Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (85 page)

Thank you for reading this edition of the Grayham Inquirer

CHAPTER 30

Justice

The City of Brandor

The Royal Dining Hall

SAM STOOD BEHIND JUSTIN GRAYWIND’S OLD CHAIR. He was wearing armor designated for the leader of the king’s army. This was Sam’s last series of moments as General Absolute. By the end of the meeting, he would assume the role of advisor to the new king, Aaron Brandor, and Michael would take his spot as general.

Sam spent 2 Peaks getting to know Keldwin’s son. There was much he admired about the royal offspring. They were about the same age with many of the same likes and dislikes. All in all, Sam figured his service to Aaron would be a pleasure.

Sam started the meeting. “Gentlemen, I hope you enjoyed breakfast.” He scanned the face of each officer. “I’ve called you here to listen to the king’s wishes. He’s weak. Once we enter the throne room, any questions you have will need to wait until after the king has left. I’ll be the one to address them. The king—”

Before Sam could finish his sentence, Mosley and the rest of the gods on his team appeared around the table. The men’s reaction to the surprise visit was far better than the last series of moments in which Mosley appeared.

Mosley spoke. “General, we have come to show our support. We have no need to participate in these proceedings, but we would like to acknowledge the new leader of Brandor’s pack.”

Mosley had learned of Double D’s arrival in the city, and this was the real reason why he wanted to come. He desperately wanted to inform Sam of the assassin’s presence, but he had to abide by the same laws as Lasidious. The wolf was unable to divulge any information that would directly affect a transition of power on the worlds. To tell Sam of the assassin’s presence could possibly result in the assassin’s failure to kill his intended target.

Sam took control of the meeting. “My Lords, we are honored to have you watch the proceedings.” Sam sent a messenger to inform Keldwin of the gods’ attendance. He wanted the king to be prepared when they entered the throne room.

Moments later, the king entered the dining hall, sitting in a wheeled chair pushed by the prince. Everyone, except the gods, kneeled.

Keldwin motioned for them to stand and reclaim their seats and waited for the room to settle. His voice was weak. “Thank you for coming.” As he spoke, he coughed, spewing blood into his hands as he covered his mouth. No one reacted. They dared not dishonor their king.

Keldwin regained his composure and continued. He outlined his instructions over a substantial series of moments. After concluding his orders, Keldwin called each man by name, bid him farewell and then proclaimed, “My crown is now my son’s. From this moment forward, Aaron is your king.”

Keldwin motioned for one of his servants to wheel him from the room.

Once Keldwin was gone, Sam led the group as they bowed to their new sovereign, Aaron Brandor.

Meanwhile, Mosley stared into the corner of the room. The wolf’s gaze penetrated the magic of the assassin’s mask, but he was careful not to allow Double D to notice. Mosley just had to see the killer’s face.

Aaron addressed the leaders of his army. “Much needs to be done to make this kingdom ready for the upcoming harvests. In addition to my father’s Passing Ceremony, we need to ensure the crops are harvested efficiently. I would like to hear status reports from those of you who carried out General Graywind’s orders.”

Sam was impressed by how Aaron was speaking. He sounded like a veteran and a young man with a powerful presence. The meeting lasted until the middle of the night, with the new king giving many orders, saving the most important for last. “My father’s ceremony will be held in the arena. You shall all attend. I bid you good night.”

After Aaron left the room, Sam called a close to the meeting. He waited for everyone to leave and motioned for Mosley to wait. When they were alone, Sam spoke to the wolf-god. But Mosley’s attention was elsewhere. He was still staring at Double D as the assassin left the room.

Sam watched the wolf’s eyes. “What are you looking at?”

Mosley redirected his gaze. “Huh? Oh ... nothing, Sam. What can I do for you?”

“Everything is changing so fast,” Sam responded. “I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. I was hoping you’d give me one of those godly blessings of yours to help me sleep. I’d be grateful, My Lord.”

Mosley frowned. “Sam, please ... don’t call me that. We don’t need these formalities when others aren’t present. Let’s continue as we once were before I ascended. Let us treat each other as we used to.”

Sam smiled. “You mean like the way you called me a fool when I started training with BJ? I can think of nothing better than going back to our old ways to create more fond memories.” Sam moved in and lowered to one knee and then hugged the wolf. “Thanks for being here.”

Mosley enjoyed the exchange, but he could sense that Sam still had something on his mind. “What else can I do for you?”

Sam took a deep breath. “Are you really able to provide Justin and Keldwin’s souls a pleasant existence after their spirits arrive inside the Book of Immortality? They were good friends, and it’s irritating to know that they’re going to be stuck in a damn book. You made it sound like you had some control over what happened. So level with me. Can you really do something for them?”

“I intend to try,” the wolf replied. “All I can do is speak with the Book to see if it will create an alternate existence inside its pages. But it’s up to the Book to make the final decision.”

Sam shook his head. “I had a gut feeling they were going to get hosed.”

Mosley cringed. “I swear to you, Sam, I intend to make an impression on the Book.”

Gessler Village

Kepler and his brothers squeezed through the window of George’s room at The Bloody Trough. Standing around the bed, their massive bodies filled the large room and the wooden planks of the floor bent beneath their weight. They watched what they thought to be a sleeping George and joked as they looked down at the mage.

“Ahhhhh, how cute,” Kepler chuckled. “I didn’t know something so ugly could look so adorable.”

Keller responded, “Humans don’t have the ability to look adorable. They’re furless monstrosities.”

Koffler made an attempt to jump into the conversation, but the youngest of the triplet jaguars was not known for his intellect. “Yeah, yeah, human, yeah. No fur on the human, you guys.”

Kepler and Keller looked at each other and rolled their eyes. After a moment, Koffler realized his brothers were mocking him. “What? What? Hey, Mother told you to be nice to me.”

“Mother was destroyed many seasons ago, imbecile,” Keller growled. “Do we need to take you out back and bloody you up?” He turned to look at Kepler. “I hate to say it, but I think every pride has a member that’s not fit to be a territorial force.”

“What?” Koffler growled.

Kepler rolled his eyes again. “Shut up.”

George sat up, catching the cats off guard. “If you think I’m ugly, then I would hate to tell you what I think of you. Every moment I look at your big asses, I feel like I should put out a freakishly huge saucer of milk and say, here, kitty, kitty!”

“That’s not funny!” Kepler snarled. “You know I hate that word, especially when you say it.” He looked at his brothers. “That’s the same thing he said as he stood over the Saber Lord and tortured him.”

Keller and Koffler grumbled their displeasure. “We’re not kitties, George!” Keller snarled.

“As you wish,” George conceded.

After a moment, Kepler queried. “Where’s Amar?”

George shrugged. “I killed him.”

“What? Why?”

“He was going to screw us up.”

Kepler shifted in place since the room was too crowded to pace. “How?”

“Lasidious told me that Amar would create problems. Do you remember the woman I told you about? The one I came to this world with?”

“I do.”

“Well, she’s a sorceress now. Lasidious told me that Amar had gone to Luvelles to study the dark arts. Apparently, Amar had plans to kill Shalee to take her power. I couldn’t let this happen. If I had, Amar would’ve become powerful enough to destroy us both, and that would’ve sucked. He could’ve taken the barbarian throne for himself. So I ripped his heart out and ate it.”

Kepler growled. “Wasn’t it enough to kill him? What could you possibly gain from eating his heart? Would you have eaten Kroger’s, too, if he wouldn’t have turned to stone?”

George smiled. “Of course I wouldn’t have eaten Kroger’s. I only ate Amar’s because it was the only way to steal his magic.”

Kepler’s eyes flashed. “What are you talking about?”

George figured he would show the beast instead of argue. He lifted his hands into the air. Once they were level to the bed, he turned his palms up and lifted them higher, causing all three jaguars to rise from the floor. Just over six tons of undead cat hung suspended.

Kepler’s brothers snarled, but George silenced them with a glance.

Kepler, on the other hand, remained calm. “I see your point, George. So what else can you do?”

The mage lowered the jaguars back to the floor. “I can do many, many things, but let’s talk about them on the way to Bloodvain.”

The cats agreed.

“Good,” George responded. He stood up on the bed. “Meet me just north of the village in the morning.” The mage closed his eyes and vanished. When he opened them, he was standing over his wife. He leaned over and ran his fingers through her hair. When she woke, she smiled, and made room for him to crawl in beside her.

The Castle of Brandor

The Next Peak

Aaron stayed with his father through the night. Keldwin had intended to go to the throne room to hand his crown to his son, but found he was too weak to get out of bed. He tried to apologize to Aaron, but he was unable to get the words out. Using his last breath, the father said to his son, “I’m proud of you, boy.”

These five words tore at Aaron’s heart. Abandoning all control, he threw himself across his father’s body and wept.

Later, Sam found Aaron kneeling by the king’s bed with his head lowered into one of his father’s palms. He lifted the young king from the floor and led Aaron into the royal garden, signaling the morticians. “Prepare the body for viewing. It will be held at the Peak tomorrow, and the fire will be lit after dark. See that the senators know the moment has come to carry out their assignments.”

Once in the garden, Sam sat Aaron down on one of the many benches to console him. “Talk to me, Aaron. Get it off your chest so you can breathe.”

“I’m fine, Sam. I’ve had more than enough moments to prepare for his passing. It hit me hard, and I’ll continue to grieve, but not without performing my duties. My father would’ve wanted it that way. His last words to me before he passed were that he was proud of me. Many men never get to hear their father say something so special.”

Sam helped Aaron off his seat. “I thought I was going to have to console you, but it looks like you have everything under control. What do you say we get a mug of ale? I don’t know about you, but I could use one.”

The king agreed the idea sounded pleasant. The men headed for the kitchen with their arms draped across each other’s shoulders.

City of Serpents

Seth was slithering through his underground kingdom toward his royal rock, the serpent’s version of a throne. Far beneath this flat boulder was an underground lava flow. The heat from the river produced enough energy to warm his rock. This was the giant snake’s favorite place to sleep. It was also the same rock where his great-great-great-grandfather, King Sotter, had slept seasons ago.

For the most part, Seth’s kingdom did not interfere in the matters of the two dominant, human kingdoms of Southern Grayham. The serpent’s domain was everything south of the Poison River where it left Lake Zandra and west of the Snake River that also exited the same lake.

His kind was known for their poison. They sold their venom and various forms of plant life that grew in the marshlands of his kingdom to Merchant Island. The coin collected was kept in an underground shaft that was so full it was overflowing. The reptilian population did not have a need for wealth. The sale of the serpents’ wares simply kept the other kingdoms out of their borders and allowed them to live without fear of invasion.