“Our passes have always held as long as they are guarded well. But Sucinord adds another factor in its safety. Make it as secure as you can, that is all we can do.”
Gregory Prescott nodded and the table was silent once again. Master Rollins quickly finished eating and bid the king and duke goodbye. The king had asked him to return with news of what had taken place. And to put the other three duke’s forces on alert in case they were needed.
When the meal was finished Edward spoke; “We must go to the secret room, Gregory, we have business there.”
Gregory Prescott looked at the king for a long moment, then nodded and rose from the table.
“Come,” Edward spoke to Brianna. “There is something you must see.”
Jason Crestlaw sat by the bed of Damara. He had tended to her injuries all night long. As the sun was rising he thought he saw Damara stir. He watched intently and then Damara’s hand raised to her forehead. She moaned and opened her eyes. Immediately she winced and moaned again.
“My head hurts terribly,” she uttered. Damara attempted a second time to open her eyes, this time succeeding in keeping them open long enough to focus on Jason and then closing them again.
“What happened, and what are you doing here?” Damara asked.
Jason smiled, he knew now she would recover. “A man attacked you and hurt you,” was all Jason offered.
Damara winced again as her memory began to return. “Are my mother and sister dead?”
Jason paused, “Your mother has been killed and Brianna is missing. The king went to find her. And he will find her I believe.”
Damara offered a weak smile, “The king went to rescue Brianna, how romantic.”
Jason almost laughed, but then saw that Damara was serious. He now understood that she rejoiced in the king’s interest in her sister. Her gentle romantic spirit endeared Damara even more to Jason.
Damara frowned at Jason, focusing on him more intently. “You never answered my question. What are you doing here in my home?”
Jason was at a loss for words, what could he tell her? At that moment Lucinda walked into the room and saw that Damara was awake.
“O praise to God! You are awake!” Jason took that opportunity to rise and quickly leave the room. Lucinda came over and sat down upon the edge of the bed next to Damara. She had not failed to notice Jason’s hasty retreat.
“What were you talking about with Jason?” Lucinda asked.
“I asked him why he was here in our house? He did not answer.”
Lucinda smiled at Damara, “From the time you were injured he has not left your side until now. He insisted that no one else care for you but him.”
“Why would he do that?” Damara asked.
Before Lucinda could answer, realization dawned upon Damara. Her eyes got big and her mouth dropped open. All she said was, “Oh”. Lucinda tried not to laugh, but it was impossible. Damara laughed and then grabbed her head with a moan.
“I guess it takes a bump on the head to make us see what is right in front of us all along. How noble, that a duke of Glenfair should personally tend my injuries.”
Jason entered the room then and Damara tried to sit up. She rose only part way up and settled back down on the bed, her head throbbing.
“You must remain still for a few days,” Jason admonished. And then speaking to Lucinda, “I must get back to our dukeship. Will you stay and look after Damara until she is well enough to travel?”
Lucinda nodded, but asked, “Travel where?”
Jason cleared his throat, “I would like you to bring Damara to our castle, if she would be pleased to stay with us.” After saying this he turned and left.
Lucinda watched Jason depart, and then turned back toward Damara. She had a faint smile upon her face, but her eyes were closed. And then Lucinda noticed the tears.
“Are you all right?” Lucinda asked.
“Yes... no,” Damara replied. Lucinda was confused by her answer.
“It hurts that mother has been killed by an assassin and Brianna is missing. With that great sorrow and heaviness I have joy as well, that your brother would care for me. I would have deep despair without that little bit of joy. I never imagined something like this would happen to me, I always believed it would happen to Brianna. Oh that mother were here!” After saying this, the tears and sobs came. Lucinda reached out and held Damara’s hand to bring what comfort she could.
Later in the afternoon Adriell arrived to check on Damara. When she found out that Damara was going to be fine she was greatly relieved.
Adriell came and bowed in recognition of Damara’s royalty and said; “I have taken care of the burial of your mother. She is buried with honor in the king’s cemetery. I thought it only fitting for someone of royal blood.”
Lucinda was stunned. She thought that Damara and her family were just ordinary immigrants. She had no idea they were of royal blood.
“Thank you for your kindness,” Damara replied.
“I did not know you were of royal blood,” Lucinda added.
“Yes, we are exiles from the Sabatol kingdom. The assassin that killed my mother and took Brianna was sent by our evil cousin Razcon who has taken over the throne by killing my father. He wishes us dead as well. We almost believed we were safe here.”
“You would have been,” Adriell added. “But that was no ordinary assassin. He is a great enemy of our kingdom.”
“I wish I knew if Brianna was alive,” Damara lamented.
“I will find out,” Adriell replied. She left the room and in a short time returned.
“Brianna has been rescued by the king and is unharmed. The assassin escaped through the southwest pass though.”
Damara frowned, “How did you find out so quickly?”
“I received the information from a very reliable source, you will see your sister soon.”
Damara felt much better after hearing the news and in a short time fell into a restful sleep.
Edward and Brianna followed Duke Prescott down a long hallway. At the end of the hall Brianna watched Gregory Prescott press some places in the wall and it slid open before their eyes. They lit some torches and started down the dark passage way. Brianna had always dreamed of secret passageways and secret rooms. Now she was seeing them for real. When they came to the vault room they lit some more torches and placed the ones they held into niches in the wall. Brianna was fascinated, and mesmerized by the room. But what caught her attention most of all was the mosaic inlaid into the floor. It captured a farming scene with sheaves of grain stacked in a field by a red barn, with a family sitting down to lunch, taking a break from their work. It was a wondrous scene that captured the essence of a family content with their life on a farm.
“Would you open the vault for us Duke Prescott,” Edward asked. Gregory nodded and knelt down and depressed the appropriate places on the sheaves of grain. The mosaic began to part and the vault below was exposed. Brianna just stared in wonder at the greatness of what she had seen.
“Why are you showing this to me?” Brianna asked Edward.
“Let us all sit down and I will answer some of your questions from the feast. You asked me if anyone else had special talents like myself. They do, but before I tell you what they are, you need to hear about the past. My father, King Raven, lived his life for the prosperity and safety of Glenfair. He counted his life as nothing in the Wickshield war, and saved the kingdom by his valiant sacrifice. Then, an even greater threat appeared in our kingdom. An ancient enemy came looking for our ancestors to destroy them. My father knew if this enemy found our ancestors he would kill them, thus preventing the kingdom of Glenfair from ever coming into existence. This enemy had a woman with him who could travel in time. She is the one who brought the enemy to my father’s time, looking for our ancestors. When my father confronted this evil enemy, he recognized the metal my father’s armor was constructed out of and took my mother hostage. He intended to force my father into t
elling him when our ancestors came to this land. The enemy did not take my mother by arms, she willingly gave herself to him to save Raven and the other’s lives. The woman who could travel in time took my mother and disappeared. A few days later my father killed this enemy, but my mother did not return. I was five years old when she left us. My father could have stopped her, but he let her sacrifice herself to save the rest of them. Her action of sacrifice allowed my father and others to form a plan and save the kingdom. Many people blamed my father for letting my mother go. For 15 years I watched my father agonize over that decision. He loved my mother deeply, but he felt he had done what was best for the kingdom. My mother was able to return after 15 years, and they spent the last part of their lives in happiness together. For those 15 years I blamed my father silently for letting her go. It wasn’t until her return that I saw how deeply he really loved her, and how much she loved him. They both sacrificed their love to save the kingdom, and others. I vowed then, that I would try and be that kind of king. I thought I had learned that lesson until yesterday. I could not let Sucinord kill you Brianna. The pain of my past was too great for me to overcome.”
Edward was silent, and Brianna had tears in her eyes. “That is the most difficult story to believe. And the saddest story I have ever heard.” She said these words looking at Gregory Prescott for some kind of confirmation.
Gregory did not fail to notice the plea in her face. “What Edward has told you is the truth. I blamed Edward’s father for my sister’s disappearance as well. It wasn't until after her return that I learned it was more her decision than King Raven’s that caused her to disappear. Yes, King Raven let her go, but she chose to go on her own. And by both of their sacrifices they saved the kingdom. Tell me, Brianna, what did Sucinord say to Edward?”
Brianna looked at Edward and then back to Duke Prescott, “He said he would kill me unless the king let him escape through the gate.”
“And did you say anything to Edward?”
“I pleaded with him not to let Sucinord go,” Brianna admitted.
Edward expected Gregory to condemn his action by letting Sucinord escape. He was surprised when Gregory answered:
“You made the right decision, Edward. Dealing with Sucinord can wait until another day.”
“You don’t understand,” Edward exclaimed. “Lucinda traveled into the future and saw the whole kingdom destroyed. It was there that she saw this evil machine and he claimed to be the source of the destruction. I may have doomed the kingdom by letting him go.”
Gregory was astonished, “You mean Lucinda has her mother’s gift of time travel?”
“Yes,” Edward confirmed. “And Adriell has your sister’s ability to hear and speak to people’s minds. That reminds me.” Turning to Brianna he said, “Adriell has informed me that Damara is going to be fine. She just needs to rest for a few days.”
Brianna just shook her head, “You make it very hard for me to believe any of this. If Sucinord had not himself told me he was a machine I would think you all mad.”
Edward sighed, “That is why I had Duke Prescott bring you here to this room. I hoped its wonder would convince you that we are telling you the truth.”
“How could you build such a machine?” Brianna wanted to know.
“We did not build Sucinord, nor these castles. Our Ancestors built them with a knowledge and understanding we do not possess. They were far more advanced than we are. And Lucinda, Adriell, Jason and myself inherited our abilities from them.”
Gregory at once understood the connection, “The abilities you all have are for the purpose of delivering the kingdom from its destruction.”
Edward looked downcast, “I may have already failed in letting Sucinord escape.”
Gregory placed his hand upon Edward’s shoulder, “I say again, dear king, you made the right decision.”
“How can you say that after what I have just told you,” Edward said exasperated.
Gregory smiled, “I can say that with confidence because you do not know what is going to happen. You only knew what would happen if you let Sucinord go. You saved Brianna, and you can still save the kingdom.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” Edward stated. Then turning to Brianna he hesitatingly asked, “Do you still feel the same way as before about my decision?”
Brianna shook her head slowly, “The world has become much more complicated all of a sudden. I could only see that this evil needed to be destroyed before it hurt Glenfair. I was angry with myself for hindering what needed to be done. I would have decided the same as you if our roles had been reversed.”
“Why?” asked Edward.
Now it was Brianna who had tears in her eyes, “Because... I love you too,” she admitted.
Gregory watched as Edward and Brianna embraced, tears of relief flowing from both.
They parted and Edward asked Gregory, “Can you think of any woman more fit to be queen than someone who would sacrifice herself for the kingdom?”
Gregory smiled and shook his head no.
Edward turned to Brianna and asked, “Will you be my queen, the queen of all of Glenfair?”
Brianna looked into Edward’s eyes, “With such a king as you, I would be honored to serve you and this land.”
To Gregory this was a moment he would remember for a long time. He had always worried about Edward and the queen he would choose to rule this land. Partly because his sister had been such a great queen. No more would he worry about who Edward would choose. This woman had great character, and would be one of the great queens of Glenfair...
Sucinord was ushered into the presence of Razcon, the king of the Sabatols.
“So, you have returned. Have you killed the women that I demanded as proof of your abilities?”
“Yes,” Sucinord replied. “Too easy a task for one such as myself.”
Razcon’s eyes narrowed at Sucinord’s reply.
“Show me the ring as proof!”
Sucinord reached into his robe and produced the ring Razcon sought. He handed it to the king and saw the satisfaction in his eyes. He waited a while as Razcon savored his victory over the last remaining threat to his throne.
“Now,” Sucinord interrupted the king’s thoughts. “Will you follow me into Glenfair with your armies?”
Razcon looked at the man before him. Perhaps he could give him access to the kingdom of Glenfair. His throne was now secure and any hope of Brianna’s supporters trying to place her on his throne would be dashed when they heard the news of her demise. He knew there were many in his kingdom that wished him dead and out of the way so the true bloodline of Karahtz could rule. He did not know how many or who they were, but he suspected a large number would oppose him if they felt they could vanquish him. Now that he was the closest heir, that no longer was a threat.
“Are you sure that you will be able to give us access to the kingdom of Glenfair? No one has been able to take Glenfair by force. Years ago the Wickshields were able to penetrate Glenfair by treachery, but even they could not prevail. They were obliterated and the survivors sent home in humiliation. You must tell me how you plan to give us access.”
Sucinord smiled. He knew he had the king’s lust for power in his hand.
“I will tell you how to enter with my help. But you must promise to do one more thing for me.”
“Yes,” Razcon said. “Anything you want if you can give me Glenfair.”
Sucinord smiled again, “It is a small request. I do not want one person in Glenfair left alive after this is over. That is all.”
Razcon wondered what Glenfair had done to this man to bring a hatred greater than his against the little kingdom. No matter.
“It shall be done as you desire,” Razcon swore. “Now, how do you propose we gain access to this little kingdom?” Sucinord came closer and quietly began to tell the king his plan.
After two days Damara felt well enough to travel. Adriell had already gone back to the king’s cas
tle and Lucinda and Damara were heading there as well. Damara wanted to meet with Brianna before she went north to the Crestlaws with Lucinda. It was not a long ride, but by the time she reached the king’s castle she was ready for a rest. They did not know if Brianna would be there, or if they would wait for her return. That question was answered the moment Damara rode into the king’s court. Brianna came rushing down to meet her sister and gave her a hug as she dismounted. Edward stood off a ways to give them some time for their reunion. Then Edward came forward and joined them.
“I will take you to the royal cemetery where your mother is buried,” Edward said to Damara and Brianna. For Brianna had not been to the grave since her return. She wanted to wait until Damara was present. They followed Edward quietly to where their mother was buried and stood in silence for a while. Neither cried as they stood, nor did they speak. Finally Edward walked up beside Brianna and placed his arm around her shoulder. She then turned to Edward and spoke:
“Thank you for honoring our mother by burying her in the royal cemetery. It is fitting that a great queen of the Sabatols should be thus honored.”
Edward frowned, “I knew you were of Royal blood, but to be the daughters of the Queen, I did not suspect.”
“Our father was king of the Sabatols until Razcon killed him and took the throne. I am the closest heir to the throne. If Razcon were not king, I would now be queen.”
Edward was greatly impressed. Brianna, nor Damara flaunted their royal blood while they lived in Glenfair. What Edward saw the longer he viewed Brianna was character. He knew he had made the right choice, asking her to be his queen.
“Do not worry, Brianna, you shall be queen again shortly,” Edward added as they walked back toward the castle.
Damara was a little confused, “You mean you have found a way to rid the Sabatols of Razcon?”
Edward almost chuckled, “No, Damara, Brianna will be queen here in Glenfair.”
The King's Descendants Page 13
