Hearts of Fire Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Glossary

  Dramatis Personae

  Map - Left

  Map - Right

  Offer

  Quote

  Prologue

  1 Asturia

  2 Below

  3 Vilnia

  4 Below

  5 Vilnia

  6 Neublusten

  7 Below

  8 Neublusten

  9 Gothenberg

  10 Ra'Cheka

  11 Akenberg

  12 Gothenberg

  Epilogue

  Author's Note

  About The Author

  Online

  Dedication

  Other Books

  Copyright

  Empire Asunder

  Book Two:

  Hearts of Fire

  By

  Michael Jason Brandt

  Guide to Imperial Ranks, Titles, and Terms

  Nobility

  Emperor - the highest authority in the Empire, dominion over all twelve kings

  King - ruler of a kingdom/province, swears fealty to the Emperor

  Duke - ruler of a duchy within a kingdom, swears fealty to a king

  Baron (Hern in some provinces) - ruler of a barony within a kingdom, swears fealty to a duke or king

  Count (Landgrave in some provinces) - ruler over two or more lords, swears fealty to a baron, duke, or king

  Lord - landed gentry with Imperial holdings

  Military

  Soldiers are divided between recruit ranks, drawn from the commoners, and officers, generally drawn from nobility or esteemed veterans of the recruit ranks.

  A standard squad (squadron for cavalry) is 10 privates plus a corporal.

  A standard company is 4 squads (3 for cavalry) led by a captain.

  Officer Ranks

  General - commands an army, reports to the king

  Commander - commands a regiment or detachment, reports to a general

  Captain - commands a company, reports to a commander

  Recruit Ranks

  Corporal - recruit in command of a squad, reports to a captain

  Private - recruit, reports to a corporal

  Provincial and Town Officials

  Chancellor - a position of authority over administrative or financial matters within a province, appointed by king

  Retainer - personal follower of a specific member of the nobility, sometimes themselves of lesser nobility

  Magistrate - chief judicial and executive official in a city, town, or significant village, usually appointed by lord, count, or baron

  Clerk - chief administrative official in a city, town, or significant village, usually appointed by magistrate

  Historian - librarian overseeing Archives, usually appointed by magistrate

  Other

  Swordthane - member of the Order of Swordthanes

  First of Swords - singular head of the order

  Second of Swords - one of two thanes obedient to the First of Swords

  Third of Swords - one of six thanes obedient to a Second of Swords

  Housethrall - servant for life in the employ of nobility, town official, or prominent family

  Fieldthrall - worker for life employed on one of the many farms dotting the Empire

  Cards of a Harpa Deck

  Suits

  Battle Standard - Combat

  Crown - Nobility

  Dagger - Betrayal

  Heart - Love

  Lyre - Happiness

  Map - Curiosity; Exploration

  Plague - Sickness

  Scroll - Knowledge

  Shroud - Death

  Colors

  Black - Unwanted

  Blue - Personal

  Green - Transcendent

  Red - Adjacent

  Dramatis Personae

  Akenberg

  King Hermann

  Prince Nicolas (Nico), Hermann’s second son, a Swordthane and commander of The Threeshields

  Prince Markolac (Marko), Hermann’s eldest son, killed in battle at Allstatte

  Renard, retainer to Prince Nicolas, killed in battle at Cormona

  General Koblenzar, in command of all Akenberg forces

  General Freilenn, in command of the Second Army

  Captain Reikmann, in command of Hermann’s Royal Guard

  The Threeshields, Akenberg cavalry company

  Corporals Ezra, Manus, and Mickens

  Private Lima, Nico’s aide

  Private Mip, twin of Pim, killed in battle at Cormona

  Private Pim, twin of Mip

  Asturia

  King Anton

  Princess Letitia (Leti), Anton’s daughter

  Prince Tobias (Toby), Anton’s son

  Captain Gornada, in command of Anton’s Royal Guard

  Corporal Leonid, an officer in Anton’s Royal Guard

  Private Zenza, a Swordthane and member of Anton’s Royal Guard

  Neverdawn

  Jak, a housethrall

  Calla, the historian’s daughter

  Kleo, Kevik sister, the clerk’s daughter

  Kluber, the magistrate’s son

  Riff, a housethrall

  Kevik, the Corrupt, Kleo’s brother, the clerk’s son

  Disciple Lukas, caretaker of the Shrine of Tempus, killed at Winter Festival

  Acolyte Bashir, former caretaker of the Shrine of Tempus

  Vilnia

  Private Yohan, a soldier and half-Oster

  Commander Jenaleve (Jena), King Volocar’s eldest daughter

  Corporal Mercer, in command of Vilnian escort

  Private Brody, a soldier

  Private Redjack, a soldier and scout

  Harpa

  Summersong Maple (Summer), caravan leader

  Patrik, Summer’s betrothed

  Fairmeadow Sonnet (Meadow)

  Silverson Goldthrush (Silvo)

  For a free full-size color map of the world of Empire Asunder, please visit:

  http://www.michaeljasonbrandt.com/

  “At last The Heart, that symbol of love both romantic and familial. The Heart reigns over the deck just as love reigns in life, for there is nothing more valued...and nothing more elusive, nothing more misunderstood. Therein lies a warning, for The Heart must be shielded from others who covet her. Loyalties, friendships, even crowns are heedlessly tossed aside in her pursuit…”

  —from the Imperial Deck Standard Rules

  Prologue

  Pursuit

  THE PEOPLE OF CORMONA gathered early in the crisp dawn breeze in heady anticipation of an execution. They well knew their beloved King Anton’s longstanding rivalries with two men—Duke Iago of Feana and King Hermann of Akenberg. At last, the son of one was to receive his final judgment for the sin of treachery on the hard stone block of the royal headsman.

  The immense curved sword now in Uza’s strong hands was called a falchion—both word and weapon remnants of Naru culture from a time when that southern country invaded the Empire of Twelve Kingdoms. Although twice the weight of a normal broadsword, the muscled figure held it comfortably poised before his chest, glinting brightly in the morn sunlight for all to marvel.

  The youngster now entering the plaza chose not to look its way, however. His head was unbowed, defiant, but Captain Gornada noticed that the eyes deliberately avoided both falchion and the man wielding it. Instead the gaze swept over King Anton’s assemblage, of which Gornada was a part. For a moment those eyes passed over his own, and in that instant the fear was palpable. Gornada fought the feeling of sympathy welling up within his bosom.

  Then Duke Iago’s son reached the block and knelt beside it, facing the generous crowd filling the city’s central plaza. Saying nothing, he held himself
as still as his trembling body allowed—a brave display by a lad whose solitary crime was to obey his treasonous father.

  The crowd became silent in anticipation, some with nervous excitement, others with respect. Uza lifted the falchion high, King Anton nodded, and the blade swept down in a precise arc. The crowd broke their silence with a collective gasp.

  For a few seconds, as blood jetted from the stump of the young traitor’s neck, the front row of spectators pushed forward, a lucky few bathing their hands in the royal liquid. The macabre display caught Gornada by surprise, so contradictory to the respectful quiet of a moment earlier, but he casually dismissed the behavior as another bizarre manifestation of the idolization commoners held toward nobility.

  He turned away, glad the ceremony was over, less bothered by the act of killing renegades as eager to get on with essential duties. His rapid soldier’s stride propelled him from the ghoulish scene toward the castle. The captain’s presence was required in the Royal Guard headquarters, where his corporals were already waiting.

  By the time he passed beneath the languid banners of vermilion and gold overhanging the castle’s main gate, Gornada had forgotten all about the execution. His mind was turning over the problem of the visiting diplomat turned renegade prince, but not with any particular anxiety. There was little enough chance of the Akenbergers escaping the kingdom. The greater question was whether force would be required to bring them back, or if Prince Nicolas could be reasoned with to recognize the hopelessness of his situation.

  As expected, the five corporals remaining under Gornada’s command stood in the briefing chamber, awaiting their leader. Leonid had prepared for the captain’s arrival by pinning an expansive map of Asturia to the large wooden table that dominated the room. Although the youngest of the corporals to survive the Battle of Cormona less than a tenday earlier, Leonid had quickly become Gornada’s most reliable colleague and confidant. The lad’s rapid progress brought joy to an old soldier’s heart, for the young man always had been a favorite.

  To begin the meeting, Gornada spoke for all to hear. “Our instructions are simple, but essential to Asturia. The king wishes the Akenbergers—or at least Prince Nicolas—brought back for judgment. We must locate them, intercept them, and subdue them, if necessary. The first two steps are trivial, the third a bit trickier.” He stepped toward the table and gestured to the map. “Fort Marbella is the key.” His index finger landed on the square positioned directly north of the capital. “The fort keeps spare horses for just such purposes. Corporal Leonid, I want you to go first. Leave as quickly as you can assemble your squad. Ride with the utmost haste, replace your mounts at the fort, and proceed northwest to Trepas Gulch.” His finger traced a path to the series of squiggly lines near the border with Akenberg. “The canyon is directly between Cormona and Neublusten, and is central to our trap. Nicolas has only two choices: take the time to go around, or go through.”

  Gornada’s finger tapped the location for emphasis. “If they go around, we’ll catch them in open territory, where fresh mounts play to our advantage. If they go through, we bottle them up.”

  “Aren’t there three canyons?” Corporal Pavel asked.

  “At the southern end, yes. But these three canyons merge into one. If they go through, we don’t yet know which one they’ll take. But we do know where they’ll come out.” Gornada motioned toward the northern tip of the canyon on the map.

  He held Leonid’s eyes for this last command, measuring the younger soldier’s understanding and resolve. “Your job is to plug the bottle—at the top, here. Force them to slow their march, to dismount, while we come up from behind with the main force.” Seeing the enthusiasm register in the corporal’s face, recalling the boy’s brash tendency to zealously exceed his duties, Gornada issued a warning. “We want them trapped, not dead. Be careful not to risk a full engagement. You’ll have only your squad, so find good defensible ground and make them come to you. Then pull back, if necessary. Remember, we’ll not be far behind.”

  Then he faced the others. “The rest of you prepare the troopers to ride out by midday. Have any of the wounded recovered sufficiently to ride again?”

  “Aye, Captain,” Burro said. “Three more since yesterday. Another four or five may be ready by the morrow.”

  Gornada shook his head. “We cannot wait. Three more makes fifty-one. That will suffice. We need only convince young Prince Nicolas that his situation is too hopeless to fight.” And I have some ideas how to accomplish that.

  “Well, then, any last questions? No? Now see to the arrangements. Corporal Leonid, one further word with you.”

  Once they were alone, Gornada could at last share some more personal thoughts. “Leon, there is likely to be war between the kingdoms. Already the king prepares to form three armies: northern, central, and southern. And he has requested that I lead the last.”

  “A general? Father will be so proud. I’ll follow you anywhere, of course.” The corporal’s easy grin was contagious, and Gornada could not resist his own.

  He reached out, placing a hand on Leonid’s shoulder. “Thank you, but I have a different thought in mind. The Guard will need a new captain.”

  The pleasure on that young face just about made the war worthwhile. The sight reminded Gornada of earlier times, when the boy had distinguished himself in training and received his invitation to join the guards. Yet even the joy of that moment could not rise to the clear pride of this one, only possible due to hostility and strife. How strange that brutal conflict could lead to these most rewarding of occasions.

  It was Gornada’s satisfaction to make this announcement, but the lad had certainly earned whatever laurels came his way. Leonid was as brave and capable as any man or woman in the Royal Guard. Perhaps a little overeager to prove himself, but Gornada remembered an age when others had thought the same of him. Time and experience would temper valor with discretion, as always.

  But these promotions were of the future, and there was still business to take care of in the present. “We’ll discuss it further after this expedition. Say nothing to your father just yet. If I know him, he’ll boast to half of the countryside. The rumors of war will already be starting. We must not contribute to them.”

  “Of course, Captain.” Leonid unsuccessfully attempted to temper his smile. He lowered his voice. “Thank you, Uncle.”

  “You’ve earned it, Nephew. Now move out.”

  On the subject of kin, Gornada watched a pair of newcomers enter the chamber as Leonid hurried out—Prince Tobias, alongside his radiant sister Letitia. It was not unusual to see them together. The two had always been close, but the stress of the recent battle and aftermath had made them inseparable. The crucible of rebellion and death could do that to people.

  It was unusual to see them in the headquarters, however. As Anton’s only son and daughter, they were naturally allowed to venture wherever they wished, but their appearance here and now piqued the captain’s curiosity.

  “Toby, Leti…to what do I owe the pleasure?” With no one else present, their speech could be friendly and familiar, free of the stifling restraints of imperial etiquette. That was for the best, for these two were as much like family as the departed corporal. Since his arrival in Cormona many years earlier, they had been surrogate children for his own. As it was, he missed Diego, Delila, and Iasha painfully. But his heartache would have been far worse without the king’s children to take their place, and he believed they felt much the same about his replacement for their busy father.

  Toby cleared his throat, a sign of awkwardness. “Fair morn, Uncle. We hear you are in charge of pursuing Nico…Prince Nicolas, that is.”

  “Indeed. Fear not, we’ll have him and his company within a tenday.”

  The two siblings exchanged a glance, then looked back at Gornada with unexpected expressions. He read concern on the boy’s face, outright distress on the girl’s. Something deeper was at play here, he realized.

  “I trust your judgment, of course,”
Toby continued. “But would you mind explaining your plan to me?”

  The captain smiled. It was good that the prince take an interest in martial affairs. He was nearing that age when greater and greater responsibilities would fall on those lanky shoulders. Perhaps a newfound attitude had joined the fresh growth of beard and recent burst of height which catapulted the young prince into adulthood.

  Gornada motioned the lad over to the map. “How well do you know northern Asturia, My Prince?”

  “Not as well as I should.”

  “The land to the north is flat and barren, all the way to Trepas Canyon, here. Without distinguishing landmarks for anyone but locals. The Akenbergers will stay on the road. Not only is it their fastest route, but they risk getting lost without it…”

  He provided a brief summation of the plan, conveying the full confidence he felt. Toby nodded at all the salient points, absorbing the details with impressive comprehension. Perhaps they would make an officer of him yet.

  “I see. Thank you, Uncle. And how do you expect this situation to resolve?”

  “Peacefully, if the Akenbergers behave rationally. Which I expect from Prince Nicolas.”

  “You think Nico will come back willingly?”

  Again with the familiarity. Gornada was reminded that Tobias had trained for a short time under the Akenberger’s tutelage. Such behavior should never have been allowed to happen. But circumstances after the battle had been…extraordinary.

  “Prince Nicolas is a reasonable man. When he sees the futility of his position, I believe he will surrender.”

  Tobias was not so certain. “I will remind you that he is a Swordthane, Captain. His instincts are to fight.”