Greetings all
I hope you have all had a fantastic week and are going to have a relaxing weekend. I need to get my butt in gear with the next book, but I am still very busy at work and just don't seem to have the time to do anything other than work. Such it is.
At least you all get an update today! I hope you enjoy it!
Saasha had spent a day dealing with the emotional trauma she had experienced at seeing Brucel before realising that she couldn’t lock herself away from her responsibilities. It hurt so much knowing he was on the planet and what he had done, and the two different hurts were very conflicting.
The first thing she did when she emerged was to send several Guards to collect her eldest and Saita. Once the two men had left the castle, she contacted all the other members she needed using her Truth-Seeking abilities. This was a conversation she needed to have had with Saita the day before but now things had started moving too fast.
Once she had confirmation from everyone, she requested a servant clear a conference room. She knew what she was about to do was premature, but the Fell Dragon had forced her hand, and she needed to protect and prepare people.
Once the conference room was cleared, she seated herself at the head of the table while playing with the bandana over her eye. It still hurt from time to time, forcing her to think back to how she had gotten it. She was momentarily trapped in a memory when Jethron made his appearance. He was grinning at something; despite the blood-soaked book he was carrying in his arms.
“I assume Truhan said yes to your daughter’s advances.” She said with a smile.
“Of course he did.”
Saasha got to her feet and hugged her Dekai son tightly, “If only your father could see this.”
Jethron held his mother and once more apologised, “I am deeply sorry about what happened.”
“It isn’t an apology from you that I want. Sedeath has been hiding since Brucel appeared.”
“I think he’s terrified that you may kill him. I ordered him here as I was sure he would have ignored your summons.” Jethron then sat on the chair to the left of Saasha. “Will Brucel be joining us?”
“I sent a messenger to Larden telling him that I wanted the brute here too. Whether he comes with all the Dekai here is another matter.”
Jethron turned the book a few times on the table before he said, “He only did what he thought was right. Do we really have the right to judge him?”
“He murdered you!” hissed Saasha.
Jethron cringed and continued to look at the book before him, “I understand that, but Mom, people’s souls break in different ways. What he did was unforgivable, but…”
His thought was interrupted as more people entered the room. At first, Jethron was confused when he saw council members. Then realisation dawned on him.
“You can’t be serious about this.” He said softly. “The boy isn’t old enough yet.”
“I need him in a place where he can be protected and trained. Saita will be going back to the humans soon and he will remain. Yes, he’s young; yes, the next round of applicants is only supposed to be six months, but I need him in that school now. I can’t have him staying with others until the application opens.”
“Jek is going to explode.”
“Then he can have his heart attack and leave me be.” Muttered the Queen as she stood to greet those coming into the room.
Mertz handed Saasha what she had requested of him. With the data before her, she knew she was about to make the right choice. She looked up at her old Captain, now her grandson’s General and on the verge of retirement.
“What do you think?”
“I think he’s ready, either he’s going to be six months ahead of the new class or a year and a half behind. The final choice will be Baks’ to make.” He grinned, “I’ve heard from his teachers saying he was ready six months ago, but I knew you didn’t want to separate him from his mother so soon.”
Saasha scanned through Aidan’s scores and testimonials from the teachers who had taken on the role of training the boy in their customs and language. If she hadn’t known that Aidan was a human, she would have thought him a Saith and have been happy to have welcomed him as a future Royal Guard.
“We’ll see what old Royal Guard says about this.” She waved him off and returned to her seat.
Once she was seated, she transferred the information from the data pad before her to the screen behind her. She gave her council a few minutes to read through it before she spoke.
“I want to make the move to put the boy in the Royal Guard Academy before the official entries open.”
Silence. She wasn’t used to silence from her council. She strongly suspected that rumours about what had happened with her old partner had quickly circulated throughout the planet. There was no way to do damage control after she had shut herself away for a day. She hissed under her breath before she said, “The rumours are true. Brucel Royal Guard is back. However, he isn’t the man that was my old Captain, this is another man, from another time, forced here by the Fell Dragon.”
Now the table had some mutterings, but no one was ready to voice their opinion. While it had been several decades since Brucel was lost, the wound was fresh in many others minds.
“But he isn’t what I want to discuss now. This is.” She pointed to Aidan’s scores. “For those of you who have no idea of who Aidan is, he’s Saita’s firstborn.”
Now the table erupted with noise. There were arguments, shouts of disapproval, and even some cheers. Saasha couldn’t help but flick her eye on the old advisor, Jek. He seemed in deep thought. She was sure he would be the one to be the most against this, but instead, he was silent.
“He will be placed up and above the customary number of Saith children who will be allowed in the Academy.” Saasha continued. “He will not be taking a Saith child’s place.”
That made some of those around the table quiet, but not all of them.
“Why the move now?” asked Jek.
The man was old when Pakaz had been king, and he was practically ancient now.
Saasha indicated that Jethron could talk. The Dekai stood and said, “The Dekai that was behind the creation of not only Saita but her son, has been murdered. We strongly suspect that the Fell Dragon and at least one Wolven are behind it. Her Majesty and I have come to the conclusion that he was killed as a way to get to Saita.”
Jek thought this over and nodded his head, “I see. The Dragon took away any revenge Saita could have had by killing the Dekai.”
Saasha nodded her head, “There was no other reason to kill him. He was imprisoned and had no way to do anything like he had in the past. I believe that the Fell Dragon is going out of its way to destroy Saita as she is the only thing that can supposedly take it on.”
“Supposedly, Your Majesty?”
Saasha snorted and said, “We are still a force to be reckoned with, and so are the Dekai and humans.”
“So, her son being brought into the fold is to protect him?”
“More than a year ago, I made a point that it was time that we allowed non-Saith to be on the Guard. My soldiers refused to have Saita among them, which was their right. They spent decades training and years at the Academy. However, if Aidan has scores like this, competing against our children, then I believe he should be our first candidate.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
The table fell silent, knowing that Jek had spent the queen’s entire career trying to rub Saasha up the wrong way. The queen fixed him with a withering look and simply said, “Yes.”
She then turned to her council and said, “Soon she has to return to the humans to rule, and we will lose a golden opportunity to build a strong alliance with them. Her son in the Academy shows that not only are we capable of protecting him but he is willing to do the same once he emerges as a soldier.”
“But where will his alliance lie?” asked someone from the table.
Saasha didn’t know who spoke, but the question was one that had been on her mind since last night. It was a valid question; one she didn’t have an answer for.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Saasha looked up as Saita entered with the remainder of the people who were to be part of the second meeting. While Saasha hadn’t wanted Saita or Aidan at this meeting, it would seem that she had no choice now.
She raised to her feet and looked at the young boy standing next to his mother. He had grown taller in the last year and no longer had the nervousness that he first had when he came to the planet.
“Well then, boy, can you answer the question?” she asked.
Aidan didn’t even look up at his mother as he stepped forward and said, “I would be loyal to those who are loyal to me.”
It wasn’t the answer that anyone expected, and Saasha almost laughed until she noticed a smile on Jek’s face. The old man clapped his hands a few times and said, “That is a good answer. A brave one and one many won’t understand.”
Aidan nodded his head and continued, “I am human royalty, and one of my tasks when I am older is to create a bond with my allies. What greater way to test me as a worthy ally, as to put me through trials.”
“That’s well said, and I suspect I know who fed him that line.” Said Mertz softly.
“Likely my mother.” Whispered Saasha as she tried to stifle a chuckle.
Saasha then looked Saita in the eye and said, “You know better than any what the Academy can produce, but do you know of the dangers?”
“I do.” Said the human.
“You would subject your son to them?”
“He has made up his mind. It’s something he has been working towards since General Lardan told him about the Royal Guard.”
“Then we vote, all of us. Today we decide if a human is worthy to be raised along with Saith.” Saasha raised her hand.
While the majority of the table voted yes, there were a few hands that stubbornly refused to be raised.
“If I may.” Said Saita.
“Parents can’t vote.” Said Jek rather sharply.
“Oh, I’m aware of that. I want to put a constraint on Aidan going to the Academy, especially once he graduates.”
Intrigued, Saasha indicated that Saita may talk. The young woman put a hand on her son’s shoulder and said, “He will never be allowed to take on the mantle of General or Captain.”
What a total disappointment, but Saita has a reason. You'll all have to join us on Tuesday to see what it is!
For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, and Book 6 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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Haven't read the other parts yet? Follow these handy links:
Part 12>>You are Here>>Part 4
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