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JOURNEY OF THE SACRED KING II

Page 50

by JANRAE FRANK


  Aejys wiped her blade, sheathed it, and sat down, leaning against a tree. Her side hurt; she felt around it, wincing at the thought of the healers having to dig some of the twisted links out; but the bleeding had stopped. Thanks be to Skelly, it looked worse than it was. She took out her pipe, filled and lit it, and then sat smoking while Valdren and Sharani moved all around her. Skelly was happily popping the tops off towers and pulling people out. He sniffed each one, and some he released and others he bit in half, spitting out the pieces.

  A fireborn landed and dwindled to the size of a large dog before approaching. Aejys threw her arms around the fireborn's neck. "Kalestari, my friend, I wish I could have restored the missing piece of your soul."

  "When Mephistis dies by the Dancer's blade, I will be whole again."

  "I will try to make it so."

  "I heard about Tag. I'll take you to camp if you wish."

  Aejys sucked down a fortifying breath, her face tightening. "Thanks."

  "Sorry to interrupt, Lord Aejys," Soren said. The grizzled paladin's surcoat and armor were splattered with blood. She paused to wipe her sword on the grass and then sheathed it. "The Regent's troops have breeched the south gate. The citadel has fallen. So far, no one has found either Hoon or Mephistis."

  "Margren is destroyed."

  The paladin's mouth tightened. "Then Ladonys and Laeoli are avenged." She turned away and, after a moment, walked off.

  Aejys watched Soren leave. "No," she said softly, "so long as Mephistis lives, they are not avenged."

  EPILOGUE

  Aejys wore a loose, unbelted tunic, Spiritdancer hanging at her shoulder. She had refused to let the healers tend her injuries until all of her myn had been taken care of. Grymlyken had been a bundle of hysteria by the time they could get Clemmerick moved from the castle to the camp beyond the walls. One of the Valdren healers eventually sedated the little fellow just so they could pull him loose from his big friend long enough to tend the ogre's injuries. They had spent an hour trying to pry the dead troll's head off Dynarien's shoulder; and finally resorted to knocking it into pieces with a hammer and then digging the shards out of the armor and the flesh beneath. Both Clemmerick and Dynarien were recovering. It was Tagalong who had everyone worried.

  Aejys sat in the small tent with Tagalong. One side of her friend's head was shaved and bandaged where they had trepanned the injury. The healer stood for a moment more, watching them.

  "Majesty, if she doesn't wake soon, she isn't going to."

  "I understand."

  "I'll have someone outside waiting to sit with her when you leave." The healer departed.

  "Damn it Tag, you didn't even get a blow in. All you did was fall off a pony. You're supposed to be tougher than this. I always said you had a hard head. Are you going to make me out a liar? If you don't wake up..."

  "What if I ... don't want to?"

  "Tag!"

  "Stupid puddin' head paladin ... my head hurts ... an' yer screamin' at me."

  * * * *

  "It's as well that Margren was destroyed," Hoon said, standing beside Timon in the shadows of his house in Danae, still too close to the borders of what had been his valley to suit him. The house would have to be sold. "She was unstable. Sooner or later I would have been forced to destroy her myself. That would have put me at odds with the prince. Mephistis is my hedge against Baaltrystan. The House of Waejonan may have forgotten our quarrel over the generations, but I have not."

  "Nor have I, father. The prince is returning to Linden's. He will double back through Shaurone and meet us in Minnoras. I advised this."

  Hoon nodded slowly, stroking his thumb across his lips. "You will advise our agents to withdraw all our assets from Shaurone. I will not come this way again. I fear the Sharani will finally close on all of us who linger within their reach."

  "And what of Dynarien, Father. Did he recognize you?"

  "No. I think not." Hoon brushed the hair back again from his ears. He had spent many centuries mastering ways to subtly alter his form. His skin turned fair and his rounded ears grew points. "It is best that no one knows Brandrahoon survives. Once there were three brothers, Brandrahoon, Isranon, and Waejonan. Now there is just one."

  THE END

  SF/F/H FROM PAGETURNER EDITIONS

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  STEFAN VUCAK'S EPPIE NOMINEE SPACE SAGA "THE SHADOW GODS"

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  JANRAE FRANK'S #1 BESTSELLING FANTASY SAGAS

  Dark Brothers of the Light Book I. Blood Rites

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  In the Darkness, Hunting: Tales of Chimquar the Lionhawk

  Journey of the Sacred King I: My Sister's Keeper

  THE COSMIC KALEVALA

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  Hugo nominee story Space to Swing a Cat)

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  From Beyond & 16 Other Macabre Masterpieces–H. P. Lovecraft

  Future Eves: Classic Science Fiction about Women by Women–(ed) Jean Marie Stine

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  The Cosmic Wheel–J. D. Crayne

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