The Coming Of Shadows (The Shadow Tide Book 1)

by Steven Moorer

  “By order of the Crimson Guard all of you are hereby ordered to cease these actions.”

  Dominic saw his two companions from the Crimson Guard standing at the entrance. They stood back to back, one with a rapier in each outstretched hand, lightly resting upon the necks of the two house guards guarding the door, the other holding both pistols covering the main courtyard outside of the Palace.

  They had been well trained, standing their ground dressed in their finest battle attire that Dominic himself had forbade them to wear. “Lieutenant Carlye I think now is a good time for us to leave this party,” the one holding the two rapiers said.

  Dominic agreed with him, “Me too. Stand down everyone; let us prevent bloodshed tonight.” He lowered his rapier. “We leave in peace, never to return.”

  And they left. They moved quickly to the courtyard where five horses were waiting for them. Dominic looked at Mariella, tears boiling in her eyes and then Allan. He looked back one final time at his former home. This would be the last time he would be here. He had lost his family. “You have one hour.” He heard a voice, Aiden. He was standing in front of them with Jacob Southerlin, pain in his eyes.

  “In one hour I will send men to chase you.” Those were Aiden’s last words to him. They rode out of Denoi for the last time.

  XVI

  He stood and looked at the mass of people in the courtyard. There were thousands of them from all walks of life. They can see me, he thought, looking out over the sea of bodies. I must not fail them.

  He looked at Idris who gave him an approving nod. He believes in me and I must believe in him, he thought as he heard one of the servants say behind him, “It is time.”

  And so it was. He walked out onto the top of the stairs of the temple. The crowd in front of him erupted in applause. They were all cheering, happy. Their King was dead but his heir was now their leader.

  He made his way to the front of the High Curate and he knelt. His heart was pounding out of his chest. “By the laws of our lands, and the laws of our gods, now come the days of your King, His Majesty Jayden of the House Tiernan,” the Curate said as he lowered the crown upon Jayden's head.

  The crown felt like it weighed a ton. I must stand and face them, he thought. He stood to thunderous applause. Every one of them was cheering him, clapping, waving arms.

  He raised his hand slightly and they quieted. “People of Derancross, of Agantia, and beyond. Today we begin anew; we begin an age of prosperity. But let us not forget the man who forged our path ahead, my father, Liam. As we move along this day let us remember his visions of the future. As his heir and King I will honor these wishes by first honoring by law my father’s last general order.” He pulled the rolled parchment from his tunic.

  For the first time since it was written the wax seal was broken and the parchment was unrolled. He looked at it, it was not written in his father's hand but the signature was. He began reading aloud.

  “By the order of the His Majesty Liam the First of the House Tiernan

  Orders in the event of my death

  'Please let it be known that I Liam the First of the House Tiernan do hereby grant the throne to my son, Jayden the First of the House Tiernan. If my death should fall before the completion of the Easterway Estate of Derancross, here are my last wills for that Estate.

  Easterway is a pivotal place in our city. The Earl who sits upon its seat should control that district and bring peace and fertility to the Commons. Our people in this city should all be equal, regardless of our standing in the hierarchy or wealth.

  My heart bleeds for the souls who suffer each day inside the Commons and with a strong Earl to unite these people and bring order, I foresee this city becoming the greatest of our world.

  To my son Jayden. I know your trials will be hard, my son, as you transition to taking the throne. As you have learned from being the Duke of Derancross you must rely on your Earls for absolute control, but now my son you have a country.

  Your Dukes are your answer. Some of them will fight between themselves, others will form alliances. Neither of these is bad, those who fight will eventually come to common ground and those who unite will do so to strengthen your rule. Never, my son, and I beg you, do not lose your Dukes; they are your spine.

  Now for my final order. I King Liam do hereby appoint the next Earl to sit upon the seat of Easterway. I have known all of the great families of this land for many years and I choose this Earl wholeheartedly. He comes from a long line of honorable Dukes and he will be fair and just.

  I do hereby name that Dominic Carlye, former heir to the seat of Denoi and honorable soldier of the Crimson Guard be from this day forward known as Lord Dominic the First of the House Carlye, Earl of Easterway

  It has been far too many years since House Carlye sat upon the King’s Council and with this deed of ownership, House Carlye has once again joined us.

  As current possessor of this grand estate I hereby in my own power and of strong mind grant and deed the land and buildings of the Estate to House Carlye. This is done.

  This is my last will and last order, by my word and the hand of my Steward.

  King Liam the First of the House Tiernan

  Jayden finished. He was not sure why his father chose Dominic for the seat. Where is Dominic? He thought as he folded the orders. “And so it is, people of Agantia. I am your King,” he said standing proud at the top of the steps.

  Dominic left to go to his home a month ago he should be back by now. It wasn't like his friend to be lost. I need to find him before another Duke makes a ploy to earn the seat for his house.

  He was now King and he needed to call a meeting of the Earls now. With Dominic now the Earl of Easterway, he had to make the transition flawlessly and please the common people. Damn you, Father, you leave me with this mess. For the first time ever he felt fear.

  XVII

  They had ridden hard for two days, barely stopping other than for personal relief or to let the horses rest. They had stuck as close to the river as possible coming south under the cover of the dense foliage that covered the embankments.

  By the time they arrived in Anoch, their mounts were all but exhausted and in need of much rest. “It's a three-week journey with a healthy steed; these are as good as dead,” Allan said as they took rest at a local inn. “Aiden's eyes are probably on us now. We should find new horses and continue.”

  Dominic knew that Anoch was relatively safe but not completely. If Aiden's men were to capture them, it would surely mean eventual death after they all faced Aiden one last time. “No, if Aiden truly meant what he said, he could easily send men to track us all the way to the capital lands. We would do better to move by river.

  “With the winter’s snows melting in the mountains, causing the river to flow faster, we will be at Tarnon in a week and in Derancross in two days,” Dominic said as he stood from his seat.

  He had changed from his Crimson Guard attire to a more leisurely tunic, one with no family or allegiance crest. He didn't want to draw attention to himself; if Aiden's men came looking for him, the chance of their discovery was less. Allan had also changed but unlike Dominic he had just removed his tabard.

  Within an hour they were standing on the docks waiting for the next ship for Tarnon. They had to sell all five of the steeds that had brought them there to make the coins needed for the trip. Even with most of his reserves in the depository in Derancross, Dominic's pockets were mostly empty, and in the haste of exiting, both Allan and Mariella had brought nothing.

  Finally, the ship made its way to the docks and they were boarded. Dominic felt safe, but the way he and Aiden had parted was not the best memory of his last couple of years. He did accept the fact that there was a lot of tension between them, but he never thought that his brother’s hatred toward him ran so deep.

  As the night grew darker, and he stood on the bow of the ship looking out at the dark water, he watched as the moon above danced from side to side on the ripples in the water. The night's
air was cool with the hint of a storm in it.

  He felt safe there - alone, calm. What had he done so wrong in the past to his brother? Join the Crimson Guard? Aiden was mad about the crown’s taxes. Anyone would be but did he really think that Dominic would turn his back on him? Whatever it was, he had to find ways to fix it, and the only way to do that was get back to Derancross as fast as he could.

  Lord Candrin, his Earl, would be the best person to see when he arrived back. But being just a district Earl might be challenging when moderating between two brothers, one who was a Duke.

  He knew by bringing it to the attention of Lord Candrin that eventually, maybe not during the King's Court but during Prince Jayden's court with the city Earls, it would be brought out. He didn't want the Prince nor the King involved in it, he could just imagine the repercussions if the King discovered that three of his Guard had been threatened and had to show force to get out.

  He needed someone to turn to, but whom? One of his fellow guardsmen would not do.

  “Am I interrupting?” Allan said as he came up on the deck with Dominic. “No, just wishing that all of this could be fixed,” he said as he took a cup of warm wine that Allan offered to him. “I wish I had never left,” he said, taking a drink of the sour wine.

  “There are many of us who feel the same way you do, but what you chose to do was far bigger than any of us,” Allan said.

  “Did I start a war, Allan?”

  “If anyone started a war it was me, I pulled a pistol and showed force first. I was protecting you and my sister,” Allan said.

  “Did you know that man?” Dominic asked looking at his friend’s face. “Yes and I would rather not talk about it.”

  An awkward moment of silence fell as they both stood there drinking the wine.

  “Dominic,” Allan said, taking a final swig. “You have always been the brother I never had. You were meant for my sister from the day she was born and that's one reason I did what I did. “Never will any King, Prince or Duke threaten my blood or the blood she is meant to be with. The actions of Aiden and those around him at the Palace have been brewing for days. Dominic, since your arrival he has wanted to make sure you didn't leave Denoi peacefully. Aiden fears the crown, and no matter what I, my father or anyone tells him, he still fears that one-day King Liam will launch a revolution and take the kingdom under total control. He fears that Liam is hungry for gold, and since this new estate is being built with the crown’s money, Aiden's fear has come full circle” He looked at his wine cup and drained the last drop.

  “Aiden wanted you to marry Mariella, and he wanted to use her to get information for him. If it wasn't for Father, he would have done it. She never knew what Aiden's plan was, but if she knew, she would have rather died than betray you. My father never did like the idea either, but he knew that he had to remain loyal to Aiden or risk losing everything his family had. He wanted to keep Mariella safe and the only way to do that was to go along with Aiden's plan.

  “Dominic, Aiden has eyes in the capital. Please keep your friends close, but find your enemies. Aiden will march to war if he feels he must. Dominic found this impossible but he believed every word.”

  He didn't know how to respond to it. “How do you know this?” he asked suspiciously.

  “Eavesdropping, Dominic, whatever you might be thinking and whatever is pondering through your head, I am not your enemy. I did what I did because of my sister. She deserves you and you, her. Dominic, you are my brother. I will not serve a lord who conspires on his own blood.”

  “I do not want war with my brother. I want peace and I want what's left of my family; if peace can be made now.” He was tired and wanted to end this. “You have your new family and when we arrive in Derancross, I will give you Mariella in my name to be your wife.”

  Dominic couldn't sleep. Everything that Allan had told him was running through his head. He didn't know whether or not to believe his friend. If a brother can betray you, why not a friend? Maybe this was all a bad dream that he would wake from any minute, but he knew it wasn't.

  He found himself once again back on the bow of the ship. The night air was even cooler now. The night was darker; the moon had made its way below the earth, and he knew that morning must be near.

  Through the darkness he could see crudely built homes and buildings. Bamboo, he thought, as he looked at them. They were fishing villages, hundreds of building and camps along the river bank.

  The sight of it brought a sense of peace to him. He knew that the fishing villages were close to the mouth of the river which spilled into Four Rivers Lake; the first leg of their journey was complete.

  It would take a few days to traverse the vast lake, and any poor navigation could send them off the course and make the journey longer than normal. But this ship had been recommended highly by the people of Anoch. He could see fishermen start to make their way from their houses and begin the day. All around him the world was starting to come to life.

  As he stood watching over the bow, he heard soft footprints coming up behind him. The deck of the ship was old and creaky and anyone approaching in the dead quiet of the night would have trouble concealing himself.

  “I thought I would find you here.” It was Mariella. Her perfume cut through the early morning breeze like a knife through water. Since the night they had left the castle, they’d had no time together.

  “Here I am,” he said as she came and stood beside him. “Do you regret seeing me?”

  Her stare peered through the darkness in front of them. “No,” she said, “Not now. Allan told me and I...I can't believe it but it....explains a lot.”

  “What does it explain?”

  “Aiden; his actions, his closed secret meetings with father, his paranoia - all of it. It's hard to believe that he would be like that, but I take my brother’s word over that of a scared boy.”

  Just a few days earlier she had called him scared, but he believed her. She was to be used as a pawn in a game Aiden had no business playing. “Mariella, I know you said you wouldn’t marry me, I know you love--”

  “My feelings haven’t changed,” she said quickly, cutting him off. “I have always loved you, and one day I might marry you. I haven’t seen you in seven years.”

  His heart calmed down. It settled, and he was relieved. “I have two more years of service to the crown. We can settle after that.”

  “Maybe. What are you going to do about Aiden?”

  “I will have to find a negotiator. That’s the only way to make peace between me and Aiden.” He said.

  “Maybe we could talk about all of this later. I want to go back to sleep,” she told him as she turned.

  “Wait.” He said lightly touching her on the shoulder

  She turned and looked at him; even in the low light she was beautiful. “I haven’t kissed you goodnight before,” he said looking at her.

  “I know.”

  He kissed her. “This seemed like a good time,” he said.

  “Maybe.” He thought he saw a slight smile come across her face as she turned and left the deck.

  He suddenly felt a rush a fatigue and he knew he had one, maybe two hours of darkness left before the sun broke. But that’s all he needed, just a little sleep to ease his tiredness. His head hit the pillow and his dreams began.

  XVIII

  It had been eight days since Jayden took the throne. He had called a court of the people the first day after his coronation. It had been a poorly planned meeting. Most of the people in attendance were concerned that the new Earl of Easterway was not in Derancross.

  Idris knew that Jayden would feel the brunt of the common people's concerns. He couldn't blame them at all. They now for the first time in history had a leader, someone who could bring order to the overcrowded Commons and possibly bring in more commerce and trade bringing the wealth of the average folk up.

  Jayden had reassured them that once Dominic was back in the city he would be in the Easterway Estate and that peace would come so
on. He had also, during the meeting, announced without reason that the city taxes to the Earls would rise from the normal two to five percent. The raise had caused a stir through the common people and Idris knew that this meeting would be concerned with that issue. “The cost of the Easterway Estate has left the crown in debt, and we must regain lost monies before we move forward. My father was afraid to raise taxes, but this is for the best of the kingdom,” Jayden had told the people.

  Idris knew that his reasoning was a lie, but he dared not correct the King in front of his people. It was an issue that had to be handled behind closed doors and in private. But it hadn't happened. Over the last eight days, Jayden seemed to have less and less time to confer with Idris, and now he was meeting with his Earls, all but Dominic.

  Idris had known Dominic's father during the past King's courts that he attended. Even though he had only known him for a short time, he knew that this Dominic had been taught by one of the wisest men of Agantia. He knew Dominic had been gone for over a month, and the return time from Denoi was almost a month.

  Jayden had conferred with Lord Candrin, and Dominic’s return was expected in another two weeks, if not a few days earlier. But today was the first day that Jayden would sit down alone, with all the Earls of the city. Today was the first step in Jayden’s solidifying his rule as King and temporary Duke of the city. The meeting was scheduled to begin within a few minutes and he only had a short period of time to arrive in the private chambers used to conduct the meetings.

  The meeting room was similar to the great hall but smaller in size with only enough seats for the King and the Earls. These meetings were closed and even the members of the Crimson Guard and the Earls’ personal guards were not allowed in.