Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (15 page)

Sara

As expected, morning came all too quickly. Sara was the first to wake and decided she should rouse the others so they could resume their journey. She turned in Seth’s lap, and kissed him gently, waking him the nicest way she could imagine.

Seth’s eyes fluttered open, feeling Sara’s lips on his cheek. He reached his large hands up to cup her face, and lightly grasping it on either side, pulled her mouth to his.

“Good morning angel.”

“Good morning to you, love,” Sara replied softly in her musical voice.

She could tell the greeting caught Seth off guard. He did his best to conceal his thoughts, not to make a big deal out of her words, but he over did it. But it was not so much about gaging his response as it was a look inward to see how she herself would feel saying the word. To her surprise she was able to say it easily, honestly, and it felt great. No longer afraid she might betray her own emotions, she wished to tell him now her feelings for him. She pondered for a moment where to start, but then decided to wait. She would wait until she and Seth had some privacy, where they could openly speak their feelings without fear that someone might interrupt. She smiled to herself, her face hidden on Seth’s shoulder, finally able to at least know her own heart. She hugged Seth’s neck again tightly and kissed his cheek.

Crawling out of his lap, Sara stood and watched her dark-haired, brown-eyed guardian rise and stretch his weary muscles. She watched him, loving everything about him, wanting to spend forever with him, and wanting to show him her love in every way she was able.

Seth

Finishing his stretch, Seth again gathered his angel into his arms and kissed the top of her head. He held her there a moment, wishing he could do so forever, and scanned the small room around them. He released Sara reluctantly and strode across the room coming to stand between his brother and Ashton who both snored lightly, still sleeping on their backs. He nudged them each with his booted foot, rousing them. Turning on his heel he then walked back across to Sara, picking up the sack of food along the way.

Seth sat near Sara’s feet gesturing for her to join him, and she did so happily. Garret and Ashton wearily rose from their beds, and joined the others for a filling breakfast. Their meal consisted of the same food they had shared the previous night, and once again each ate their fill. Seth said that he felt well enough to continue their journey, and so after eating, everyone went about gathering their belongings and loading them into their packs. They prepared themselves quickly and they headed out of the cavern together, Garret and Ashton taking the lead, Seth and Sara trailing, their hands entwined. Garret left the goblin’s short sword in the cavern, stating that he had no wish to carry a reminder of the day he nearly lost his brother.

They walked at a leisurely pace throughout the day, stopping to rest often. Seth was thankful for their stops, his body not as willing as his mind to handle the exertion. The path widened slowly, becoming more level until it turned eventually into a road. Seth was able to travel further now without resting as the even ground allowed him to walk more easily. The group talked merrily, the light conversation allowing Seth to concentrate on something other than his body. His legs shook and his knees gave out on occasion, but he had been able to catch himself, with Sara’s help, each time before he fell.

Seth limited his input to the group’s conversations, preferring to listen as they walked. His mind wandered and he found himself thinking over the last several days, taking in all the events that had come to pass and which had brought him to this point. Though he had nearly died, he could not believe the tremendous luck that had so obviously filled his life. He and his twin had traveled from home, accompanied by a man blessed with the gift of healing, which man he was now proud to call his friend. They had arrived in Stone Haven, and due to Ashton’s gift had been given free food and free goods, including the crossbow. It was also Ashton who had inevitably led them to eat outside the inn that morning he first met Sara. Seth was extremely grateful for this part. Not only had he met her, he had protected her and in doing so, had laid the foundation for their relationship, a relationship he now knew he could not live without. Joined now by the woman he would come to love and adore, they had set out from Stone Haven along the road to Paldoon’s Hold. Sara had slowed them, causing them to fall a day behind, but this too was as if it was meant to be. Because of their delay, they had fallen into the path of the goblin that had nearly killed him, but as it had turned out, Sara had instead played a vital role in killing the creature that mortally wounded him. If not for her, Seth would have died, and probably his twin and Ashton as well. Again Seth had been blessed by Ashton’s friendship, being healed by his control of the goddess’s gift. Their delay had run their stores of food dry, and this had resulted in Garret’s meeting with the Knights of Valdadore who had rewarded them, not only with the food they so badly needed, but also with enough coin to deliver them safely and comfortably to the castle city of Valdadore with possibly several days to spare, allowing them to enjoy the city.

All this Seth felt had to be more than just pure luck. No one on the face of Thurr could possibly have ever been this fortunate. Seth felt as if someone watched over him, guiding his life safely to some predetermined end. He felt thankful for it; he felt blessed. He now looked at Sara and realized that if they had not met, he would not be here to look upon her this day. She, in his greatest moment of need, had come to the rescue just in time to save his life. As he had vowed to protect her, she had in turn protected him, his little guardian angel. The thought made Seth smile, and returning from his daydream, he found Sara’s eyes watching him. He returned her look with a smile of his own.

The group marched along through the evening much the same as they had through the day. They talked occasionally about nothing in particular. Seth at one point began to relay the dream he had had the previous night to them, but then thought better of it. This he would keep to himself, at least for the time being.

The flat, bleak, shrub infested plains had slowly cleared as they walked and now had been replaced by gently rolling hills. The slopes were covered by tall grass that for the most part remained green. Occasional groves of trees dotted the hills, and eventually the group could see fenced pastures on the horizon filled with animals. This they knew marked civilization. Before long they could see the roof tops of several farmhouses over the hills, and as they grew nearer, the buildings themselves came into view. It was not long before they were passing down the road between those very farmhouses. Occasionally they would see someone in one of the fields, tending animals or crops, and each time the person would wave or nod to them in greeting from a distance, and they in turn waved back.

The farms continued for a long time, and eventually as the sky began to grow dark on the horizon, they no longer noticed people in the fields. It was when they were approaching a large gray farmhouse that Garret stopped abruptly in his tracks. Placing his hand above his eyes he peered off into the distance ahead of them. He had stopped so suddenly that Sara had actually run into him, but Garret seemed not to notice as he tried to focus on something just out of sight. He stood searching the horizon as his companions stared at him in wonder.

“I think that’s it,” Garret stated matter-of-factly.

“What’s what?” Seth asked his twin.

“That.” Garret said jabbing his finger toward the horizon in front of them. “I think that’s Paldoon’s Hold.”

All four companions studied the horizon, and after many moments all but Ashton could discern, barely, the massive complex of buildings that was as of now just a smudge.

“How far away do you think it is?” Seth asked his brother.

“It’s hard to tell,” Garret began. “I think I first saw this house about three hours ago.” He pointed to the large gray home only a stone’s throw away from them. “I would assume that if that is the city, then it is much bigger than the house here, so probably can be seen from farther away. If I had to guess I would say four, maybe five more hours, give or take.”

Seth nodded his agreement to his brother’s calculation and turned his gaze to the sun.

“We only have a couple hours of daylight left, three at most,” Seth reckoned, knowing as he did that three hours was being very generous.

Almost without thought the four began walking once again, a new urgency to their pace. They agreed shortly after resuming their trek that they would not stop until they reached the city, even if it took them until well past dark. The road was level and wide here, accustomed to frequent use, and easily discernible from the fields around it. It would not be hard to keep to the road even in the gloom.

Garret

Just over two hours had passed since Garret had spotted the city. The sun began to sink past the horizon to the west. They had traveled a great distance in the last few hours, their pace much faster than it had been throughout the day. Now, in the last minutes of its light, they could see the city clearly in the distance. It was apparent that they would indeed need to continue a few more hours into the night to reach their destination, but at least now they knew they had seen it. Paldoon’s Hold was not what they had thought it was previously. From a distance it had appeared to consist of several different-sized buildings jumbled together, creating a broken silhouette. Now it was apparent that it was actually several rows of buildings, each row taller than the previous one, and growing ever taller towards the center of the city. The whole thing was surrounded by a great wall of stone with enormous towers at each corner. This much the group could see in the last moments of light, but any further details they might have taken note of were lost as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

The group was in luck, it seemed. They did not walk on in endless darkness towards their destination as they all thought they would have to. Instead, both moons appeared in the sky this night, lighting their way in a yellow-green half-light that was adequate enough to illuminate the road clearly. They could also see Paldoon’s Hold. The city itself was obscured, but above it shone the light of the hundreds of lanterns and torches that must be lit within it, creating a dome of light in the sky above. The four walked on at a brisk pace in the half light, hurrying towards the city that seemed to grow larger with each step.

All four companions stared at the high city walls as they approached. They marveled at the gigantic towers that made the corners of the city, and the enormous stone walls that surrounded it. Directly in front of them was a large gate in the wall where they could see on the road well ahead of them that people walked and carts rolled through. As they neared the gates, they saw guards posted to either side who would occasionally stop a person and speak to them before letting them pass. Paldoon’s Hold was bigger than any of them had imagined, and it occurred to Garret that there would very likely be more than one inn within the city. They needed to find the inn which Sirus had said would have a room and horses awaiting them. Garret figured he would have to ask for directions from someone familiar with the city to see if they knew Sirus.

The twins and their companions fell into line behind the mass of people waiting to gain entry to the city. In front of them was a large cart of turnips and carrots, drawn by a mule led by an old man. They waited patiently behind the cart, moving forward as it did, ever nearing the gates to the city. When they reached the entrance through the massive stone walls, Garret led them directly towards one of the guards posted there.

“Excuse me, sir.” Garret addressed the guard standing to the left of the large gate. “The knight Sirus said he would have an inn room and horses awaiting myself and my companions once we arrived. Do you know perhaps at which inn he might have made such accommodations?” Garret tried to sound as if this were a normal conversation for him.

“Yes, young sire,” the guard responded immediately, as if talking to a superior officer. “Please visit the Stamping Steed. It is most certainly where Lord Sirus would have arranged your accommodations.” He quickly related to Garret directions to reach the inn.

The group set off with purpose now that there was a bed and a hot meal just around the corner. The buildings were closer together than in Stone Haven and the streets narrower. As they had noticed from a distance, the further they traveled into the city the taller the buildings became. The city had basically the same design as Stone Haven but with rings of buildings starting at the center of the city, working their way outward, with one street running through it from north to south, and another east to west. Each of the rings of buildings had a small street between them that intersected these two larger roads making the city fairly easy to navigate.

They had only passed seven or eight rows of buildings when Garret led them down one of the narrower side streets. He stopped in front of a tall, wide building with torches burning all along its front. The building was made of some sort of clay brick and stood several stories tall. Windows were spaced regularly throughout the front wall and from each window shone a lantern. Above the wide, double door swung a sign carved into the shape of a stallion rearing up on its hind legs. The four of them approached the large door together, and Garret would bet that each of his companions were imagining the warm bed and hot food that awaited them.

The inside of the large building was just as well lit as the outside. Coming through the door, the small band of travelers walked into a huge room that spanned the entire length of the building. It was filled from end to end with tables of varying sizes, and many of them were attended by groups of men and women. Between the tables brick pillars jutted at regular intervals from the floor to support the ceiling. At each end of the room there stood a large staircase leading up to the higher levels.

This inn was unlike the one in Stone Haven in more than appearance however. Here no one looked to see who had come through the door. It was as if no one had even noticed them enter. No one hollered a greeting to them. They walked into the room allowing the door to close behind them and stood hesitating, looking the room from end to end. This inn too had a large bar directly across the room from the door. Garret, again taking the lead, walked towards the bar. It appeared to be made from a single enormous piece of wood, cut smooth at the top and polished to a shine. The front of the bar was an intricately carved scene of two armies facing one another across a field of battle. Before it were dozens of stools from one end to the other, though none of them were currently in use.

Seth, Sara and Ashton caught up with Garret and they approached the bar together. Seeing that it was unattended, they seated themselves upon the stools and waited. A few moments later a young girl, perhaps in her mid-teens, came through the door behind the bar. Spotting them, she turned and thrust her head back through the door and shouted, “Whalen you have customers!” She then turned back to the four at the bar and smiled. To their surprise the girl then walked to a table across the room and seated herself there with two other people. A few moments passed and the door behind the bar swung silently open again and a short, older man came through carrying a tray of glass mugs which he sat on the bar. He approached them then, a comfortable grin on his face and the flickering light from the lanterns hung behind him shining off his bald, round head.

“What can ol’ Whalen get for ye m’lady and gentlemen?” the short man asked, all the while managing to maintain his grin.

“Sirus said you would have a room and horses waiting for us when we arrived,” Garret told him.

“Ah yes. You must be Master Garret then.” As he spoke, one of his white eyebrows rose, as if it were a question more than a statement.

“Yes sir, and these are my companions.” Garret motioned to the other three.

Whalen seemed to be taken aback as his small grin faded for just a moment, and then returned.

“Well, Lord Sirus did not mention that there were four of you, only that you would need a room. The room I had prepared for you only has two beds so let me see if I have another room near it still available.”

Without waiting for a reply the old man knelt down and from behind the bar he brought out a large tome bound in leather. He unwrapped the leather expertly and flipped through the pages. Finding the desired one he ran a stubby finger down the page, nodding and mumbling to himself all the while. He then closed the book, wrapping it again in the leather, he returned it to somewhere behind the bar. Seemingly finished, he turned back to Garret, again with the grin on his face, only this time it looked less natural.

“Well, it seems, Master Garret, that I have no other rooms available on the second floor, but if you are so inclined I can send someone up to prepare another room for you on the fourth floor. Or if you wish, I can have them prepare you two rooms on the fourth floor, and I can give the other one to another customer.” He looked at Garret expectantly awaiting an answer, his forced grin still in place.

“That won’t be necessary, sir. We would not want you to go out of your way for us. The one room you already have prepared will be quite enough for us for this night.” Garret said hoping his companions would feel the same way.

“Well then, young Master Garret, consider your room ready for you. The horses will be delivered here in the morning from the stalls across town. Is there anything else you require?” Whalen asked the group, his natural smile reappearing.

“Some hot food would be welcome as well as cold drink,” Garret stated, all his companions nodding their agreement.

“In that case,” Whalen began, “we have a nice beef roast with garlic, onion, potatoes and carrots with some bread rolls baked only a couple hours ago, if that suits you.”

None of them spoke but nodded their acceptance of the food to Whalen who told them he would soon return with their food and drinks. He was true to his word and returned only moments later carrying a large wooden tray loaded with bowls of food and mugs of ale. He placed a large bowl full of roasted beef and vegetables in broth and a mug of cold ale in front of each of the four companions and without a word again disappeared, waddling on stubby legs through the door behind the bar. He returned, this time carrying one large platter piled high with buttered rolls. He placed this on the bar between Ashton and Seth who passed them to either side to both Garret and Sara. The four thanked Whalen graciously, who accepted their thanks, then turned and walked back through the door again leaving them to their food.

All four ate vigorously, devouring the food to the last roll, and washing it all down with the strong, dark brown ale. No one spoke as they ate, all too eager to finish the food while it was hot. When their plates were clear they each complimented the food and drink and waited patiently for Whalen to return.

It was not long before the short, balding man again came abruptly through the door. With his apparently permanent grin remaining, he greeted the companions once more.

“I do hope the food was acceptable,” Whalen said, again his statement sounding like a question.

“It was perfect,” Seth answered. “What do we owe you?”

“No need to be worrying about payment tonight, young masters. Any friend of Lord Sirus is a friend of the Stamping Steed. We can settle up in the morning after you’ve had your breakfast and your mounts have been delivered.”

“Thank you, Whalen, you are a gracious host,” Garret added.

“No. Thank you kind masters. Here is your key,” Whalen said handing it to Garret. “Room twenty seven is half way down the hall on the second floor. I hope you find our accommodations suitable.”

“I’m sure we will,” Garret assured the old inn keeper.

Biding the innkeeper goodnight, the companions rose with Garret at the lead and collecting their packs from the floor, they turned towards the staircase at the end of the room. Reaching the staircase, each began to climb, and for the first time Garret realized just how tired his legs were.

Climbing to the second floor, they found their room easily and hurried inside. It was much larger than they had expected. Inside were two large beds, one on either side of the room. Beside each bed sat a small writing table equipped with quill and ink, and a stool. Directly between the two beds was a long wooden table with two large wash basins, several towels and a hairbrush upon it. Across the middle of the floor sprawled a decorative rug, brightly woven in contrasting patterns, and upon the walls hung several paintings depicting the city itself from different views within its walls.

After entering the room and taking in all its contents, Ashton, the last to enter closed and barred the door, then stood with his companions waiting to see what they would do.

“Seth, you should take one of the beds,” Garret stated, knowing his twin needed rest more than any other.

“No, that’s fine. I’ll take the floor again,” Seth replied with a sidelong look towards Sara.

Yup. That was it. Seth was hopelessly in love with the girl. Seeing this battle was lost, Garret then tried to reason with Sara, pleading with her to accept one of the beds, saying that a lady should never have to sleep on the floor. Sara too declined his offer. If Seth was sleeping on the floor, so would she. Garret tried to reason with them each once more saying they should at least share a bed, he would sleep on the floor and Ashton could use the other bed. This proposal was replied to by Seth with a look that could have melted the walls around them.

Garret quickly gave up his protests after the look from his brother and went to wash his hands and face in one of the basins on the table. The others joined him, each washing their face and hands in turn. Then Garret and Ashton climbed into their beds, each blowing out the lantern next to them before rolling to face the walls of the room.