The Men of Anderas I: Jardan, the King

by C. J. Johnson

  “Unicorns?” She blinked in confusion. “I’m talking about that hulking beast of a horse you ride.”

  Unable to contain his laughter, JarDan gently cupped her face. “Storm is a unicorn, love. The root of his horn was removed just after his birth, as it is with every male.”

  “Now I know you’re teasing me.” She jabbed her finger against his chest. “Everybody knows only a virgin can capture a unicorn and you, my dear, are no virgin.”

  “Where did you hear such nonsense?” JarDan laughed but quickly forced the sound into a cough when he caught sight of her narrow-eyed gaze.

  “Are you laughing at me?” She asked quietly, crossing her arms across her chest.

  “Never, love.” He quickly assured her. “Tell me what you know about unicorns.”

  He met and held her probing stare.

  “Well,” she finally began, “they’re extinct because when God sent the great flood, they were too busy playing in the grass and flowers to answer Noah’s summons to the Ark. They were shy, gentle creatures who feared men. That’s why only a virgin, a woman untouched by man, could capture them. There’s really no such thing as a unicorn. They’re a myth.”

  He knew by her expression she was waiting for him to laugh at her again.

  “They are no myth, love.” He assured her gently. “The Ancients brought unicorns here as ground transportation. I have no idea why these animals became extinct on Earth. Maybe it has something to do with why your planet didn’t progress as rapidly as the others colonized by the Ancients.

  “The females are gentle by nature but because of their delicate bone structure, unsuited for use as mounts even for children. A unicorn stallion is one of the most powerful, aggressively male species on any world. Unlike horses, unicorns mate for life. If left untamed, the herd forms a social structure not unlike a wolf pack, except that all paired animals produce young.

  “The horn of a female is never longer than ten to fourteen inches. On a mature male, the horn measures the same length as his height at his shoulders. Storm’s horn would be well over six feet in length and lethally sharp. These males are extremely territorial and highly protective. They will sacrifice their own lives, if necessary, to protect their mates.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

  “Sweetheart, everything you’ve known has changed,” JarDan tucked a strand of glistening black hair behind her ear, “and will continue to change as you learn more about my world. We have years to discuss all these differences.”

  “I like my version of unicorns better.” She mumbled, snuggling closer to his warmth.

  It was a measure of the depth of her trust in him that she accepted what he told her without question,

  “Do we, JarDan?” She whispered, leaning into his chest again. “Do we have years?”

  JarDan held her as tightly as her advanced pregnancy allowed, burying his face in the cloud of hair against her neck, wishing he could give her the answers she wanted. He had never lied to her and he wouldn’t start now.

  “I don’t know, my love.” He whispered. “If it is in my power, we’ll be old and grey with a hundred grandchildren running around the countryside. Now,” he stood with her still in his arms, “why don’t you rest while I take a bath? When I return we’ll order our dinner and you can show me all the special gowns you’ve made for the baby.”

  * * * *

  Melodie awoke chilled and knew she was alone in the bed. JarDan stood illuminated by the light of the twin full moons of Anderas. The light, reflected from the snow bank below the window, turned his hair to molten silver and ebony shadow and etched the rugged planes of his face. Her heart ached for the man she called husband. So strong, so powerful, he was the living embodiment of every fairy tale hero she remembered from her youth. Yet, for all his strength, he struggled with his failure to find and stop Morandoni.

  “Did my wiggling around wake you?” She asked, tossing the blanket back. Her daughter enjoyed sitting on her mother’s bladder at odd hours of the night. Smiling when JarDan helped her to her feet, she hurried to the bathroom, knowing he would be right outside the door when she returned. Having satisfied the effects of her baby’s gymnastics, she turned her attention to her husband.

  Sliding her arms around JarDan’s neck, she pulled his head down for a kiss. “Come back to bed.” She whispered against the firmness of his mouth.

  “I wish I could, love.” He pulled her close for a brief moment before turning her toward their favorite spot in front of the fire. “A messenger arrived a short time ago so I expect a summons soon.”

  “Will you have to leave again?” She tried to hide her fear when he nodded but she knew he could feel the trembling she couldn’t stop. How often would he ride out looking for Morandoni before he found him? How many nights could he and his men go with little or no sleep before their skills failed them? If he rode out tomorrow, would he come back to her alive? The flickering firelight intensified the lines bracketing his mouth. He looked so tired. “Did you sleep at all?” She asked when he settled on the floor at her feet.

  “Some.” He answered, resting his head against her knee. “Being home has done me as much for me as a week’s worth of sleep. Don’t worry, love.” He turned to her with a slight smile before lowering his head.

  Melodie stroked the heavy mane of hair in her lap, soothing her man as only a woman can until she felt him relax against her. His soft snore brought tears to her eyes. She knew Dak would come for him soon, but until then she would savor this chance to offer him what no one else could give him.

  Dak’s knock, a sound so soft only someone listening for it could hear it, came barely an hour later.

  “Come,” she whispered, wiping the tears from her face. She met Dak’s questioning gaze and knew this summons was different.

  “I’m sorry, Melodie.” Dak apologized in a strange voice.

  She tightened her hold on JarDan’s hair for just a moment before gently shaking his shoulder. “He’s been waiting for you.”

  JarDan was instantly alert when he saw Dak. “The messenger?” He asked, reaching for his tunic.

  “I’ve already issued the orders. We leave at first light.”

  “Wait for me in the hall. I won’t be long.”

  Dak left quietly, leaving JarDan and Melodie alone. Melodie knew she couldn’t hide her tears from him so she didn’t even try.

  As soon as he donned the fur-lined clothes he used for winter travel he pulled her into his arms. “Don’t cry, my love.” He whispered wiping the glistening moistness from her face. “This is the last patrol until spring. I’ll be back before the baby comes, I promise. The first touch she feels in this world will be mine.”

  She tightened her hold, wishing things could be different, knowing she wouldn’t change him even if she could.

  “I love you, JarDan.” She struggled to stem the flow of tears, at least until after he left. “Please be careful.”

  With a quick, deep kiss, he left the room as quietly as Dak. She made her way slowly back to the cold, lonely bed. There would be no more sleep for her tonight. She knew it would be hours before she’d be able to stop crying. It happened every time he left on patrol.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Am I interrupting anything, ladies?” Zeth asked the small group of women gathered near the massive fire pit in the center of the solar.

  “Only my own morbid thoughts.” Melodie smiled sadly at JarDan’s father. “And the endless sewing. These three seem to think my daughter needs a mountain of clothes. Come sit by the fire and I’ll have ArDell bring us some warm wine.” The efficient maid was already heading for the door.

  “The wine would be nice. It’s bitterly cold outside today with more snow forecast before night. Actually,” Zeth extended his legs toward the blazing hearth, “I’m here as a messenger.”

  “From JarDan?” Melodie asked hopefully. The patrol left four days ago and everyone was anxious to hear from them.

  “I’m afraid
not.” Zeth shook his head sadly. “This favor is for Dak.”

  She raised an eyebrow but ArDell’s arrival forestalled her questions until Zeth, Dyana and Sibell each had steaming goblets of the rich, red wine. Although she understood Dak’s initial reluctance to accept her presence on Anderas, their new relationship wasn’t quite as friends, yet. She couldn’t imagine the outspoken Dak sending a message he could deliver himself.

  “I saw Dak just before the patrol left, why didn’t he deliver his message then.” She shifted against the lush upholstery of the chair trying to find a comfortable position.

  “Dak is a hard man to understand. Powerful emotions drive him. Emotions he works constantly to hide and deny. Any public display of caring is a sign of weakness to a man like Dak. That’s why he asked me to handle this for him.”

  “JarDan is very fond of Dak.” She found this entire conversation confusing. A sharp knock on the door brought a welcome intrusion since Zeth appeared more interested in the man ArDell admitted to the room than in continuing his discussion of Dak’s character.

  “Excellent timing.” Zeth beamed at the stranger. “Bring it in, man, bring it in. Melodie, my dear, close your eyes. Don’t want to spoil the surprise, do we?”

  “It sounds like you’re destroying the solar.” Melodie chuckled, keeping her eyes tightly closed. She loved surprises and the grunting, shuffling, thumping and occasional foul word hinted at something huge.

  “What’s going on?” She asked, pushing herself to the edge of the chair. “Can I look now?”

  “Open your eyes.” Zeth commanded. Her father-in-law filled her line of vision, being almost as large as JarDan. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead before stepping to the side.

  “Ohhhh,” Melodie whispered, “it’s beautiful.” Dak’s surprise was a magnificent canopied cradle. Delicately carved blossoms covered the four support posts, their pastel hues contrasting perfectly with the green leaves and trailing vines that swept up and across the top, creating the canopy. The same pattern of flowering vines formed the bed of the cradle that hung suspended between the thick pillars. Soft, pale pink blankets, embroidered with identical flowers filled the bed making a warm, cozy nest for her daughter.

  “Where in the world did he ever find something like this?” Melodie asked, trailing her trembling fingers across the lifelike flowers setting the cradle into motion. “The workmanship is remarkable.”

  “Yes, Dak is truly talented with his hands, is he not?” Zeth placed an arm around Melodie’s shoulders. “Does his gift please you?”

  “Dak made this?” Melodie was stunned. In all her months on Anderas, the only thing she recalled seeing in Dak’s hand was a sword. “This must have taken months to complete. When did he have time?” Tears slid from her eyes when she acknowledged the love that Dak put into this very special gift for her baby.

  “The design was his and he worked on it whenever he was home; however, he knew he needed assistance to finish the work before my granddaughter arrives. Dak put the final coat of paint on the flowers before he left but, with the cold, it wasn’t dry until today.”

  “Sibell and I made the linens.” Dyana volunteered.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Melodie sniffed and wiped at the tears that refused to stop.

  “Here now!” ArDell moved with her usual efficiency, bringing a handkerchief before taking Melodie firmly by the arm. “Enough of that. I’ve just managed to get rid of the redness from the last time and here you start up again. Come sit and put your feet up on that stool.”

  “ArDell’s right.” Sibell agreed, wiping at her own eyes. “You cry too much and that makes me cry and I hate it when my eyes swell and turn red.”

  “Would you like to be alone for a while, Melodie?” Dyana asked.

  Melodie smiled and nodded to her friend. One of the first changes she made when she became queen was to end the daily required meeting of the Ladies of Falcon Tor. They all had homes and families and she didn’t need constant entertainment. They were always welcome to visit and she made sure each of them had access to the needlework materials and musical instruments, but she enjoyed her privacy. Sibell and Dyana, as her official Ladies-In-Waiting, came every day but seldom stayed more than a few hours.

  “I, too, will leave you to your own thoughts.” Zeth announced when the others left. “I’ve had word from Emperor Vos. He agreed to the special bonding ceremony. Now, I must break the news to Tiana.”

  “Are you sure forcing her to marry is the right thing to do? She’s so young. If we just give her a little more time ...?”

  Zeth shook his head in weary acceptance. “Her unreasonable jealousy of you is unacceptable and she refused all options I offered her before this. I warned her repeatedly that I would not tolerate her tantrums. When Vos’ son approached me with his request for a waiver to the age requirement and asked to bond with Tiana, I hesitated,” his voice thickened, “because, whatever her faults, she’s still my baby.” Clearing his throat, Zeth kissed Melodie’s cheek and straightened. “This is for the best.”

  “I wish things could be different.”

  “So do I, my dear. So do I.”

  * * * *

  “Melodie? Are you awake? Melodie, wake up.”

  Shielding her eyes against the glare of a hand light, Melodie fought the fuzziness of deep sleep. “Tiana?” She mumbled when her eyes focused. “What are you doing here?” Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she confronted her sister-in-law. “What time is it?”

  “It’s just after midnight. Dress in your warmest clothes, we have to hurry.”

  “Wait a minute.” Melodie demanded, pulling her arm from the younger woman’s grip. “You haven’t spoken a dozen words to me in months and now you’re pulling me out of bed in the middle of the night. I’m not moving until you explain what you’re doing here.”

  Tiana rolled her eyes and made that peculiar sucking noise against her teeth showing teenage disdain. “Oh all right,” she huffed, “but if JarDan dies …”

  “Tiana.” Melodie gripped Tiana’s arm hard enough to feel the bone beneath the layers of wool and silk she wore. “Enough of your theatrics. Tell me. Now.”

  “You know I’m leaving for Aisalin Isle tomorrow?”

  Melodie nodded impatiently.

  “Zeth brought me a box of Arica’s things to take with me. Nothing really special, just a few pieces of jewelry, a miniature portrait of her and Zeth before JarDan was born, and a book on the history of the House of Tor.”

  “Get to the point, Tiana.”

  “I was a little emotional and I … uh … dropped the book before I could get it packed.”

  The slight flush and militant expression told Melodie there was a major temper tantrum involved but she didn’t comment.

  “The front of the book is silver and it broke when the book hit the floor. Inside … Melodie,” tears glistened in her huge emerald eyes, “I think I found what JarDan’s been looking for all these months.”

  “What?” It took a couple of heartbeats before Melodie realized this wasn’t about the destruction of a family treasure.

  “You remember,” Tiana prompted, “the night Raiwan died, when he told JarDan to look for something that’s been lost for centuries, or something. Remember?”

  “Yes, Tiana, I remember.” A shiver raced down Melodie’s spine. Excitement or fear? JarDan and his warriors searched every inch of the castle compound after Raiwan’s death looking for this mysterious lost secret. Other than dig up the floors and tear out walls, there wasn’t anywhere else to look. Was Tiana’s explosive temper responsible for solving the riddle?

  “Show me.” Melodie demanded. Her fear for JarDan added urgency to her voice.

  Tiana reached into the pocket of the cape draped across the foot of Melodie’s bed and withdrew a folded piece of paper, giving it to Melodie with a grin.

  Although yellowed and brittle with age, the strange symbols written across the paper were still legible.

 
“It’s written in the language of the Ancients,” Tiana explained, “but I don’t know what it says. It has to be what Raiwan was talking about.”

  Melodie carefully folded the fragile paper, holding it close to her heart for a moment in blissful relief.

  “We have to take this to Zeth right away.” Melodie grabbed her robe and started for the door. “He’ll know how to get it to JarDan.”

  “No! Wait!” Tiana rushed to block the door. “Zeth’s not here. He’s spending the night on the space station with the ambassador from Emperor Vos.”

  “Then we’ll find someone else who can arrange a messenger.”

  “Melodie,” Tiana begged, “think for a minute. I heard Dak and JarDan talking. They believe there’s a traitor here in the castle. Who do we tell? How do we know we won’t betray JarDan instead of helping him? We have to take it to him.”

  “Are you crazy? There’s four feet of snow out there and it’s still coming down and I’m nine months pregnant. Even if I could manage to mount one of those beastly horses, I’m too near my due date to ride. Besides,” Melodie frantically paced the spacious room, “we don’t know which direction JarDan headed when he left.”

  There had to be a way to get this note to her husband. Think, Melodie Anne, God answered your prayers. Now, it’s up to you.

  “I know where he went, and I know how we can travel. Please, Melodie,” Tiana pleaded. “We have to try.”

  “How do you know the direction of the patrol?”

  Tiana grinned. “My maid is bonded to one of the stable hands. He overheard Dak talking to Kord the morning the patrol left.” She ran across the room and started pulling clothes from Melodie’s closet.

  “Hurry and dress.” She ordered, handing Melodie a heavy gown of quilted wool and a high-necked, fur lined under gown. “I’ve arranged for a horse and sleigh to be waiting for us at the kitchen entrance, but we have to hurry.”

  “No, Tiana.” Melodie argued, tossing the clothes onto the bed. “If we send a message to Zeth, he’ll be here in less than fifteen minutes. He knows …”