Ossendar: Book Two of the Resoration Series Read online

  Her scared eyes met his for the first time and they welled with tears. “I.. I thought it would be different now. When I worked with him before I got a few coppers for every crown I earned. As a free woman, I expected five or six silvers.”

  Aaron was amazed. The foolish girl had thought it was a horrid life earning coppers for every crown, but she thought it was better if she earned five or six scepters.

  Stonewood snorted and shoved the girl into the wall. “You'll be lucky if I let you work for a copper from now on.” Then he turned back to Aaron. “You see. She was always mine, and she always will be.”

  Aaron shook his head in disgust, “Fine. If that's what you want then I'm done with you.”

  Stonewood smiled again, this time is was an evil sneer. “Oh, you are quite through with her, but I'm not quite done with you yet.”

  Aaron glanced back over at the swordsman, not overly worried. The man might be good, but he wasn't too bad himself. Drawing his sword, Aaron nodded at the swordsman, “Only one?”

  Stonewood shook his head, “Actually, it's three.”

  It was then that Aaron heard the footsteps coming from behind him.

  Flare was lost. While he lived in the palace, the rest of the guardians had been given official quarters in an officers barracks. The barracks were on the edge of the main palace grounds, just inside the wall. It was a large building with numerous hallways that were lined with bedrooms. He had passed several officers in the hallways, and had been given directions to the western side of the second floor, but somehow he had gotten turned around. The hallways all looked the same. Standing at an intersection, he was wondering should he continue on straight or turn left or right.

  “Flare?” A woman's voice called out from behind him.

  He turned and was immensely relieved to see Kara walking towards him. “Kara! Thank the gods! I am so lost in this maze of hallways and rooms.” He hadn't seen her for more than a week now, and he noticed that she looked tired.

  She smiled, but the smile seemed to falter just a little as if something was wrong, but it was gone before he was sure that he had seen it. “What are you doing here?” She asked.

  Had he seen something just then? His thoughts went back to Dagan's words, and he found himself wondering about Kara. “Uh, I was looking for you,” he said slowly. “I'm not allowed to drill with the other guardians until you say I'm ready.” He smiled at her, “I have enjoyed the lessons with Dagan, and I think the King wants me to continue them, but I have to get out into the sun. And besides, I can't spend the whole summer cooped up in the palace.”

  Kara nodded, “Well how are you feeling? Are your wounds bothering you at all?”

  “No!” Flare said emphatically. “I haven't had any pain since we got back, and I'm ready to push things a little.”

  She smiled, and this time it seemed to be genuine. “All right.”

  His heart jumped at the words, “Really? I can drill with the guardians again?”

  Kara shook her head, “I don't think you should do that quite yet. Why don't you start by doing some training on your own? You know, riding a horse outside the city, and running to build up your strength. It may take some time for your body to readjust, and I don't want you trying to keep up with the other guardians out of pride.” She smiled again at the crestfallen look on his face, “but I will reevaluate you each week. Is it a deal?”

  Looking less than pleased, he agreed none the less.

  Aaron watched the three men warily. They knew what they were doing, these three worked as a team. So far all they had been doing was testing him, seeing how he would respond. Several times one of the men would feign an attack, but the real attack would come from one of the other men who were behind him. One of the two men, that had been hiding in the shadows, had blood running down his left arm. He had gotten a little too close to Aaron, and had paid the price for it.

  Dale Stonewood snorted somewhere off to Aaron's left, “I'm not paying you to dance with him. Kill the bastard!” He called. “Quickly, before someone comes.”

  A swordsman launched an attack that Aaron deflected easily, and then spun expecting an attack from the rear. It was an attack that didn't come. Too late he realized his mistake and spun back to face the initial attacker. He tried to jump back out of the way of the sword, but it still caught him on the side and Aaron felt a burning pain shoot down his right. The attacker jumped back out of his reach.

  Aaron stood there with his right hand holding his wound, and his left hand holding his sword. Not many options left open to him, it was doubtful he could beat three men, especially now that he was wounded. Hoping to catch them by surprise, he swung his sword at the man that blocked him in the alley. The swordsman darted to the left, and Aaron bolted down the alley toward the flower road, but the man was too fast and once again positioned himself between Aaron and the road. He was closer to the road now though, and the doorway to the kitchen was behind him.

  Dale Stonewood laughed, “Too bad. You almost made it then. Perhaps, if you were just a little bit better.” His voice was cold and mocking.

  Aaron glanced around, desperately looking for anything to help in his escape. His side was really starting to hurt now, so he had better come up with something quick.

  The man between him and the flower road was watching him warily, so there was little chance he could get past him. Aaron glanced at the two men behind him, they were not watching him quite as well. Perhaps, he could surprise them, get passed them, and go deeper into the alley.

  As if sensing his intentions, the two men moved apart from each other and assumed a more guarded stance.

  “Time for you to die, boy.” Stonewood's voice called out.

  There was a clang and a gurgling behind him, and Aaron spun toward the flower road. The lone swordsman on that side of him had dropped his sword and was trying to reach back over his shoulder with his right arm. A small trickle of blood ran from the corner of the man's mouth. With a surprising suddenness, the man pitched forward onto his belly, a dark red blood stain growing across his back. Aaron's mouth dropped open at the sight of one of the last things that he had expected. Standing just on the other side of the corpse was Atock, both swords drawn and blood running down the sword in his right hand.

  “Aaron, behind you!” Atock called.

  Aaron spun and flicked his sword up and to the right barely deflecting the attacker's sword that had been aimed at his back. His attacker was off balance, and his sword was out of the way. Aaron dropped to his knees and brought his sword down at an angle, and the attacker fell to the ground screaming, clutching at the bloody stump of an arm that ended just below his elbow.

  Breathing heavily, Aaron climbed to his feet and looked around. Atock was standing a little farther down the alley.

  “Where did the third one go?” Aaron asked.

  “He ran down the alley, and the other two ran into the inn.” Atock walked closer to Aaron, “Was that Elona with them?”

  Aaron nodded, anger welling up within him. “Yes. She went to Stonewood looking for work.”

  Atock's eyes widened at this bit of news. “Well, that was pretty stupid of her. Are you going to look for her again?”

  Aaron shook his head, “No. I did for her what I could. I can't help her anymore.” Inside he felt a little guilt, but only a little; a sudden relief flowed through him, and he felt like a burden had just been lifted from his shoulders. He had tried to help the girl and she had refused. It was no longer his problem. “Atock, I need to see Kara. I have a pretty nasty cut.”

  Flare rode toward the practice field, where the other guardians were to meet him. He shivered slightly from the early morning chill, the sun was just starting to crest the horizon, and stars shown through the cloudless sky. It was the best time of the day to leave the city, as the crowds had not really started gathering. It was a short ride from the city to the practice field and it felt good to be on a horse again.

  He continued to study with Dagan as the summer sta
rted to stretch into fall. The leaves on the trees in the king's garden had begun to turn color, and the nights were more pleasant. The nights were by no means cold, but they had cooled off since the guardians had returned from Fort Mul-Dune.

  In the beginning of Flare's studies with Dagan, he had spent most of every day with the old man. They continued to study the history of Telur and the noble families, but to his delight, they spent more time studying sorcery than history. The old sorcerer said that he had the knack for sorcery, and it appeared that Dagan was a little bothered by how easy sorcery came to Flare.

  For his part, Flare loved it when he used sorcery. It amazed him how sharp his senses became when he was touching the inner spirit, using it to manipulate the physical world. He could smell odors with amazing clarity, whether it was the remains of Dagan's breakfast sitting on the tray, or the mustiness of some the sorcerer's books on the bookshelf across the room. His vision also was extremely acute, with the colors seeming bright and blinding. He could hear the roaches in the walls, birds far away in the distance, and he could hear Dagan's heart beating. Sorcery quickly became a rush to him, something he enjoyed doing and missed if he didn't get to do. He wanted to practice in his room, but Dagan had made him promise that he wouldn't. When he asked why, Dagan would only say that the walls sometimes had eyes and ears. Flare simply shook his head and obeyed.

  Then last night Kara, who had been treating Flare like a newborn, finally gave him permission to start drilling with the other guardians again. For the last several weeks, he had been exercising by himself, and he was amazed at out of shape he had gotten since his injury. He was quietly happy that Kara had kept him from returning to join the guardians as he had asked. It would have been quite embarrassing to have drilled with the guardians and not been able to keep up. In his absence, Atock had led the drill sessions, and he would continue to do for a while, at least until Flare was completely recovered. He was excited to get back into the saddle and start practicing with the sword again, but he was also disappointed that he would have less time to study with Dagan.

  Flare reached the practice field with just a few minutes to spare. The field was a rectangular field that the guards and other soldiers used to practice when they were stationed at the castle. The ground was level and the grass was short. One of the shorter sides of the field faced the castle off in the distance and was bare of vegetation. The other three sides of the field had trees and thick bushes which made a natural fence around the field. The trees gave the soldiers some privacy as they practiced. The other guardians were already there and they watched him as he approached.

  “Has sitting in the castle made you soft, Flare?” Derek asked smiling at him.

  Flare pointed to the sun just starting to peek over the horizon, “At the very least I am on time, the sun is just now rising,” he responded jovially.

  “You're right, but there was a time not so long ago when you would have been the first one here and it still would have been dark when you arrived.” Trestus said good naturedly.

  Flare feigned surprise. Pointing to himself, he said, “I'm still recovering so you had better take it easy with me.”

  “On no! You have fussed and badgered me to give you permission to come out here, and now that I have, you're on your own.” Kara retorted, smiling as she did so.

  He tried to look crestfallen, but he couldn't quite pull it off.

  “Now that you are well, let's see what kind of shape you're in.” Atock said. He pointed to the opposite side of the field where a narrow path led through the trees away from the field. “We're scheduled to do a ten mile run first, so let's get started.”

  Flare groaned, but he followed the others as they ran off.

  It was late in the afternoon as Flare left his room heading to study with Dagan. He had spent the daylight hours training with his fellow guardians, just as he had for the past several weeks. He was late, which he knew would not please the old man. He had hurried back from training, but the training itself had lasted longer than he had expected, and then he had to change clothes. He rushed down the hallway, a route that he had traveled many times over the last several months. He hurried past the tapestries that had caught his attention when he first started making this trip, but now he didn't glance twice at them.

  At first, he was exhausted by the return to the physical exercise, but it also felt great to stretch his muscles. His body ached every evening, but the next morning he was ready to go again. He would partake in the training each day, and then spend the evening working with Dagan. This arrangement did not satisfy the old sorcerer at all. Dagan grumbled about how much their training had slowed down and Flare would nod and keep his mouth shut. When the old man was in a complaining mood, it did no good to argue with him; that only made his mood worse.

  Flare rounded a corner and almost bowled over a lady walking the opposite way. “I am so sorry!” He said as he grabbed the lady's arm to keep her from falling down. “Are you okay, my lady?”

  “I'm fine,” the lady said without even seeming ruffled by the near accident. She appeared to be about forty, with shoulder length curly black hair. She was slim but was showing a little weight around her middle. Her eyes were brown, and she had a smooth face and high cheekbones with only some small lines around the creases of her eyes to tell her age. She was wearing a full length light green dress. “You're prince Flaranthlas, aren't you?”

  “Yes, I am. And you are?” Flare asked. As he spoke, he backed away a step so as to give the lady some room. She surprised him when she took a step closer to him.

  “I'm Hannah of house Greentree. I have only been in the capital for a week, but I have been looking forward to meeting you. I was told you were young, but I was not told that you were so handsome.”

  Flare flushed at her praise. He hoped she didn't notice, but judging by the mischievous smile on her face, he was pretty sure she had. “Th-Thank you, Countess.” Dagan's teaching was paying off. Countess Hannah Lells was the head of the Greentree family since the accidental death of her husband almost a decade ago. Numerous lords had sought her hand in marriage, but Flare knew that she had rebuffed any and all suitors. The Greentree house dated back almost a thousand years and had received their name from the massive forests that covered the lands they had been given by the king. Dagan had also said that the family was a staunch supporter of the king and church.

  “Oh, so you know who I am.” Countess Hannah said, with her smile getting even bigger. “A lady my age should be so lucky to have a young man like you notice me.” As she spoke, Hannah put her hand on Flare's upper arm just below his shoulder.

  He was a little taken back by Hannah's words and actions. Her words and interest seemed to almost show a sexual interest in him, and that excited him, but he didn't trust any member of the court. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hannah spoke first.

  “Flare, why don't you have dinner with me tonight? It will give me a chance to get to know you better, which will be nice since you are now Telurian royalty.” She stroked her hand up and down as she spoke, “It never hurts to make a new friend.” Her words just oozed with sexual suggestion.

  Despite himself, Flare almost shivered at the thought and dinner sounded wonderful. “Well, I would love to, but I am supposed to see the king's councilor tonight.” Then noticing the look of disappointment on her face, he quickly added, “I could make it tomorrow night. If that would be okay?”

  The smile returned to Hannah's face tenfold, “It's settled then. I will see you tomorrow night.”

  Flare continued down the hall, with thoughts of other things beside sorcery.

  “You're having dinner with Countess Lells tomorrow night!” Dagan exclaimed when Flare told him of his chance encounter. Flare just smiled in answer, he couldn't tell if Dagan was amused or jealous, or maybe both. “You might want to go back to your room now, so you can be well rested for tomorrow night.”

  Flare knew what Dagan was hinting at, but he asked anyway, “What are you talking abo
ut? I'm sure the countess just wants to bend the ear of the new prince.”

  “She wants to bend something, but it's not your ear,” Dagan replied grinning. In the short time he had known Dagan, he had realized that the sorcerer was a horny old man.

  “Dagan, that's no way to talk about a lady.”

  “Boy, if half the things that I have heard about her are true, then you are in for the ride of your life.”

  The words caught him off guard. “What do you mean? Does the countess make a habit of entertaining young men of the court?”

  “Oh yes,” Dagan replied. But then seeing the look on Flare's face, he added, “Don't worry, Flare. Most of the ladies of the court spend their free time with young men. At least Countess Hannah is not married like the rest.”

  “What!” Flare exclaimed, “You mean it's normal for the married ladies of the court to cheat on their husbands?”

  Dagan shook his head in wonder. “Boy, to be as old as you are and to know as much as you do, you are as naïve as you can be. One of the favorite pastimes of the nobles is sex, and most of the time it's not with their husband or wife.”

  Flare shook his head; such things were not heard of in Solistine. Loyalty in a marriage was absolute and unquestioned. “Dagan, do you think I should contact the countess and back out of dinner?”

  “If you do, be sure and ask if I can take your place.” Dagan responded, joking.

  Silence engulfed them for a couple of minutes. Flare was happy for the silence, because it left him to his thoughts. By no means did he trust Hannah, but he did find her intriguing. Once he decided to keep the dinner date, he found himself eagerly looking forward to it.

  His thoughts were interrupted by Dagan, “I don't imagine you are going to be able to study tonight, since you will probably be preoccupied, but let's give it a try.”