Chronicles Of Aronshae (3 Book Omnibus)

by J. K. Barber

  Branden launched up from his chair, almost toppling over his daughters in the process. Blinking until he was fully awake, he then froze and looked dumfounded at his girls. The twins beamed.

  “Am I dreaming?” Branden asked, managing to find his voice. He ran his hands over his daughters’ white streaked hair, his face full of confusion.

  “Perhaps, maybe we should pinch you to find out for sure,” Katya teased. Branden’s laugh shook the house, threatening to topple what was left of it as he took a daughter in each arm and hugged them tightly to his chest. Tears flowed down the cheeks of the small family, and the giant of a man sobbed like a newborn babe.

  “My girls, my precious girls!” Branden cried. “I dared to hope that I would hold you in my arms again. Let me look at you! I swear you’ve grown,” he said holding them at arm’s length to get a good look at them.

  “Well, Sasha has,” Katya giggled and poked Sasha’s belly.

  “What?” Branden asked. Sasha glared at her sister, as Jared detached himself from Jugger so that he could approach the Ironwright’s father. Deputy Bill whistled and Jugger padded back over to the young man so that Jared was free to move again.

  “Jared, my boy! You made it!” Branden exclaimed, as Jared joined them by the fire. The blacksmith dropped his arm from Katya and shook Jared’s hand with crushing force. “What were you saying about your sister, Katya?”

  Katya glanced to Sasha with a smug look on her face, and Sasha looked to Jared nervously. Jared cleared his throat.

  “Well, Sir… um, you are going to be a grandpa. Surprise!” Jared said, timid humor in his voice. He prayed the older man’s reaction would be similar to Mala’s discovery of his and Sasha’s relationship.

  “What?!” Branden said, his voice cold as steel and his eyes narrowing at Jared. The woodsman swore he saw thunderheads cloud the blacksmith’s irises. He was so busy looking at Branden’s facial reaction, he missed the fist aimed for his head entirely. Jared’s wind was knocked from his lungs as he collided with the stone wall, his vision full of bright lights.

  “Father!” Sasha yelled, rushing over to bend down at Jared’s side. She used her sleeve to dab at the blood dribbling out of his mouth. Jugger whined between the two men, looking from one to the other. “That is no way to treat Jared.”

  Branden stood rigid like he was going to explode. Every part of his body screamed anger. Katya’s eyes were drawn to the trickle of blood from her father’s side as it dripped down his hip. She also noticed that his arm was bandaged as well. The sorceress’ eyes grew wider as she realized it wasn’t mud that coated his torn mail armor on his side, but a large amount of dried blood. Soiled bandages wrapped his ribs under his torn shirt.

  “Father,” Katya said shocked, her voice filled with concern, “you are bleeding. You haven’t even cleaned up since the battle by the looks of it.” Branden’s chest deflated and he sat heavily back into his chair, his face white. “Someone help me get this armor off him, so I can see the wound.” Sasha was still at Jared’s side, helping him sit up. The twins’ father had hit him hard and the woodsman’s head still spun. Seeing that the redhead wasn’t going to help her sister, Deputy Bill crossed the room to assist Katya. Together, they stripped Branden from the torso up, exposing the copious amount of bandages encircling the giant man’s midsection. Katya didn’t have to see the wound to know it was grievous. To remove the bandages would open the wound again.

  “Father, I need you to trust me.” Katya said, her hands trembling as she laid them on his bare skin at the edge of the dressing. She locked eyes with Branden. His face had a green tint to it like he was about to throw up. “I am going to heal your wound. Try and relax, alright?” He nodded once as if to do more than that would cause him to vomit.

  The raven-haired woman was exhausted from the battle at the Ice Palace, the healing of the Frozen March crystal, and their travel here, but she dug down deep for the strength to do one more healing. She had surprised herself at how deep her magic capacity was now; not a year ago, more than two or three spells would have laid her up for hours. Before, she had neither the need nor the desire to reach for so much power. She wiped all thought from her mind, shoving her worries and wonderment aside. Closing her eyes and bowing her head, she focused on her father’s breathing. Under her fingers, she could feel the beating of his heart. She expanded her senses and dropped below the surface of his skin, feeling the rush of his blood through his veins. She came to the slash itself, where his life force was running out of his body. Chyla’s recent mending of the sorceress’ arm wound came to mind. Cuts were harder than healing bones in that the risk of infection had to be considered with an open wound. Katya would have to “burn” out the wound first, which is something she knew all too well how to do.

  “This will hurt at first, father, and then fade to warmth,” Katya spoke, her eyes still closed. Sasha had Jared standing and they watched from afar, her arms wrapped around his torso and his arm around her shoulder.

  Fire seared through Branden’s side and he stifled a cry. The deputy was there in an attempt to hold the blacksmith down if need be, but the blacksmith had enough self-discipline to not jerk away. The large man’s body then relaxed and he let his head fall into the chair’s backrest. He sighed, as if just drinking a warm cup of cider. Katya opened her eyes and began unwrapping the bandages. Her whole body seemed to sag, as if she wished nothing more than to lie down.

  “Deputy, could you please bring me some water and a rag?” she asked quietly as she worked. Bill nodded and went to the kitchen. He returned with the items the sorceress had asked for. Carefully removing the last bit of binding, Katya dipped the clean rag into the bowl of water the deputy held out for her. She wiped her father’s side gently, removing the caked grime. His skin underneath was pink and whole again. Deputy Bill gasped, as he looked from Branden’s healed wound to Katya, wonderment and respect in his eyes.

  Katya smiled and said, “I was able to close the wound father, but one of your ribs will always bear a notch in it. Whatever struck you was done so with great force. You are lucky the weapon did not pass through your rib and into your organs or you would be dead by now.”

  “If only I’d had one of the rare alchemical potions the Administrator had in the basement of the tower, I’d not be in this bad of shape. We had used all of Snowhaven’s stock when the Ice Queen first invaded and after that it seems the Ice Queen cleaned the place out. A shame really, those visiting priests from the Temple of the Great Mother’s Order of Alchemy and the Masters really had something going with those potions. Thank you,” Branden spoke, as he cupped his daughter’s tired face in his hands, “your skills in healing have grown much since last I saw you.” Katya smiled.

  “I’ve had a great deal of practice,” she said, the warmth on the sorceress’ face paling as she frowned. “It seems like years have passed instead of a few months. We missed you,” the sorceress said, her eyes glancing back to Sasha and Jared.

  Branden’s gaze followed his dark-haired daughter’s to the couple in the corner. His eyes narrowed. “I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt, Jared, that Sasha has been treated with respect and courtesy.”

  Jared gulped, his head still throbbing from Branden’s punch. “Yes Sir. I care for her very much, and I am overjoyed to be a father. I have done everything in my power to keep your girls safe in our journey north, as promised.” The woodsman emphasized his last words firmly, then added, “Sasha and I didn’t really plan on becoming more than friends, Sir. It just happened.”

  “And that baby in her belly ‘just happened’ too, huh?” The blacksmith said, his words seething with anger.

  Something in Sasha snapped and she flew at her father, her fist raised and shaking it in his face. “I am old enough and responsible enough to make my own decisions, father. You are talking to Jared like I had no say in all this. I… well I’ll say it. I love him, Father.” Branden looked shocked. “There I said it. I love you, Jared,” she said turning to the w
oodsman, who looked equally shocked. “I could have taken some of my sister’s herbs to end this pregnancy, but I didn’t.” She said more softly, “I choose to have this baby.” Katya sank to the floor, no longer able to hold herself up under the weight of her sister’s words and her own weariness. Branden hung his head as if suddenly ashamed. Deputy Bill slipped back into the kitchen and took Jugger with him. Jared’s mouth was wide open, but his face soon relaxed.

  “I love you too, Sasha,” the words flowing out of Jared’s lips before he could stop them or think better of them. “I am not ready to get married just yet, but I do love you. Our child is a gift from the Great Mother, and I will protect him or her with my life for the rest of my days. That, I promise.”

  Sasha left her father’s side, crossed the room, and took Jared’s hands in hers. “It is enough.” The couple looked into each other’s eyes and smiled happily.

  Branden sighed. “Sasha is right, of course. She is old enough to decide for herself.” He didn’t run up and hug the two or congratulate them as Sasha might have liked, but his acknowledgement was sufficient. Branden stood, pulling Katya up to her feet and placing a supportive arm around her waist. The sorceress slumped against him like a rag doll, her healing magic and the emotional conversation taking the last bit of strength out of her. “I am going to help Katya to bed. Sasha, I’d like you to join your sister in your old room. Jared, you’ll sleep by the fire; I am sure the deputy and Jugger will be kind enough to share the space. Then, I am going to put my old bones to bed in my own room.” Sasha started to object, but Branden raised his free hand. “My roof, my rules. Tomorrow, we can talk more. I am glad you are home safe.”

  With that, the Ironwright household called it a night.

  By dawn, Deputy Bill, Jugger, and Jared had set out. When the deputy mentioned he was assigned to the early morning patrols of the woods north of Snowhaven, Jared was all too eager to go with him when Bill asked if the woodsman wanted to join them; it had been some time since Jared had been able to run trail. Also, he was anxious to escape the blacksmith’s constant heated and oppressive stares.

  Branden wasn’t to return to his duty to the King until lunchtime, so he and his daughters enjoyed a leisurely family breakfast, during which Katya, now sufficiently rested, healed the wound along Branden’s arm. With the deputy gone, the well-rested Nhyme finally emerged from Katya’s backpack. Niko and Chyla hugged Branden’s bicep, and the large man smiled as he ruffled the hair on their heads with a single finger. The Nhyme then attacked a block of cheese the blacksmith had produced from the restocked cabinet. While the little ones ate sitting on the edge of the kitchen table, swinging their legs happily, Sasha told her father the bad news about Mala. He bowed his head sorrowfully and asked if her body had been brought back to Snowhaven. The swordswoman told him that it had. The blacksmith was even more surprised to hear that only one other person survived from the three score of soldiers who had gone with them into the Frozen March. He hugged his girls repeatedly, as they told him all that had transpired. He then shared his own story with them about the battle in Snowhaven and his own fight with Captain Ra’thet. Jared returned with Jugger at his heels not too long after; Deputy Bill had received orders to return to Binford’s Bluff. The young deputy had tried to take Jugger with him, but the canine could not be parted from the woodsman. Bill had hugged the mastiff and officially given him to Jared. The men shook hands and parted on friendly terms.

  A messenger in a red and blue tabard knocked on the door to the house around midmorning, summoning them all to the King’s side. The Nhyme kept out of sight in the kitchen while Branden stood in the open doorway reading the missive. The dead had been prepared on the pyres just outside the South Gate and King Morgan was going to perform a eulogy. Their presence was requested. Branden nodded to the young man, holding the parchment loosely at his side after reading it. The blacksmith looked down at his soiled clothing and frowned.

  “Please tell His Majesty that we will be there as soon as we change clothes,” the giant man said. He closed the door as best he could, staring daggers at the hastily-repaired still-bent frame and mentally promised himself to fix it as soon as he could. The Ironwrights and Jared put on fresh clothing and washed their faces and hands. The orcs hadn’t been interested in female clothing, so the twins’ trunk had not been more than thrown open. Jared borrowed a fresh shirt from Sasha but kept on his worn leather breeches. Katya donned a fresh robe of blue velvet, smoothing the skirt and pulling on her only spare silver-lined mantle. Sasha had polished her armor and weapons while they had talked, a task that was routine around the Ironwright’s breakfast table. The blacksmith tossed his damaged mail aside and pulled a suit of plate out of a hidden spot in the rafters of the smithy. He retrieved a sword from another hidden spot in the floorboards of the house since his maul was currently in two pieces and his previous sword lost in battle. Sasha clapped her father on the shoulder, beaming at his cleverness and foresight. Branden and the swordswoman helped each other with their various buckles and straps. After scrubbing out the stains as best she could in the kitchen sink with the help of the Nhyme, Katya proudly set her father’s King’s Guard tabard over his head before he buckled on a sword’s belt and slid his blade into the sheath. Jared attached his bow, quiver, and Eastern blade to his back sheath that ran from his shoulder to a belt. The woodsman checked that the remaining throwing daggers on the front strap of the sheath were fastened securely. Sasha sheathed her dagger and her sword at her waist before fastening her shield to her forearm. Finally dressed and bristling with weaponry, the four Illyanders, a pair of freshly preened ravens on Katya’s shoulders, and Jugger set out for Snowhaven’s South Gate.

  The Illyander Crest of entwined red and blue dragons decorated a giant banner that hung halfway down the open gateway. The massive scorched doors lay just inside the wall, set aside to be mended and re-hung at a later date. Pennants in the kingdom’s colors were set into the ground around a small stage that had been hastily erected for the occasion. Behind the stage were approximately twenty large pyres with at least a dozen expired Illyanders respectfully laid out on each. A pyre for a single corpse was directly next to the stage. The feminine shaped body was wrapped in a white gauzy material surrounded by sunflowers.

  Upon spotting Branden’s tabard, two guards escorted the small group to the stage where King Morgan, Captain Veldrun, General Frey, and the rest of the King’s Guard waited patiently, wearing their own polished armor and best clothing. A large crowd of people were gathered, filtering through the pyres and laying flowers next to their loved ones and saying goodbye one last time. Katya choked down tears, trying her best not to cry. The sorrowful sight of so many dead was overwhelming. The sorceress turned her nose up at a giant mound of deceased ice orcs and the Ice Queen’s human fighters unceremoniously piled behind the pyres of Illyanders. Sasha placed a hand on Katya’s elbow, gaining her attention as they neared the stage. Tomas, his child form lost among the King’s entourage before, stood with his hands folded neatly in from of him. The sorceress saw that he wore the blue robes and gold trimmed mantle of a Master of the Snowhaven Sorcerer School. His purple eyes were passing over the crowd, but suddenly fixed unsettlingly on her own. He nodded, a gesture Katya returned respectfully. The sorceress’ face brightened seeing Johnson behind the Administrator, and she waved to him. The older soldier waved back, glad to see her.

  The guards ushered them through the mass of people to the platform’s stairs, where Jared told Jugger to stay put. King Morgan courteously ended his conversation with General Frey, seeing that Branden and his companions had arrived. The monarch signaled to two heralds, and they raised brass horns, breathing a single resonating note into the air that captured everyone’s attention. King Morgan shook hands with Branden first, then Sasha, Katya, Jared, and Johnson. He welcomed them and asked the five of them to stand in a line by his side. The Illyander Army and its people gathered before the stage to hear their King’s speak. Morgan, his crown and gold trim
med armor glistening radiantly in the mid-day sun, waited a short time for them all to converge on the stage. His appearance was every bit that of a king; he stood tall despite the weariness that lined his face, his hand resting confidently on his sword hilt. The monarch wore a long burgundy cloak that bore his royal crest in golden thread in the middle. It gently billowed behind him in the breeze coming off the peaks that flanked the valley in which they had gathered. Once all had settled and stood quietly before him, he began his speech, his voice carrying loud and clear, being in the largest part of the mountain pass.

  “My fellow Illyanders, today we honor our fallen; those who gave their lives so that we might wrest our kingdom out of the grasp of a terrible evil. Without their sacrifices and service, the Ice Queen would still threaten our homes. With your help and the help of these brave men and women who lay behind me, Snowhaven is free again. As a King, I could not be prouder of my people this day for your bravery, strength, and fortitude in the face of adversity. However, the Ice Queen is a constant threat so long as she is allowed to roam free. I promise you that she will be stopped. Whether captured or killed, she will be brought to justice for the pain and suffering she has caused the Illyander Kingdom now for a second time. You have my word as your King.” Morgan paused as a cheer and thunderous applause rose up from the crowd. Katya was amazed at how many people were present. So many had rallied to their cause; the local garrisons from Mica, Bridgetown, Binford’s Bluff, Morgansdale, and even from the western port city of Orsa were all present by the banners held aloft to represent them. King Morgan continued, “I wanted to bring to your attention these fine people I have next to me. First I need to tell you that I sent three score of my best soldiers and scouts by boat, north through the Sea of Twylight to the frigid shores of the Frozen March. These brave souls then befriended the local people and besieged the Empress of Ice’s Glacial Palace, the very heart of her treacherous power.” There was a gasp from the crowd. “The cost was almost too great in the loss of life, but they succeeded, my friends. Within two days of each other, the Ice Queen was forced to retreat from Snowhaven, and thanks to Mistress Mala and her troop toppling her fortress in the Frozen March, was forced to flee into hiding.” Another louder cheer arose from the crowd, one woman beating her chest emotionally as joyful tears streamed down her face. “Mistress Mala, Master Swordmistress of the Snowhaven Warrior School, led the mission in the North, but now lies here at my side.” Morgan waved to the single pyre by the stage. “Branden Ironwright, one of my own King’s Guard who also defeated the Empress of Ice’s Captain Ra’thet in single combat just beyond the very gates that stand behind you, is here as well. He was Mistress Mala’s friend while she was alive and I’d like to ask him to do the honors of sending her to her final rest. Please, take a few moments of silence to honor our fallen heroine.”