Circle of Reign (44 page)

Hedron’s playful demeanor reminded Aiden so much of Thannuel. Jovial when there was nothing to guard against, firm when it was demanded of him and unyieldingly loyal to his sister; but he was also in a place within his mind that would not allow him to grow into who and what he was born to be. Aiden still grappled with the revelation that both his former Lord’s children were alive. He’d learned much of their youth through this evening of stories.

“Now, tell me of Lord Therrium,” Jayden said. “What has happened?”

Aiden related the events that had transpired, of Shane the assassin, of the surprise attack by Wellyn’s men on the hold and the nearly complete extermination of all the hold guard, of General Roan’s timely return, of Reign and Hedron finding him after the battle, and of his departure from Therrium’s service. He made no mention, however, of the obscene stone road that he had glimpsed a view of outside the east wall.

“As we made our way here, we heard rumors of war breaking out between the West and the Realm. It seems Banner has seceded from the Realm.”

Jayden just nodded as she took it in. Hedron, however, was pale as the snow falling outside the small cottage. He stared dumbfounded as if across a large expanse. Aiden stopped speaking when
he noticed Hedron’s demeanor. The boy was working his jaw, shaking his head slightly.

“It can’t be,” he said under his breath.

“What is it?” Reign asked. She sat next to him on a wooden bench they had pulled away from the table.

Hedron locked eyes with Aiden. “You said his name was Shane?”

“Aye, the assassin. He was part of the ploy with Wellyn, it seems. I can’t understand how an Arlethian would betray his own people.”

Reign looked quizzically at Hedron, trying to understand her brother’s growing agitation.

“How long had he been with the hold guard?” Hedron asked.

“More than four years, maybe four and half, give or take a few span. Again, as I’ve said, I took him on to keep him close. The man had a turbulent feel about him underneath his outward appearance.”

“And he came to you? Looking for work?” Hedron stood, his voice rising. “Did he say it would give him purpose again? Did he have a scar on his cheek?”

“Aye,” he said. “You knew him?”

Hedron clenched his fists so tight that they turned white. His arms shook. He looked to the side and cursed.

“He’s dead?” Hedron asked, not looking at anyone. “You’re certain? You did it?”

Reign gasped as understanding struck her.

“Could he be the same?” she asked.

“He is dead, lad, just as I have related it. His head no longer enjoys the company of his body.”

Reign reached up and took her brother’s hand. It was still balled into a fist. She worked his hand gently, prying open his fingers, soothing him by her gentle touch. Hedron’s breathing started to calm. Finally he raised his head and looked to Aiden. He had hot tears in his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Thank you. You served my family with great honor and did not know.” The boy disappeared and the demeanor of a man slowly
took his place. Regal and authoritative. “On behalf of my beloved mother, and jointly with my sister, the last of our house, I thank you for what you have done.”

The silence that filled the air was broken by one of the wolf pups playfully growling and nipping at Crimson Snow’s ears.

“What happened?” was all the former master of the hold guard for two Lords of the West could say. “I mean, what really happened? You were there, weren’t you, Hedron? The Khans—they didn’t come to arrest Moira, did they? Or the remaining servants?” Aiden was silent for a moment. “Was it him? Was it Shane?”

Hedron nodded. “It was. He was named hold master after father died. So many servants had left. We were nearly destitute. His arrival seemed such a blessing at the time, as if the Ancient Heavens were truly watching over us.” The boy sat, the demeanor of the man that had occupied him briefly now gone. “Reign did not know him as I did. I kept her hidden as best I could.”

“Hidden from what?” Aiden asked.

“From too many questions!” Jayden saved Reign and Hedron from having to reply and Aiden realized he had inadvertently entered a subject best not visited. He accepted this and left it alone…for now.

“But what happened after her death?” Aiden wanted to know. “How did you come to be here with Jayden?”

Before anyone could answer, Crimson Snow stood up sharply. His cubs immediately ceased their playfulness and came to his side. He stared at the door that led to the outside for a few seconds and then looked at Jayden. After what seemed to be nothing more than a sliver of a second, he moved his gaze back to the door. The wolves outside in the kennels were suspiciously silent. The fur on the back of Crimson Snow’s neck raised and pointed skyward. His cubs began to growl and snarl. A small rumble, barely audible but easily felt, reverberated through the ground. Aiden rose to his feet, his hand crossing his body to find his sword’s hilt. Reign came to the large white wolf and nuzzled her head next to his.

“What is it?” she whispered. Crimson Snow continued to stare at the door, tense. She drew her short blade as the silence continued, the small rumble beneath them the only interruption.

The three wood-dwellers felt it at the exact same time. Hurried footfall, a frantic rhythm, headed in their direction.

“Just one,” the twins said in unison.

“Aye,” Aiden responded, still vigilant.

The moment arrived: a hurried pounding at the door followed by a young woman bounding into the small cottage.

A scream for help had started to escape her lungs but was cut short as Aiden grabbed her and forced her face down to the floor with all the efficiency of a hold guard. She let out a small whimper as Aiden raised her arm behind her back, pinning her face down. Crimson Snow brought his snout with teeth bared to her face. Dust and sediment on the cottage floor shot outward under the wolf’s low rumble of a growl, dangerous as a impending avalanche.

“Please!” she finally squeaked, her terror stricken face barely visible behind disheveled snow-dusted hair. “Help me!”

Jayden pushed the wood-dwellers aside as she approached their intruder. “Up! Off!” she commanded, clapping her hands as if she were speaking to her wolves. “Is that how you treat a guest, you oaf?”

Realizing their visitor was not some monster, Aiden released her but remained wary. Crimson Snow also backed up and, seeing Jayden’s acceptance of the visitor, sat down on his rear legs and licked her face. His three cubs followed suit, clamoring for attention.

“Back! Back you devils!” Jayden snapped. She grabbed the woman and helped her up. “Why dear, you’re shaking like a leaf. The cold must have gotten into your bones. Come, sit at the hearth. Reign, bring some hot tea.” Jayden wrapped warm furs around her and guided her to the fire.

Aiden and Hedron stood at the threshold, the decrepit door still ajar. “What is it?” Hedron asked.

“The earth. It still echoes. It pulses. Can you feel it?”

“Yes,” the Kerr boy replied. “What could it be?”

“I’m uncertain but—”

“We have to get out of here! We have to warn the High Duke! Please, my name is Ehliss and I’m from the Ministry of Terran Studies. We have to leave! It’s a storm of men and beasts that—”

The rest of her speech was cut off by a terrible shriek that shattered the relative silence of the night. Crimson Snow bounded out the open door and disappeared. Jayden slowly rose from cradling Ehliss, concern swimming across her face. Her eyes, though wide, did not register complete surprise.

“They’re here!” Ehliss screamed.

Two dozen howls filled the night, followed by vicious growls and yelps of pain.

“It has started,” Jayden said simply.

THIRTY-THREE

Reign

Day 27 of 1
^st
Dimming 412 A.U.

“STAY HERE AND SHUT HER UP!”
Aiden commanded, motioning to Ehliss. “And douse the fire. No light!” He disappeared through the door into the snowy night.

Ehliss sat in terror, Hedron and Reign in apprehension mixed with confusion. Jayden stood by the hearth, her face placid. After a moment, she extinguished the fire and pulled down a covering around the two small windows of the home. The three wolf cubs started for the door after their father, but Jayden spoke with a loud timbre of command.

“No! Huksinai, Alabeth, Thurik!
Inbrideo vash yaldah
!” At that, the three cubs stopped instantly and formed a defensive pattern around the small company, Thurik at the point.

“What the Blasted Heavens is going on?” Hedron swore. Another shriek thundered in the night followed by a thud hitting the roof. Ehliss started at the sound.

“I can feel the wolves and Aiden sporadically—” Hedron began.

“But no one else,” Reign finished. They were listening, feeling. The earthen floor of the cottage proved to be somewhat conducive to following the vibrations. In the North, the trees did not speak, did not open themselves as catalysts as they did in the West. Still,
for the wood-dwellers, almost any vibration could be discerned and interpreted. These vibrations were coming through as shock-waves all around them: wolves running, snarling and dying; Aiden in sprint and jumping from one barren tree to the next; Crimson Snow howling and barking commands to the packs. But there was no one else they could sense. No enemy. It was as if they were battling against a ghost, a specter, lethal and silent.

A wolf came through one of the windows, its lifeless body broken and bloodied. The terrifying shriek once again filled the night air, followed by another—a second demon. Thurik started to run forth, his eagerness not able to be contained.

“Vash yaldah!”
Jayden repeated. Thurik stopped but did not immediately return to his position.
“Aramandt!”
Jayden hissed. With this last word, Thurik resumed his original stance.

A shock blasted through the ground, startling Reign.

“Something big just hit the ground, about thirty paces to our right,” Hedron said.

The sounds of battle continued, the sounds of death and things being torn apart. Reign stood stiffly next to Hedron, her short blade gripped tightly. It pushed against her.

The chill of the wind hit Aiden as soon as he emerged from Jayden’s dwelling. He looked to the left and saw Crimson Snow break open the wooden gate to the kennels. A mighty howl tore through the air as two dozen wolves answered a bone-chilling shriek that came from…above. Aiden looked up and briefly marveled how large the sky looked. In the West, the forest’s canopy hid most of the sky. One would have to scale the trees and ascend above the canopy line to take in the starry expanse unobstructed. Here, however, in the Gonfrey Forest, the trees carried little to no foliage this far into the Dimming Season and the forest was not half so dense. Aiden heard a large gust of wind high above followed by the sound of what he identified as wings—large wings. The wolves started to
snarl as they gathered around Aiden, Crimson Snow at his right hand. The quarter-lit first moon provided all the illumination necessary for the look that Aiden and the white wolf shared, a brief communication that said they would stand and fight together, whatever had come against them this night. Aiden focused and took in his surroundings. He drew the sword he had been gifted by Moira after Thannuel’s fall, the pewter colored blade of Jarwyn steel reflecting the moon’s rays.
Think of nothing but this moment
. As he silently recited the old adage Lord Kerr had taught him, his mind shut out all possible distractions and allowed only those environmental elements that could assist him to remain present upon his consciousness. He felt things more deeply, almost as if he were connected to the Arlethian forest. Anticipation of events a miniscule second before they happened was a side effect of quieting his mind; either that or his reflexes were quickened – he was not sure which.

The sound of air being violently displaced was followed by a yelp of pain. A winged beast larger than three horses came down from above like a demon from the sky and snatched a wolf up with its talons, piercing flesh and crushing bones before tossing the carcass effortlessly aside through the air. The dead wolf thudded down on the roof of the cottage. Crimson Snow barked at the packs and they dispersed through the forest, bolting across the snow.

Aiden’s concentration was broken. He had just beheld a dragon of sorts, as in the mythical scrolls of the Changrual. He spied a second creature streak through the sky and eclipse the moon for an instant. He tried to understand and qualify the situation, making it fit into something he could mentally process. Another cry from a wolf broke Aiden’s stupor. Chiding himself for being distracted no matter the cause, he refocused and sprang into action.

He bounded forward, soaring a short distance through the air before pouncing upon a tree and instantly kicking off of it, propelling himself higher toward another tree. He felt the air change around him and twisted his body a moment before foot-long talons
found him. An arrow chased him but he easily dodged it with a reflex faster than the arrow’s flight. Landing on the third tree in his ascent, he was high enough to look down upon the scene. A dragon beast was swooping down near the cottage, but every time it closed the distance, half a dozen wolves leaped up in defense, reaching for any part into which they could sink their fangs. The winged creature of myth whipped its head with such speed that it appeared only as a blur. It connected with a wolf, sending it flying through a window of the cottage. Aiden heard a scream.
Where is the other
—