The Unfading Lands The Complete Set

by Katharine E Hamilton

  The guards nodded and began riding out of the inner courts and through the walls of the castle, their numbers taking Abner’s army by surprise as their assault on the Eastern side came to an adjustment in tactics. Abner’s men began rerouting towards the front entrance and Ryle and his guards continued driving them back. Even if it was just one portion, he thought, they would send these men across the line. His men funneled the red tunics into a single push, striking down the stragglers as they rode with force across the highlands. Abner’s army continued pouring in from the West and Ryle’s hope of utilizing the boundary line would only work if they stopped the continual assault against the castle.

  Ryle rode up next to one of his guards. “Divide. Push them from the West to the South. We must force them from all directions towards the boundary line.”

  “Yes, Captain.” The man began his run along the split and a slow curve began to shift the royal guard into two halves. One headed towards the boundary line past Elizabeth’s clearing. The other as a barricade between the Northern castle and pushing them further south. The veil grew closer and Ryle felt the brief flurry of satisfaction as he saw the first few men escape into the Land of Unfading Beauty. Their lack of knowledge into Lancer and his hatred towards Abner, a sudden point in the Realm’s favor. The men would be dead within minutes due to their sporting Abner’s coat of arms. He spotted Edward on the other side, weapons at the ready with Lancer’s guard lined up along the boundary line. Lancer was prepared for Abner after all, Ryle mused. He turned on his horse as the first wave of soldiers were sent to their death on the other side of the line and he rerouted his guards to begin pushing against another chapter. He would repeat the cycle all day and night if he had to, in order to bring down Abner’s numbers so the Realm had a fighting chance.

  ∞

  Clifton finally reached the main entrance of the castle and ran inside to pure chaos as bodies fell from landings and blades clashed and echoed throughout the inner halls. His gaze travelled up towards Isaac midway along the stairwell and he fought his way towards him. He reached the Western prince and blocked Isaac’s blade as he spun with fury to kill the next man approaching. His face transformed from anger to relief at the sight of Clifton.

  “About time you showed up.”

  Clifton felt his lips tilt into a brief smile as they both immediately turned to sounds of more boots. “The women are in the bell tower. We have secured this landing. Samuel and Mosiah are securing the top landing of the castle as we speak. If we can continue forcing out Abner’s men, we can regain the castle.” Isaac shoved a guard towards Clifton’s blade and the two men worked together to finish clearing the stairwell and the men who dared journeyed up.

  When they reached the bottom step and the surrounding halls were clear, Clifton nodded in satisfaction. “Ryle is pushing outside forces towards the boundary line. He thinks Lancer will kill Abner’s guard as soon as they cross.”

  “I sure hope he’s right.” Isaac’s chest heaved as he swiped a hand over the sweat that threatened to drip into his eyes. “I want to find Abner. This ends with him.”

  “We find him together then.” Clifton and Isaac headed towards the back of the castle. “If we can hold off the forces long enough for my father to arrive with reinforcements, then we can achieve victory.” His voice shook as he ran, and Isaac looked at him in amusement. “What?” Clifton asked.

  “Your positivity sometimes sickens me.” Isaac chuckled at the absurdity and Clifton did as well as they made it through the doors and quickly found two horses that would carry them to their next target.

  ∞

  “Edward, let none of Abner’s guards remain alive once they cross. I will not have Abner tainting my lands!” Lancer screamed as he stood back from the line and watched as red tunics flooded into his precious realm.

  “Yes, my Lord!” Edward yelled, his voice wavering as he brought his blade across the man’s neck. He shoved the body behind him and felt the brunt of a large shoulder in his chest, the next man knocking him to the ground to try and escape from Edward’s clasp. Growling, he shoved the man off of him and sent him flying several feet back. The man’s eyes widened in surprise at Edward’s strength, and Edward slowly felt the rush through his veins, his pupils dilating, and his chest heaving. He swiped his blade through the air and the man’s body staggered a moment, headless, and fell to the ground. Edward turned then, the new strength, the new power enriching his body with pure venom towards his enemies as he protected the Lands from Abner’s invading men.

  Lancer watched in awe at his Captain and the skill in which Edward moved and the passion behind his fighting. He chose the perfect man, Lancer realized. And all his doubts of Edward’s loyalty disappeared as each stroke of his blade protected the Land of Unfading Beauty from Abner’s poison. His gaze then ventured towards another wave of red tunics being pushed towards the boundary line, minus one. He spotted a green shield battling in one on one combat, the Prince of the East that dared to invade him just that morning. Lancer kept to the shadows and grabbed several guards on his way as he watched as Ryle continued to nudge the guard closer to the boundary line. All he had to do was cross, Lancer thought. One step and he would be in the Lands again.

  Ryle blocked the blow to his face and felt his shield fly to the ground and a sword pierce through his chest. He felt a tingle filter down his arm and he struggled to maintain his grip on his sword. His vision blurred, and his feet staggered. He glanced over his shoulder towards the boundary line, the thought of passing through for a quick healing crossed his mind, but his strength was fading. He dragged his blade behind him as he attempted to make the trek. He dodged a blow to the shoulder and almost fell to his knees as the pain in his chest continued to spill blood through his fingers. He pressed as hard as he could against the wound and reached the light hum of the fog that had grown familiar the last few weeks as he trained the Uniters. He felt the grass beneath his cheek as hands pulled him completely across the boundary line, the wound from his chest leaving a dark trail behind him as he was carried away from the clatter of swords and shouts.

  ∞

  Isaac signaled for Clifton to circle around the backside of the small cluster of ranking guards surrounding Abner. Clifton nodded and signaled for several of their fellow guards to aim their arrows to the backsides of Abner’s protectors. He lowered his hand and the first sweep of arrows hit their targets taking the guards by surprise. Abner adjusted in his saddle long enough to see a galloping Isaac riding towards him with sword at the ready. Clifton rode out immediately from the opposite direction, the two princes both targeting the same man.

  Abner smirked as he swiped his blade towards the Prince of the West and Isaac’s blade clashed with his. Clifton rode quickly past the distracted King and aimed his blade for the straps of Abner’s saddle sending the arrogant king to the ground. Isaac dismounted quickly and ran towards the man tackling him before he could even rise to his feet. Fists pummeled against the older man’s face as he reached the dagger at his side and drove it beneath Isaac’s ribs. The satisfied pull against flesh causing Isaac’s fists to pause in their assault. He glanced at the man’s hand and then drove another hard fist into the king’s face as Isaac pulled the dagger out of his side himself. Clifton fought the remaining guards, his watchful eye keeping Isaac within sights as the Western prince slammed Abner’s dagger into the king’s heart with all his remaining strength.

  “You… have no idea… what you have done.” Abner’s breaths were ragged as his eyes slowly faded and his breathing stopped. Isaac slid to the ground next to the dead king and felt his own wound betraying him. His eyes closed as darkness clouded his vision and all he could think about was how Katarina would be free.

  Clifton dove towards Isaac and pressed his ear to the prince’s chest, pulling his arm over his head and lifting Isaac onto his shoulders. He draped Isaac over his horse and hurried towards the castle. Abner’s men were retreating, and the sound of hooves riding in from the East awakened the
hope Clifton knew would come in the sight of the Eastern flags flying on the horizon. His father had arrived, and this battle would be over soon. He reached the castle doors and rode straight inside the castle as Samuel and Mosiah were running down the stairs having cleared the final landing. Samuel momentarily froze at the sight of Isaac’s limp body but immediately helped Mosiah pull him down to the floor and carry him straight into the conservatory. “My father has arrived.” Clifton panted. “Help has come. I will ride out to meet him and finish this. Remain here.”

  Samuel nodded and watched as Clifton hurried away and his attention rested on Isaac’s pale face. “It is not your turn, Prince Isaac.” Samuel stated as he placed pressure on the wound as Mosiah began treating it. “Wake up.” As he nudged further pressure into Isaac’s side, Isaac’s eyes flew open on a gasp and he blinked several times as he groaned in pain. “Hold still, Prince.” Mosiah ordered.

  “S-Samuel.” His voice was ragged. “M-Melod-dy?”

  “She is safe in the bell tower.” Samuel replied, helping Mosiah stop the bleeding.

  Isaac relaxed and felt his head swim as he heard the familiar voice of Elizabeth filter into the room and his thoughts. He felt her hands on his face as she lightly tapped his cheeks, but he could not will his eyes to open. “You’d better not die, Isaac, or I will kill you myself.” She barked in a grumbled tantrum as she poured what felt like hot water over his wound. He jolted from the pain but felt the numbness take hold and he surrendered to the dark.

  ∞

  Alayna made her way down the stairs slowly as she surveyed the destruction before her. Bodies littered the halls and staircases and she heard several gasps behind her as the attendants and maids made their way to freedom as well. Her eyes searched what few faces she saw but she caught no sign of Ryle. The castle doors were now closed, and guards began clearing away the butchery before them. She heard rustling within the conservatory and found Elizabeth knelt beside a still Isaac. She heard Melody gasp and rush by her to her brother’s side as Arnos appeared next to the Western prince.

  Samuel straightened at the sight of Alayna and bowed. “It is over, my Queen. The Realm was victorious, though I must say I’m not sure if true victory could be achieved by anyone in such matters as this.”

  She squeezed his arm in thanks as she continued into the room. “Is he alive?”

  “Barely.” Arnos stated, his brutal honesty a harsh reminder of what could be.

  Katarina walked into the room and she slowly made her way towards Isaac, her shoulders lightly shaking as she stroked her hand over his hair. Elizabeth squeezed her hand. “He is a fighter, Katarina. He will make it.” She rose to her feet and walked towards her sister. Alayna’s gaze sweeping over Elizabeth looking for injury. She pulled Elizabeth into her arms into a tight embrace. “You scared me to death, Lizzy.” Her words a wavering whisper as her brown eyes clouded with tears.

  Elizabeth pulled back and held her sister’s shoulders. “I am fine.”

  “Clifton?” Alayna asked.

  “I do not know.” Elizabeth stated. “He has not arrived back yet.”

  “Ryle?”

  Elizabeth shrugged, and Alayna’s face fell.

  “We have lost many, Alayna, and there will be time for grief, but for now, we have many who need our strength.” Elizabeth whispered. Alayna studied her younger sister in awe and squeezed her hand in thanks. “You are right, Lizzy.”

  Elizabeth nodded as she turned towards the sound of boots in the main hall and Clifton emerged with King Eamon. She found the chair next to her as she collapsed in relief at the sight of him and he rushed to her and hugged her tightly to his chest. She felt tears running down her face and tried to swipe them away, but she noticed Clifton’s face held the same. She looked up at King Eamon and he sweetly brushed his hand over her hair as he faced Alayna.

  “Ryle?” She asked him.

  “I have not seen him just yet, my Queen.”

  “Abner?”

  “Dead.” Clifton stood back to his feet, lifting Elizabeth to her own and hugging her towards him. “Isaac killed him.”

  Katarina’s head popped up at that announcement and her gaze travelled back to the prince before her as she tenderly brushed Isaac’s cheek with her fingers.

  “It is over.” Clifton stated.

  ∞

  Edward entered the reflection chamber and shielded his eyes from the bright flames that licked up the sides of the walls. When he adjusted to the change, he caught sight of Lancer with his back to him and his arms raised. He was calling the darkness and Edward cringed at what power might come to him now that they aided in destroying his one true enemy: Abner. He turned at the sound of Edward and his smile twisted into one Edward had never seen before. “You are just in time, Edward. I would like you to meet our guest.” He stepped to the side and Edward gazed upon Prince Ryle tied to a chair before Lancer with a gag tied within his mouth, his appearance weak, torn, tired, and tattered from the fights he had endured. Edward tampered down his anger towards Lancer as he approached, and Lancer laughed in glee.

  “It seems we just captured a prince of the East, Edward. Though he disguises himself as a guard of the North, I know exactly who he is. He is my nephew. I would recognize Erica’s eyes anywhere.” Lancer leaned towards Ryle’s face and slapped him.

  “Why have you captured a prince, my Lord?” Edward asked curiously, Ryle finding his gaze and gauging his movements with a cautious eye.

  “What a silly question, Edward!” Lancer chuckled as he walked behind Ryle and lifted his face to stare at Edward. “Isn’t it obvious?” When Edward made no move to reply, Lancer rolled his eyes and tossed Ryle’s head to the side. “The Realm thought they could attack me one minute and then be my ally the next. And this particular prince,” he pointed his sword beneath Ryle’s chin, “he thought he could use our boundary line for his own personal gain. Not only to heal himself but to drive Abner’s men into my realm.”

  Edward watched as Ryle remained alert and wary of Lancer’s movements as the ruthless leader continued circling around him. “Eamon will be so disappointed.” He tisked his tongue as he lightly sliced a gash into Ryle’s forearm. The Eastern prince never flinched, but instead shot lethal barbs with his eyes.

  “What do you plan to do with him, my Lord?” Edward asked, stepping closer towards Ryle’s chair.

  “Kill him, of course. But not right now. I do not want to be too hasty. He will come in handy soon.”

  “How so?”

  Lancer grinned, and his eyes flashed black as his voice grew deep and dark. “I imagine Eamon will do most anything to have his precious heir to the throne saved. It is only a matter of time before your old Realm attacks again, and when they do, we will have another fighter on our side.” He rested his hand on Ryle’s shoulder and Ryle jerked to try and pry himself from the man’s clasp. Lancer laughed, the sound echoing through the reflection chamber as Ryle watched dark swirls of cold, smoke like fog began to cloud around his chair and slither up his legs. He flashed panicked eyes towards Edward, but Edward remained frozen at the sight before him. Ryle closed his eyes and took deep breaths to try and stop the fear from overcoming him. He did not want the darkness. Not one ounce of it. He felt the cold leave his calves and he opened his eyes to see the darkness swarming and wrapping around Lancer’s body, seeping into the man’s palms. Edward continued to stare, and Ryle watched in horror as the black tendrils creeped across the floor to Alayna’s brother and began doing the same.

  Katharine E. Hamilton

  PROLOGUE

  Many years ago…

  His breathing stopped. The trapped breath aching to be released in a loud exhale caused his lungs to ache and his pulse to quicken. He listened. The sound of boots against the floor echoed down the halls of his father’s castle and had him hiding in fear. His father warned him of this day. The threat of King Abner moving upon his father’s kingdom had lurked beyond the castle gates for weeks. Villages burned and plundered, his father’s
people killed or subdued, and his family’s lives at risk. Lancer listened intently as silence took hold. He creaked the heavy wooden door open and peered down the long hallway. No guards rushed by and he quickly slipped out and sprinted down the hall towards his father’s chambers.

  He burst through the heavy-laden doors to find his father gazing out the open arched window at the ruin and destruction headed their direction.

  “Father! They march upon the city markets!” His voice hitched as his father turned with sad eyes and a defeated expression.

  “Lancer, come inside my son and shut the doors.”

  His father’s voice was quiet, hollow, and full of remorse. He gestured towards the window and Lancer swallowed the distance in quick strides. His father’s hand rested upon his shoulder as they both turned to look out over their kingdom.

  “We cannot defeat Abner.”

  Lancer turned to his father in shock. “W-what do you mean? We have to. He has yet to breach the castle gates. There is still time.”

  His father turned to him and cupped his son’s face in his large hands. “There is no more time. The gates will be breached. You must go. I have prepared for your passage, but you must be quick. You must escape.”

  “I don’t understand.” Lancer’s eyes clouded as he saw the grief in his father’s gaze.

  “You must go. Abner has but one goal: to annihilate us all. He wishes to overtake our kingdom and lands. I stand in his way. You, my heir, stand in the way. If you escape now, there is a chance you may one day take our lands back from him. But only if you survive. You must go.”

  “I cannot leave you here to die.” Lancer grabbed his father’s elbow and began pulling him towards the doorway, but his father jerked from his touch.

  “No, son. I must stay. You must go.”

  “But where? Where will I run?”

  “Anywhere but here.”

  Lancer shook his head in disbelief and ran a hand through his dark hair as he tampered down the despair in his heart. “You must come with me.” His voice was low. Sad. But his father remained firm and shook his head.