacred Land will return to the way it was before the War of the Oracle, and then it will become much more powerful, as a burned grassy field returns greener than ever.”
Gondrial scratched his head. “So when you die you know things you didn’t know when you were alive and you can tell the living after you’re dead.”
Lady Shey giggled and then straightened up when she saw the look on Ashonda’s face. “She’s serious, Gondrial. I wouldn’t anger her if I were you.”
“You mustn’t let the Oracle awaken with the Sacred Land.” She looked Gondrial directly in the eyes. “And no, we don’t know everything. We only know the knowledge connected to the essence of all things. What you will do with this knowledge is for you, the living, to sort out.
“I am here,” Ashonda continued “because my bloodline is connected to the task at hand. You must seek out my bloodline, Shey. If the Oracle should arise, only my bloodline will be able to banish him again since it was I who banished him before.”
“You were one of several who banished him,” Shey pointed out. “Why does it fall on your bloodline?”
Ashonda shrugged. “It doesn’t. The bloodline of Ardenia also holds sway. The bloodline of Marella Arden is as important as my heritage. During the War of the Oracle, my family had a farm my father named Brookhaven. It is my understanding my family’s farm has now grown into a village called Brookhaven. My line still lives there along with a family from Ardenia, the Adair family.”
“So Morgoran sent Shey here so you could tell her about your descendants and the descendants of Marella Arden?”
“I am here because the power of the Sacred Land is regenerating its power and those who gave their lives here are tied closely to it. Morgoran’s visions are but one warning of what is to come. What we started all those many seasons ago is not yet finished. It falls on you and our descendants to secure the future.”
“What does that mean?” Shey asked. “Will there be a second War of the Oracle?”
Ashonda began to fade. “That is up to you and the strength we left behind in our lineage; therefore, it is up to my generation’s legacy now. The only certainty I can give you is that the Oracle will return with the renewal of the Sacred Land and the key to controlling the power the Sacred Land brings is in Brookhaven.” With those words, the apparition of Ashonda faded completely away.
Gondrial kicked absently at the ground. “That’s just great. You can bet that if we know about Brookhaven, it’s only a matter of time before those seeking to take control of the power of the Sacred Land will find out about it as well. We need to get to Brookhaven.”
“Actually, I think running directly off to Brookhaven would be a mistake. This isn’t the first time Morgoran has seen something in his visions about Brookhaven. Ianthill already has Sanmir there keeping an eye on things. He will alert us if there is any immediate danger. Perhaps you should meander toward Brookhaven. I mean, don’t go directly there from here but wend your way there and tell Sanmir what we have learned. I will go back to Lux Enor and get my affairs in order with the highlord and make some excuse to travel in that direction. I will meet you in Brookhaven.”
Gondrial agreed. He pulled his sword from the ground. “Get some sleep. I will keep watch for a couple of hours.”
Lady Shey set up her bedroll, but no matter how she tried, sleep would not come. She had too much on her mind.
Chapter 3: Reign is Falling
Lady Shey was in a good mood when she returned to Lux Enor from the Sacred Land. Her mood quickly soured as soon as she entered the throne room. Highlord Rastafin Stowe was shouting at a servant for, no doubt, some minor infraction. She tried to slink in without him perceiving her, but of course, he looked her way after just one step.
“Where have you been, my lady? I have been in need of your counsel for two days.”
Lady Shey put back her shoulders and walked up to the throne with her head held high. “I told you, my lord. I went to the Sacred Land to investigate the reports of strange activity, remember?”
“I’m not sure I like your tone, Lady Shey,” he said.
“I meant no disrespect, my lord. Forgive me.”
“That’s better. Now, what did you find out?” He leaned back in his throne.
“In the two days I investigated, I found nothing. I saw nothing out of the ordinary. I think the reports came from nights of loneliness, too much drink, and overactive imaginations. The Sacred Land is nothing but a desolate wasteland full of nothing of consequence,” she lied.
“I’m not sure what you expected to find. I could have told you it was a waste of time and saved you a trip. In the meantime, I have been without my advisor. I have a good mind to have the treasurer dock your pay.”
“You wouldn’t. I was in the Sacred Land on official business.”
“Tone, my lady.” He wagged his finger at her face. “And I certainly would.”
“Sorry, my lord.” She went to stand beside his throne. “You needed my counsel?” She decided to change the subject.
“No, I should think not. You’re dismissed.” He made a dramatic point to look away from her. “But no more excursions, official or otherwise. I want you by my side when I call.”
Lady Shey nodded but said nothing, that is, until she was out of earshot, and then she had a few choice words to mutter. It was no secret among those at court that the highlord had other interests in Lady Shey, but she had no interest in him. Besides the fact that he was married and his wife mysteriously disappeared, there was also the matter of his disposition, which was less than desirable. Lady Shey had more than once wondered why the Silver Drake had chosen him to lead the five kingdoms. It was also rumored that she had partaken in an affair with the highlord, a rumor Shey found repugnant and offensive.
Lady Shey was reaching for the doorknob to her private chambers when the servant the highlord had been yelling at earlier in the throne room caught her attention.
“Lady Shey, Lady Shey! Come quickly. They’re in the throne room. I have to fin
d the master at arms.”
“Who? Who is in the throne room?”
“I don’t know who they are, but they’re after the highlord.”
“All right, you go find the man at arms and I’ll go see what’s going on in the throne room,” Lady Shey said before pushing the servant along. Why is the man of arms not with the highlord? she thought.
Lady Shey’s chambers were only two hallways away from the throne room. At the last moment, she decided to enter the throne room through the secret side entrance. The doorway from the throne room was designed to be seamless, Shey knew, so she just cracked it open enough to peer through it. Two men wearing leather armor and carrying heavy swords were striding down the main corridor of the throne room. Lady Shey was confused. From the way the servant was carrying on, she thought the men had already confronted the highlord. The man walking in front unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the startled highlord.
Lady Shey abruptly pulled the hidden door open, exited the secret corridor, and cast the man’s sword from his hand with a wisp of magical essence. He looked at her, cracked a smile, and held his hand out to the spot where his sword clanged on the floor. The sword returned to his hand in an instant. He waved it once above his head, and in a slicing motion, lowered it to the highlord’s chest.
The highlord’s eyes were pleading. “Do something, Lady Shey!”
“Stop your pathetic pleading!” the man commanded.
Lady Shey drew in essence and prepared to unleash it on the highlord’s attacker. She could tell by the man’s actions that he could feel her draw in essence. He immediately thrust his sword into the highlord’s chest before Shey could unleash it. At the same time, the highlord was gasping for breath, Shey let loose her spell. The highlord’s attacker blew back into the marble walls with tremendous force. The second attacker, smaller than the first and dressed in black, reacted. He expertly lobbed two daggers at her. Daggers she knew how to block well. With one fluid motion, she waved her forearm and the daggers missed her, bouncing off the marble walls behind her.
The first man, now recovering from her attack, rejoined the fight. Shey felt the invisible essence strike her chest. A moment later, she was on the floor. She had her eyes shut, reeling from the pain, but she could hear the commotion of the man at arms and his men entering the throne room. They temporarily commanded the attention of the attackers.
Shey took the opportunity to go to the highlord. His body was limp; his eyes were open, frozen in the visage of terror. She reached down and closed his eyelids.
The man at arms came up behind her. “How is he? I sent one of my men to fetch the clerics on the way here.”
“He’s gone. There was nothing I could do. The sword must’ve pierced his heart; he died instantly,” Shey said.
“That’s unfortunate,” the man at arms said.
Lady Shey had no love for the highlord, but she was still sympathetic. “It’s more than unfortunate this man lost his life. Where in Fawlsbane’s name were you? Why were you not in here where you belong?”
“I meant no disrespect, my lady. I was called away. The highlord sent me out. I left two men here.” He glanced around. “Although I do not see them now.”
“Did you capture the assassins?”
“They are both wounded, but they still managed to slip away. I have men on it.”
Shey nodded and then reached under the highlord’s shoulders. “Here, help me get him into a more dignified position.”
The man at arms grabbed ahold of the highlord’s feet and helped Lady Shey stretch him out flat on the marble floor.
“Find something to cover his body. I will return in a moment. I have to alert the King’s Council and fill them in on what has happened. If you can manage to stay here.” The man looked at her sheepishly.
Lady Shey left the man at arms barking out orders to his men and securing the highlord’s body. She made an effort to hurry to the King’s Council chamber. With the highlord gone, they would need to make a decision on a ward to handle day-to-day affairs until the Silver Drake could select a new leader. She entered the council chamber to find the five men sitting around a wooden table, locked in debate. They abruptly stopped talking when she entered.
“What is the meaning of this interruption?” a man with dark hair barked at her.
“Forgive me, Lord Drakkius, but the highlord is dead. He has been murdered. The man at arms is with him now. His men fought with the assassins, but they got away. He has men chasing after the perpetrators.”
One of the council members, a man named Yarbrough, stood up. “Where was the man at arms when these perpetrators entered the throne room?”
Lady Shey was shocked. “I don’t believe I said it happened in the throne room, Councilman.”
The councilman winced. “I only assumed . . . Where else would it happen?”
“Indeed, where else?” She immediately knew her life was now in danger. Perhaps if I let him get away with the blunder, I can investigate what really happened, she thought. They were in on it. It was obvious to her now. “What are your orders?”
Drakkius stood from his chair. “You will investigate these assassins. Go check if the highlord’s guards have captured them. Find out what you can and report directly to me in the throne room.”
Lady Shey bowed. “As you command, Lord Drakkius.” She turned and left the council chamber. “Time to leave,” she said to herself. She went to her chambers to get a few things.
While she was hastily packing, she accessed a secret panel under her desk where she kept an emergency requisition for a coach and team of horses. She clutched the paper and threw her good cloak over her arm to hide it. She managed her two bags with her free hand and headed for the stables.
Chapter 4: Memories and Quests
Lady Shey entered the stables carrying her two bags. She spotted the stable master giving orders to a stable hand hitching up the carriage she planned to requisition. She disliked speaking with the stable master because he smelled of horse and his rotten teeth made his breath horrendous. His slovenly appearance completed his unpleasant presence. After he noticed Lady Shey was near, he advanced toward her, approaching entirely too close to her face.
She handed him the requisition and held her breath so she wouldn’t have to smell the barrage she knew was about to come.
“Do you already have someone in mind as a driver?” the stable master inquired. “I have a few available. I just need to know your requirements.”
Lady Shey put her two bags in front of her to distance herself from him. “My requirements?”
“Aye, a straight driver, or a man who can get things done, a sword carrier, perhaps?”
“You have someone like that?”
“I do. He’s a bit jumpy. I think he served in a war for some foreign land at one time or something. He carries a sword and knows how to use it.” The stable master rubbed his chin. “Come to think of it, he even stopped a payroll robbery for me once. I’ll warn you, he isn’t much to look at, but he knows how to get the job done.” The stable master reached down, took Lady Shey’s bags, and tossed them on top of the carriage to be secured.
“Uh, I would rather you put those bags in the trunk if you don’t mind; I wouldn’t want them to get wet if we run into foul weather.”
“Sorry, my lady, I forget these royal carriages have trunks.” He sported a rotten-toothed grin. “Force of habit.” He carried the bags down to the rear of the coach. “Oh, by the way, I was sorry to hear about the highlord. I heard tell you were fond of him. It might be none of my business, but some say that . . .”
“You are correct, sir, it is none of your business. However, I assure you the highlord and I were never in amorous relations, or any other relations for that matter, other than the business of the kingdom.”
“Forgive me, my lady.”
“You are forgiven. Now, if you’d be so kind as to find the driver you spoke of, I shall be on my way.”
“Aye, I shall return shortly.”<
br />
Shey froze. How did he know about the highlord so fast? Either he knew something or news traveled fast. Of course, all the commotion would carry news.
After waiting in the coach for quite a while, Lady Shey became increasingly nervous and decided to find the stable master. She stepped outside of the coach and came face-to-face with a large man carrying a sword and a bow. She was startled by his ominous appearance. She struggled not to stare at the scar over his left eye or his scarred left ear. She focused instead on his jet black hair, which was in recede.
“Something wrong, my lady?” he said.
“Um, no, you startled me, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting to step from the coach into someone.”
“I’m your driver. Name’s Rodraq.”
“Nice to meet you, Rodraq. My name is Shey Namear.”
Rodraq nodded and stowed his sword and bow near the driver’s seat of the coach. He hesitated before he climbed onto the seat himself. “Where we headed, my lady?”
“Through the Sacred Land to Old Symbor.” She started to step up onto the coach. Rodraq kicked the metal steps down for her and reached for the door.
“Here, let me, my lady.”
Lady Shey stepped onto the coach and through the door. “Thank you.”
“Aye, my lady.” He shut the door behind her. The coach tilted to the left as he climbed aboard.
“Rodraq.”
“Aye, what is it, my lady?”
“We will be stopping to pick up a passenger a few miles south of the city, an elven woman. There is a copse of trees not far from the main road; she’ll be waiting for us there. You can’t miss it.”
Defenders of the Sacred Land: Expanded and Re-Issued (The Sacred Land Legacy Book 1) Page 3
