The Beasts of Areon (The Chronicles of Areon Book 2)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  “It is,” Jalek nodded. “However, Lord Andor may be able to help him. Time will tell.”

  Shortly after this conversation, the friends were summoned to dinner. It was a small intimate gathering of their party and a handful of nobles. As soon as the repast was consumed they made their way to their chambers. It had been a long, and wearying day. Each of them were very happy to fall into a soft, warm bed and enjoy the deep sleep that only peace and safety can offer.

  Three days later, the armies returned to Talsier along with Lord Andor, Lord Erandal, and Lord Galinral. Erana's father sent her a message that he hoped to speak to Kilren and herself shortly after the ceremony the king had planned for them all. As the sun reached its zenith, that ceremony began.

  The entire party was once again led into the presence of the king. This time, however, they were not allowed to kneel. Rather, all the nobles that filled the hall knelt before the honored heroes. Even King Illfas and his queen bowed deep and long before returning to their thrones. Lord Andor also saluted the young knight and his companions with a wide smile on his face, from where he stood at the king's side. Once the elvish nobles arose, Illfas spoke.

  “Heroes of Innalas,” he began, “you have done us great service and it will not be forgotten. However, before I offer you the rewards you so richly deserve, we have a very unpleasant matter to attend to. Duke Saress has pled guilty to crimes against Innalas and has asked for death. Sir Darian, what are your feelings on this matter?”

  “I don't know, my lord,” the young knight said honestly. “He was a good man once, and he loved and cared for his family. Even in our struggle with him, he didn't seem determined to kill all of us, only those he felt deserved death. This is beyond both my age and wisdom, sir. I brought him back alive so that you and Lord Andor could decide his fate.”

  “Which shows true wisdom, my boy,” the old Telian said, a look of obvious pride in his eyes.

  “I agree,” the king replied. “And, so, this burden is lifted from you. Lord Andor and I will deal with him.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Lord Andor and I have already discussed the fate of the royal family,” the king said. “For the time being, we feel it would be best if they were to remain with us here in Innalas.”

  “That's an excellent idea,” the young Telian replied.

  “I'm glad it meets with your approval,” the king said with a smile. “Now, I want you to know that you saved many lives with your actions. The morning you defeated Duke Saress, our armies were engaged with those of the enemy well within the borders of Innalas. The dark vapor that proved so disastrous to us had just began to descend on the battlefield when it suddenly vanished. Without it, our foes proved no match for our forces and, in less than an hour, the battle was over and we were the unquestioned victors. I'm also sure it will please you to hear that the message you sent by the unicorn made its way to our troops and the wardens you rescued were brought safely home.”

  “Yes, sir,” the knight replied. “I'm very happy to hear that.”

  “So you should be,” Illfas smiled. “I feel it only fitting that your reward should, to some degree, match your exploits. Henceforth, all of you will be Kaelfen, or knights as you would call them, of Innalas. Each of you will also be given a parcel of land within the badlands. I've decided that our kingdom can no longer ignore those wilds. It is my hope that, someday, you will help us tame them. Sir Darian, as the commander of your party, I hereby grant you the tower you discovered. The lands that you've been allotted surround it and I feel certain it could be made into an admirable fortress in time.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” the Telian replied.

  “It's less than you deserve, I assure you,” the king smiled. “Regarding the treasure you discovered; it has been claimed by the House of Rallin.”

  “Figures...” Kilren said under his breath.

  “What was that, Sir Kilren?” Illfas asked.

  “Nothing, my lord...”

  “However,” the king continued, “it is their wish that you keep the items you took in order to overcome Duke Saress. They also hope someday to reward you even more generously.”

  “They have our thanks,” the young knight said.

  “And you, theirs,” Illfas replied. “Now, in celebration of your victory, we will hold a grand feast shortly. You have roughly one hour to attend to anything that you might consider pressing before we begin.”

  As he said this, he turned his gaze to Erana with a knowing smile on his face.

  “In the meantime,” the king continued, looking over the entire assembly as he spoke, “let us all give these heroes the thanks they truly deserve.”

  King Illfas and Queen Jenna then rose and descended the stairs that led from the dais on which they sat. Each of them embraced each of the party as the elvish nobles surrounded them, praising their skill and their courage. Lord Galinral made his way through the crowd to take his sister by the hand and Kilren by the arm to lead them from the room.

  They quickly and quietly climbed the stairs, Galinral refusing even to speak. The elvish lord threw open the door of his father's chamber and marched boldly inside hauling the couple behind him.

  “Thank you, son,” Lord Erandal said, “Kilren, Erana, please take a seat.”

  The pair immediately obeyed as the lord and his son sat down nearby.

  “I want you to know,” Erandal began, “that I asked King Illfas to delay the feast so I would have time to talk to you before it started. I wanted to make sure that you had every possible reason for celebration by the time it began. Now, before I go any further I want you to understand that I have not changed my mind.”

  “I see,” Kilren replied, taking a deep breath. “Then I'm not sure what we have to...”

  “Please, allow me to continue,” the elvish lord interrupted. “I am very sensible of the fact that we owe you a great deal, Kilren. All of Innalas owes you a debt of gratitude, and my family in particular. However, I still feel that you are both too young to know what you truly want.”

  “But father...” Erana protested.

  “If I may,” he replied, raising his hand to silence her. “I truly believe that we are all friends and that we all care for one another. However, it struck me that Kilren's offer of marriage was made under very unusual circumstances and after a very short period of time. There are a number of other issues that also concern me. I believe that, given time you may both see things as I do.”

  “I don't,” the rogue replied.

  “I'm certain of that,” Lord Erandal laughed. “And you may be right. Then again, you may be wrong. Only time will tell. That's exactly what you two have to celebrate: time. I want the two of you to spend as much time as possible together over the next year. As a result, I've asked King Illfas to send Erana to Andor's Fortress as the liaison between Solarin and Innalas. And he has fulfilled that request. So, when Lord Andor leaves, you will both be traveling with him. I think it's important for Erana to live among humans for some time. I expect she'll learn a great deal. And, of course, Kilren, I suspect you might want to take her to meet your parents at some point to see what they have to say. I believe that is the custom.”

  “Yes, sir,” the young man nodded, “I would very much like that.”

  “Excellent!” the elvish lord smiled. “If, in a year's time, you two still have the same feelings, we can discuss it again. Until then the subject is closed. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” the couple answered in unison.

  “Good. Now that that's settled, let's make our way to the feast. I feel we all have a great deal to celebrate.”

  The meal that had been prepared was truly exquisite, as was the entertainment. Ian, of course, was called upon to share his talents with the gathering. Lord Erandal even asked him to play the bagpipes to see if his skill lived up to Kilren's claims. After he finished, all the listeners agreed that it certainly did. Darian made good on his offer of introducing Gregor to Lord Andor and the
pair spent the evening discussing the history of Solarin, as well as its possible future.

  The celebration lasted into the night and it was with bellies full of food and souls full of joy that the band retired for the night. The following morning, the party rose and prepared to depart. They had greatly enjoyed the last few days, but all of them were ready to make their way home. As they readied themselves, the king and queen, along with several of the elvish nobles – Erandal and Galinral among them – came to see them off.

  Gregor and Jalek also made their way into the courtyard to express their hopes that they would all meet again before long.

  “Sir Darian,” Gregor said as he approached the young knight and the maiden by his side. “I want to thank you again for introducing me to Lord Andor. You both have given me a great deal to consider.”

  “I was happy to do it,” the knight replied with a smile.

  “And Lady Gwendolyn, please allow me to give you this,” the young man said, pulling a small gold ring from his hand and slipping it on her finger. “Consider it a gift from an exiled lord to a lady without lands.”

  As Darian watched Gregor kiss Gwendolyn's hand for the third time, he had to admit, although he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was, there was something he just didn't like about the young man.

  Moments later, the party kicked their horses into motion and began making their way back to their fortress home. It had been a long journey and a difficult one, but it had been a great success. The people of Innalas were safe and the villain that attacked them was imprisoned. Kilren and Erana would be spending much of the next year together and Gwendolyn had learned to heal. Ian had taken part in another historic episode that he would chronicle for the ages. Tealor and Sarena had each other safe and sound; which was what meant everything to them. And Darian had once again seen the will of the Eilian done, and that was the sole duty of the Telian knights.

  The warrior moved his mount up between those of the two Telian Knights as the band rode away from the capital.

  “Something's been bothering me, my lord,” Tealor said, his eyes turned to Lord Andor.

  “And what is that, Captain?” the aged knight asked.

  “Well, this wasn't Galrin’s work,” he pointed out.

  “No,” Andor agreed. “It seems it wasn't.”

  “That makes me wonder just what he's been up to,” the warrior explained.

  “I agree,” the old Telian nodded. “Valrak's not a man to give up, nor is Galrin one to sit idle. However, whatever they're up to, I'm certain we'll find out about it before long.”

  “I know,” Tealor agreed. “And that really bothers me.”

  The End

  (The story continues in The Lords of Areon, which is currently available on Amazon.com: The Lords of Areon)

  Thank You!

  Dear reader, I'm Aaron J. Ethridge, the author of The Beasts of Areon, and I want to thank you for taking the time to read it. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. I put a great deal of time and effort (as well as love and soul) into it. And I want you to know that I plan to write more books in this series. (Not including a number of spinoffs I have in mind.) If you're interested in reading the further adventures of Sir Darian and his many allies, you can do something to help me make it happen.

  It can be very difficult for a new author to reach readers. However, the most helpful group of people in the world for doing that are an author's current readers. Your opinion really does matter, and a few seconds of your time could change my life for years to come. So, I ask you to take a moment to review my work or post about it on your social networks using the links below. And, once again: Thank You!

  If you haven't read The Stars of Areon yet, you may want to, as it's the story of Sir Darian's journey from boyhood to manhood. You can get it on Amazon: The Stars of Areon

  If you enjoyed The Beasts of Areon, you might also like my sci-fi comedy series (which is honestly more comedy than sci-fi) The Last Time Traveler and my light-hearted fantasy series (set in a world ruled by cruel undead) The Tales of Zanoth. The first books in both these series are currently available on Amazon. You can take a look using the links below.

  The Last Time Traveler

  The Tower of Daelfaun

  The Beasts of Areon on Amazon – I would very honestly appreciate your review. Please take a moment to give me one.

  Goodreads Page – This is also a big one. Getting reviews here will really help me.

  Facebook Share – Help spread the word through Facebook.

  Areon Universe on Facebook – A Facebook page dedicated to Areon.

  Aaronjethridge.com – A website all about me and my own adventures.

  Aaron's Facebook Page – My very own Facebook Page.

  me@aaronjethridge.com – My very own e-mail address. (In case you want to contact me.)

  My Twitter – You can follow me on Twitter.

  My Pintrest Page – My Pintrest Page.