by D. R. Grady
The gathering on the large training field could only be described as impressive and Rykert looked out over the crowd to make note of the Aasguard warriors standing with him. Their number did not impress, but what did impress was the mages and others who dotted the field. Never intended to be a school for them, but they had come to celebrate and congratulate the remaining Aasguards and to add their own services should they be needed.
A lump formed in his throat. Another people whose numbers were dwindling because they also were never encouraged to marry. They also had not been known to intermingle and their numbers also shrank through the years.
Now, with the advent of the new healer wing, Rykert had heard talk of the mages also creating a building at the school. An internal smile later because the enthusiasm for this school grew by such lengths that Kellen and Ari both functioned in a stunned state.
The question he’d heard the most had been why no one had thought to open a school before now. A much needed endeavor and one that all of them embraced and expanded upon until Kellen and Ari’s dream looked far different now than it had how ever many months ago when they devised this in the Montequirst gardens. [Seeking: Warrior Mate - The Seeking Series - Book 3]
His gaze lit on Lukas the Next, their newest Aasguard warrior. The first to be trained in at least a millennia. He was Stefana’s twin brother and now an Aasguard warrior in his own right. Rykert took in the man’s larger frame and the quiet confidence he exuded. He had taken to his new role with the same calm as his sister.
He resided in Swiftland now with his sister and parents where he helped to build the nation. The women there thrived in their training. Rykert heard talk that he would soon leave for Chariovalda to teach those women. His guess was that the new Aasguard dragged his feet because he enjoyed spending time with his family.
The celebration on the field dispersed at that moment and Lukas withdrew his handheld crystal. He swiped something on the crystal and pocketed it again. Then spoke to his sister.
Their conversation did not last long. With both of them being Aasguard now, reading them proved less easy than before. Beside him, Felicity also focused on the twins. Her lower lip jutted ever so slightly as she peered at them. Then she glanced at him.
“What are you getting from them?” He indicated the siblings with his chin.
“I believe our plans are about to change.”
Lukas caught sight of them and said goodbye to his sister before he strode across the field. The lines of his body had changed. He had always been muscular and tall but now his added training changed his body to that of their ilk. He moved with an Aasguard’s grace.
It took him a little while to cross to them because the other warriors in their midst were eager to meet him. Their newest and youngest meant hope they had not experienced before. Drika from Chariovalda also experienced this as she began her training right after Lukas. She showed all the same marks of an Aasguard as well.
The difference lay in her lack of the final test. She still needed to prove herself in a battle. Therefore her transition could not be completed until then.
Once Lukas stopped to greet them, they reconvened to a less busy section of the field.
“Are you both still treasure hunting?” Lukas asked.
Rykert exchanged a look with Felicity before she explained their intention to continue teaching women to fight in conjunction with the occasional trip to search for treasure.
“I have not met Fergus the First yet, but I did meet Lucy the other day.” Lukas’s awe at even the prospect of meeting the very first Aasguard warrior radiated. His emotions would not mute for centuries so both Rykert and Felicity discerned the nuances.
“He will be thrilled to meet you.” Rykert looked for his friend, before realizing he might not be able to spot him in his chair.
“What did you wish to ask us?” Felicity also appeared to search out Fergus.
“Do you remember the Duke of Larkswallow from Montequirst?”
Larkswallow must be the older duke who conducted most of the ceremonies—marriages, funerals, and the like. Both he and Felicity nodded.
“He has asked me to come to Montequirst as he has a job he feels I am well suited for.” Lukas leaked no indications of how he felt about that and Rykert approved.
“You do not know what this job entails?” Felicity cocked her head to the side.
“I have heard rumors that his granddaughter is showing promise or has shown promise as a healer. She is training to be a healer mage. However, there is speculation that she might have landed upon a cure for blue fever.”
At this he and Felicity both sucked in surprised breaths. Blue fever drowned a person within their own body essentially and was no respecter of persons. Queen Raene had become the queen after her mother succumbed to it.
“A cure is amazing news.” Felicity stated the obvious. He was impressed she managed to speak. Rykert had yet to accomplish that feat.
“It would be a huge benefit if it is true.” Lukas adjusted his sword. “I believe he wishes to speak to me in relation to that.”
“If she truly has discovered the cure for blue fever you must protect her.” Rykert didn’t know how many people this tiny virus killed each year but even the promise of defeating it was worthy of an Aasguard’s time. No one had ever contracted this virus and survived.
“Yes. However, I am slated to travel to Chariovalda to teach the women there to fight.”
“We shall do that for you. We planned to aid you in it anyway.” Felicity offered their swords. He did not mind.
“We are honored to step in for you.” Rykert thought about Lukas’s potential new job. “We shall train for however long you require.”
“Thank you.” Lukas clapped him on the shoulder before he got called away by Raene.
His eyes met Felicity’s. “How is that for making plans?”
She laughed. “I was about to ask you the exact same thing.”
He took her into his arms and she settled against him with all the assurance of a woman who knew her place in the world. Beside him.
CHAPTER TWENTY
In the hallway outside the bedroom where she was staying at the school, Felicity encountered Lucy. She grasped her friend’s wrist and tugged her into the bed chamber. Lucy sighed but followed with a knowing expression.
“I have no idea.” Lucy sank onto the chair in the room while Felicity perched on the edge of the bed.
“Yes, you do. You met Fergus and all other thoughts fled your mind.” Felicity could speak intelligently of this since she herself had experienced it.
“I cannot deny that.” Lucy held up a finger. “However, he is going to be difficult about his legs.”
“He has been through so much.”
“He has. But now he does not have to do so alone.” Her friend’s mouth pulled down. “But he will if he believes he is holding me back.” Lucy’s scowl proved her dark thoughts on that matter.
“Men get odd notions about this sort of matter.”
“There is no question in my mind that Fergus is going to end our relationship, such as it, if he cannot walk.”
Felicity’s heart went out to her friend. “And there is a possibility that he will never walk again.”
“Correct.” The amount of despair in Lucy’s one word answer indicated her friend’s emotions had returned in full force.
As she was an observer, Felicity took a step back and surveyed this problem from an Aasguard perspective. “You have never trained for this sort of battle, but you are plenty old enough and experienced enough to determine the best means of changing a certain stubborn man’s mind.”
Lucy looked intrigued. Her eyes narrowed. “I am certain I can make a case for why I should remain in his life.”
The air about her friend changed ever so subtly.
“He feels as though he is less of a warrior now.” Felicity pointed out the obvious.
“He is less of a warrior. If he cannot stand on his feet, then that is true.
However, he is the original Aasguard. He could still easily teach or hunt for treasure. At least the water hidden ones.”
“Yes. Fergus still has so much to offer. I am speculating that he still exceeds any human warrior, even confined to his chair.”
“I am sure. He has continued training, despite his lack of mobility.” Lucy bit her lip for a fraction of a second.
“Rykert and I are planning to travel to Chariovalda after this to teach the women there to fight. Lukas has to go to Montequirst.”
“Does he have a dragon?”
“Not as far as I know. As the newest Aasguard, I cannot fathom how he would come by one.”
“Especially in light of so many whose dragons have passed on and now those experienced warriors do not have a dragon.”
“Did you know that sea serpents and lake serpents can fly?”
“I did not. I am doubtful that Issac is aware he can fly, much as Punzel was stunned that she can.”
“Having that ability is going to open a lot of possibilities for you and Fergus.”
“Punzel is absolutely thrilled she can fly. And that ability will aid Fergus. I am hopeful that Issac also has the ability.”
“Sea and lake dragons open up a new companion for Aasguards.”
“They do. Punzel and Fergus are together now for life.”
“And your Issac?”
Lucy’s lower lip jutted. “I do not know. He is his own entity. If he wishes to join his life to ours, he is welcome, but I would never ask him to do so.”
“Punzel is perfectly capable of carrying both you and Fergus. She is of a size to Aern.”
“Aern. I have not laid eyes on him in years. He is here?” Everyone who knew Vidar’s former companion brightened. Much as they did with Felix.
“He should be. He and Fricassa mated and Fricassa is with dragon.”
Lucy’s gasp of excitement was likely felt by all of them. “I am so happy for them.” Then she tilted her head to the side. “What about Felix and Maeze?”
“Maeze is still very young. She is mateable, but I am not certain she is ready for that step.”
“They are contrasting colors, so a love match.”
“And Felix is aware of this. I do not know that Maeze is. Her parents were not contrasting but I would say theirs was also a love match. Salunga did not mind passing on as much because she knew Keark would be passing too.”
“It is too bad they had not met sooner.”
“It is. That has been the problem with Aasguard warriors and dragons. We stop and stay in one place for a long time and the world goes on around us.”
“We have missed out on so much.” Lucy shook her head. “That is why I built my house and retired from doing the typical Aasguard jobs. I had grown weary of that life.”
“There are other warriors who must feel the same.” She indicated the room in which they sat. “That is why this school came about. Ari and Kellen also grew weary of our life. That is why Vidar and Lajos married human women. Who are now ranked with us.”
“I have a theory about that but it requires more research.” Lucy tapped her lips.
“That is the thing about you, Lucy. You are a scholar at heart. And guess who needs a scholar?”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “Fergus enjoys intellectual pursuits as well. A part of the Atlas library survived and he has read everything that did not become water logged.”
“We need all who would enjoy seeking treasure but we also need historians and scholars.” She refrained from pushing her thoughts on her friend, but what she said was true.
Fergus might never regain the use of his lower limbs. His nimble mind and expansive experience would always be valued by their people. His injury did not have to mean a sure sign that he should pass on. They needed Fergus more now than they had even a century ago.
“Yes, I have plans for Fergus the First.”
Lucy’s bold statement and musing face made Felicity grin. She hoped Fergus understood the force that comprised Lucy the Lucky. Luck had certainly not propelled her into their legendary ranks.
‡‡
Rykert sprinted across the field toward his quarry. The man had been warned about standing but Fergus the First must have thought no one was looking because he definitely attempted such a feat. Arriving just in time to clamp his hands on his friend’s shoulders Rykert breathed a sigh of relief.
He also offered a censorious look at the slightly chagrined man.
“I had to try.”
“No, you did not.” But Rykert relented slightly. “I understand why you are so determined to walk again but it is entirely unnecessary.”
“It is not. She will leave if I…” And Fergus stopped speaking.
Rykert did not bother to think about this. “She will only leave if you push her out. Nothing else would induce a lonely woman who has found her mate from leaving.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“What woman wishes to be saddled with a man who cannot walk? To a warrior who cannot fight on his own two feet?”
“What woman does not want to be with a man who is the first Aasguard ever? One whose mind is even better now, who has more years of experience than several of our youngest put together, and who has endured more pain than any of us have ever encountered in our long lives?”
His counter failed to impress Fergus.
“I might be an invalid.”
“You have been one for the last century. You met Lucy as an invalid. She has stayed close since meeting you.” Rykert tapped his fingers on his arm. “Companionship does not work without two.”
The huge gust of air from Fergus’s lungs did not tell him much. “I do not know.”
“You do not know the mind of a woman.” Rykert frowned. “These past few days have shown me I do not either. But I can reassure you that their brains are very different from ours.”
Fergus remained silent. “I suppose you would have cause to know this.” He rubbed his jaw.
A mild snort later and Rykert agreed. “It has been interesting, knowing we belong together but her warrior instincts kept halting everything.”
This stilled Fergus. “Her instincts?” Every warrior knew not to discount those.
“Yes. They clamored hard. Vidar told us that is normal and assured us we would know when it was time.”
“He is the first one of our kind to marry?”
“You would not have heard of our most recent history.” Rykert explained about Raene’s decision and appreciated when Fergus winced at the archaic rules that had been very different for men and women in Montequirst. And how Lajos had become a king and had his nation named after him, compliments of his wife.
“I would enjoy having a wife.” Fergus shook his head. “Although I can assure you I never thought it possible.”
“None of us did. Until Vidar took that step. Now Kellen and Ari have also married and Mozark told us that there is no fear that Kellen and Ari opened that portal. It is possible for two Aasguard warriors to marry.”
“You and Felicity have not done so yet.”
“We have not. But we will. We do not have to marry immediately. The others did. That is the beauty of this. We can all marry in our own time. There are no rules or laws or the like to dictate what we do.” He eyed Fergus. “It all depends on the couple.”
“You are saying that Lucy and I can determine our relationship and how soon or late we marry.”
Fergus kept how he felt about that close. Rykert did detect that Fergus’s emotions bubbled below the surface so he had those.
“That is what I am saying. You and Lucy control what happens between you. Vidar and Raene did not have that luxury. For that matter, neither did Lajos and Stefana. Circumstances and laws determined the marriage of both of them.” Rykert shifted his sword. “But we have the luxury of determining our own futures and lives.”
“Futures. We have never truly had that before.” Fergus’s musing expression made Rykert hopeful for him.
“No. But that is all ch
anged in this new age. The Age of the Aasguard.”
Additional silence from Fergus. “I thought when I completed my training that that was the Age of the Aasguard.”
“That time was the Dawn of the Aasguard. But we have matured and developed. Now it is our time.”
“And we have faded and died.” A small note of despair intertwined Fergus’s melancholy statement.
Rykert winced. “Too many have gone on. We needed something to change and quickly. Who knew a desperate young queen stating the name of one of our warriors would forever change our lives?”
“Who knew?” Fergus echoed, still musing. He also adjusted his sword. That gesture had not changed. Perhaps Fergus’s body would be forever changed, but perhaps not. He had been drinking the potion from Myrtle, Serene, and Eliza. The latter continued to examine him.
It was any one’s guess as to whether he would recover or not.
“What if my leg strength does not return?” Fergus’s wretched whisper pierced his heart.
Rykert changed perspectives. “Are you still in pain?”
“No.” Fergus’s stiff shoulders didn’t relax.
“You did not have use of your legs a day ago, but you also had pain. Now you are pain free and you have Lucy.” Sometimes a warrior had to take a hard stance. “None of us get to choose what happens to us.”
“We do not.” Fergus massaged a thigh.
“The only thing we can control is how we react to whatever happens to us.” This mantra had been drilled into them all from the beginning of their training.
“It is easy to forget what shaped us in the first place.” The pondering within Fergus was new. His perspective must have shifted. As though he had gained a fresh one.
Rykert hoped so. The man risked tossing the very best part of his life away because of fear of the unknown.
Of course, he should never discount Lucy. That warrior had fought plenty of battles over the years. Her long years proved her resiliency and stubbornness. A warrior worthy the title of Aasguard.
Lucy had a say in this too, and he guessed Fergus would hear about any decisions that displeased her.
Speaking of strong women, Rykert went in search of the one who had joined her life to his.
