“Gone?” The Chancellor’s eyes widened in terror. His mouth twisted and his eyes were moist. He stood and grabbed at her shirt with hands the size of small boulders. She peeled back his hand with a grip she could have turned into a wristlock, but did not.
“You’ve got to get him back, Willow,” he said. “Alive.”
“You don’t want him killed, sir?”
He shook his head emphatically. “Absolutely not. I need him back alive, and quickly!”
He peeked out through the doorway, muttering to himself. “I miscalculated. I miscalculated. Without D’Arbignal, it’s me he’ll kill.”
“Who, sir?”
He glanced back at her, his eyes unfocused. “What?”
“Who wants to kill you, sir?” Her hand went to her rapier.
He shook his head. “Never mind that. I want you to find him, Willow. I want you to find him and bring him back to me unharmed. Do you hear me, Willow? Unharmed!”
She placed her hand on the glyph that had so interested D’Arbignal. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment.
Ah yes, there he was. His Majesty was heading north.
“Yes, sir. I can do that.”
The Chancellor added, “Take the boy with you.”
She suppressed a smile.
Sure, she thought, why not?
“Yes, sir,” she said.
Chapter 60
In the barracks, the other privates had learned their lesson too well. Instead of tormenting Marcus with their pranks and abuse, they now tormented him with isolation.
All the bunks were arranged in a series save Marcus’s, which they had moved to the opposite end of the room. Willow found him there, laying in his bunk with his eyes open but not looking at anything in particular. He greeted her enthusiastically, like a puppy whose neglectful master had at long last deigned to play a round or two of Fetch.
Might as well train the entire squad. No better way to learn than on the job. She instructed them to prepare to travel, and she gave them five minutes to get ready. She knew it would take Marcus twenty, but if she had given them twenty, it would have taken him sixty.
She waited outside the barracks in the shadow of the building. Her mind was racing, planning for any conceivable eventuality. Bringing a man in alive was much more difficult than hunting him down and killing him. A corpse offered no resistance and made no attempt to escape.
D’Arbignal had shown himself to be extremely resourceful. He was a quick thinker, a deadly swordsman, and he acted with audacity. It would be difficult out-maneuvering him to take him alive, especially since everyone who knew him, including Marcus and the rest of the squad, knew him as the King of Bryanae. Catching him would be dicey.
She considered various methods of capture, escape, and counter-measures to prevent those escapes. The best place to start, she decided, would be with Maria, the woman whose disfigurement had started this whole chain of events. Perhaps she should also locate this Shara woman—the one D’Arbignal claimed had “saved the world.”
She played around with how she might proceed, but found her thoughts drifting to the events of the previous night. She glanced around to be sure no one was watching, and then hesitantly brought her hand to her head and gently stroked her hair. She could not reproduce the sensation she had felt when D’Arbignal had done it.
It made no sense. It was a simple enough physical activity. Why had there been such a sense of comfort and peace when he did it, yet no such feelings when she did it herself?
She shook her head, trying to regain her focus. She had a mission to fulfill. She wasn’t sure why her thoughts kept drifting to such a tiny event when there were much more important matters at hand.
She indulged herself with one last stroke of her hair, and again felt the effect to be lacking. She’d have to ask D’Arbignal about it once she captured him.
“Captain?”
She looked up, and was surprised to see Marcus standing before her, prepped and equipped. He had been ready faster than the rest of the squad. Perhaps he had some potential after all.
She had a sudden thought.
“Private, when I sent you back to alert the Chancellor, did you deliver the message to him personally?” She did not add, “as I instructed you to do?”
Marcus looked sheepish, but replied, “No, ma’am. I looked everywhere for him, but couldn’t find him.”
She nodded. She thought as much.
“Who did you notify?”
He replied, as she had anticipated: “The Royal Mage.”
She didn’t know what had happened to King Eric, but she was reasonably certain he’d never come back. The arrival of the impersonator had shaken the foundations of power in Bryanae, and appeared to have set complicated machinations into motion. Now that he had left, those machinations would continue, like a wind-up soldier left marching by a child called to dinner.
She suspected that those machinations might inexorably alter the balance of power in Bryanae. Whether this would be for good or ill remained to be seen.
She found herself stroking her hair again, and ordered herself to stop it.
She smiled wryly. In just a few short weeks, D’Arbignal had almost managed single-handedly to start what might result in a civil war.
She could hardly wait to see what would happen when he returned. Whatever happened next, it certainly wouldn’t be boring.
Acknowledgements
To borrow an old joke, it’s easy to make a small fortune in publishing. You just have to start with a large one.
Seriously, I obviously don’t write for the money. As I like to say, my books have earned me many tens of dollars. When you factor in costs of getting those Carol Phillips covers (worth every penny) and the proofs, I haven’t yet made it into the black. Then, when you add in the vast amount of time I put into these books, it’s clear to see that I’m not going to make a living writing anytime soon.
So if it’s so time-consuming and expensive, you might ask, then why do I do it?
I do it for you guys.
Seriously, your enthusiasm is what keeps me going. While not everybody likes my writing, a lot of you do, and the support has been nothing short of astonishing. I read your reviews (Steve Hamilton tells me I shouldn’t, so don’t tell him. Shhhh.) and it makes my day hearing how my writing affects you.
So right off the bat, let me say thank you to you, the reader. I’ll make you a deal; I’ll keep writing these books as long as you keep reading them.
Next, I have to thank my editor Barb Caffrey, whose attention to detail always astonishes me. If some of my prose is clunky, or if there’s a continuity error, it’s because I foolishly ignored one or more of her suggestions. Honestly, she’s amazing!
This of course leads me to my wonderful beta readers. I don’t have to space here to thank all of you personally, but know that I really appreciate every nit you catch or question you ask. I do want to single out two, though: Art Pugach and Valerie Ward. Art, because your enthusiasm for my writing is so contagious, it motivates me to keep plowing forward: Valerie, because you are so good at finding the tiniest, must irritating typos. (That “must” is an extra typo just for you.)
As always, a huge thank you for those wonderful authors whose time and insight has helped me mature as a writer: Chris Boucher (Doctor Who, Blake’s 7), R. A. Salvatore (the bestselling Drizzt Do'Urden series), and Steve Hamilton (the Alex McKnight series and The Lock Artist). Words can’t express my gratitude. (I suppose they could if I were a better writer, but hey, I’m still working on it.)
Also as always, I need to thank Ryk Spoor for his wonderful gaming sessions back in grad school. I’ve never published the story that led from those adventures. What you see in this book is the prelude to that story, and Prince of Bryanae is its aftermath. I’ll have to get cracking on that next!
Finally, there’s Kate. I always include her last in this list, not because she’s not important, but because she is so important. I include her last so when y
ou finish this book her name will be the one that lingers in your mind.
Kate, thank you so much for all your enthusiasm and support; for putting up with me; for understanding when I need to waste hours on the computer “researching” (ok, maybe it’s Facebook) just to write a single chapter. You are and always shall be my Intended Reader.
Which is not to say that the rest of you guys aren’t terrific; it’s just that Kate takes awesome to higher level of magnitude. She’s like, awesome squared. Or three to the awesome. Or maybe three to the awesome to the awesome.
You get the idea.
About The Author
photo: Wai Ng
JEFFREY GETZIN graduated from Clark University, where he won the Loring Holmes and Ruth Dodd Drama Contest for an original one-act play. He earned a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Jeffrey is a former employee at Google and now develops software for Millennium Systems International in New Jersey, where he lives with his long-time girlfriend Kate and a seemingly infinite number of cats.
Jeffrey is a lifelong practitioner of various martial arts, and currently holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu under Renzo Gracie black belt Jamie Cruz and has trained in Muay Thai under legendary fighter Kaensak Sor Ploenjit. He currently trains under Andy and Mike Main at Pure Mixed Martial Arts. He has competed in table tennis at the national level. Jeffrey is an avid film and home theater buff. Also, his mother says he is very handsome.
For more information, visit www.jeffreygetzin.com.
Prince of Bryanae
“Fresh and strong and full of energy!” — New York Times Bestselling Author R. A. Salvatore
Elven soldier Willow serves the human Kingdom of Bryanae in a bid to overcome her traumatic past. Emotionally crippled and driven by her personal demons, she has buried that past so deeply that she has forgotten it altogether … but it hasn't forgotten her.
Paralyzed by an inexplicable terror, she watches helplessly as old enemies kidnap the Prince. Considered by most of Bryanae to be a coward and a traitor, Willow decides she must confront her past and plunge into the heart of the enemy empire to rescue the Prince.
Aside from the steel blade she wields with lethal expertise, Willow has only dubious allies upon whom to rely—a headstrong private who’s in love with her, an inscrutable winged mage with a hidden agenda, and a dashing but opportunistic captain whom she desires against her better judgment.
An army of fanatical warriors stands in her way. Leading them is the mad and seemingly immortal Warlord who has a personal grudge to settle with Willow: one that spans centuries.
Willow has devoted her life to discipline and now she must bring that discipline to bear. Pain will not stop her. Fear will not stop her. She will rescue the Prince or die trying. Willow has been honing her combat and weaponry skills for a very long time. It’s time to put those skills to good use.
PRINCE OF BRYANAE is an epic fantasy novel filled with intense battles, romance, betrayal, and redemption.
An action-packed epic fantasy novel filled with flashing rapiers, treacherous villains, lust, betrayal, self-sacrifice, and redemption. Intricately-plotted, with cinematic battles and finely-drawn characters, Prince of Bryanae is a must-read first novel that will leave you breathless!
Buy it now in Paperback, for the Kindle or Nook, at Google Play, or at Smashwords!
Shara and the Haunted Village
“I wholeheartedly recommend this story!” — Ryk E. Spoor, author of Digital Knight
A Desperate Gamble
An ancient mystery, a legendary wizard, ghosts, magic, a demon … and Shara, an impoverished seamstress.
Shara has fallen on hard times recently. She’s starving, has just lost her home, and she can’t find work anywhere. However, a chance encounter with a a sociopathic giant and a charming rogue might just be her escape from her hand-to-mouth lifestyle. All she has to do is guide them to the haunted village she had stumbled upon when she was a child.
But can she trust them?
Buy it now in Paperback, for the Kindle or Nook, at Google Play, or at Smashwords!
A Lesson for the Cyclops
“It combines everything I love in a fantasy—adventure, romance and an unexpected ending!” — Connie J. Jasperson, author of Tower of Bones
Dare to Hope?
Maria leads a lonely existence of silent misery. Horribly disfigured, she earns a meager living as a sideshow freak. Her very existence is one of mockery, contempt, and ridicule. She has no hope, no dreams. No future.
But when a dashing swordsman stumbles onto the circus grounds, wounded and feverish, Maria is able to imagine a life beyond the confines of her dreary world. Could a swashbuckling hero like him ever fall for a freak like her?
Buy it now in Paperback, for the Kindle or Nook, at Google Play, or at Smashwords!
King of Bryanae
“Two of my all-time favorite characters collide in this always entertaining, frequently hilarious, nonstop romp!”
— Connie J. Jasperson, author of “Tower of Bones”
The Missing King has been Spotted!
The King of Bryanae has been missing for years. Captain Willow, elven head of the King’s Guard blames herself for his disappearance. No matter how mysterious the circumstances of his disappearance, somehow she should have prevented it. It’s a mistake for which she will not forgive herself.
Then the Chancellor informs her that the King has been spotted near Cerendahl and Venucha. Accompanied by the hapless Private Marcus, she departs on a secret mission to find the King and return him safely back to his kingdom.
How hard could that be?
King of Bryanae (Bryanae Series Book 3) Page 23
