The Crowned (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga, Book 6) (24 page)

“Your heart told me,” Sara answered. “I’ll never forget your
heartbeat.”

They hugged one another tightly, happy to have their lives
to share with one another, and Seth could not help but pepper her forehead with
kisses. It was some time before they released one another and spoke again, but
when they did the mood was somber.

“I think something is changing in Garret,” Seth warned.

“I’ve seen it too. Especially in the way he looks at me, but
I’m afraid I’ve made it worse.” Sara choked back tears.

“Do you mean Linaya?” Seth asked.

“How did you… never mind. Yes, I mean Linaya. It was an accident,
but Garret has no one else to blame but me, and if it weren’t for me it would
have never happened so it
is
all my fault!”

“What is all your fault?” a deep guttural voice came from
the road behind them.

Seth watched as both Borrik and Zorbin approached from the
darkness.

“Lady Linaya is dead,” Seth answered. He did not know what
to do about the situation. It seemed Garret was already struggling with more
than he could handle and yet here was another situation that could not be
resolved easily.

After several minutes of trying to discuss options it was
realized that there were none. Instead, it was Seth who had to make the call.

“We should go to Garret, and you can apologize and we can
all be there to show him support,” said Seth. “He is nothing if not honorable
and fair. Surely he will see that it was an accident, and he will forgive you. He
must.”

So it was that the four companions walked the short distance
to the palace complex where a guard was just being set, marking things as
relatively back to normal. They strode through the gate to many bows and spoken
titles, but Seth did not feel inclined to reply and neither were his companions
in the mood for civilities.

Reaching the palace itself they were a bit surprised to find
that no guards yet watched the gates, and the doors ahead stood open, directly
into the chamber within. There sat the king, the broken body of Linaya upon his
lap. Though they had paused briefly at the sight, Seth stepped forward again
and those with him followed his lead. Garret too moved and as soon as he did,
Seth knew that his intentions were not good.

Placing the maimed body of the woman upon the throne, Garret
turned and charged, invoking his blessing as he smashed headlong through the
walls and doors that separated Seth from his brother. Seth had no choice. He
had to react.

Throwing up a wall of protective power, Seth blasted Garret
in the face and chest as he broke free of the confines of the palace. Adding
more and more strength to the power, he brought Garret to a seething halt just
out of reach of those who cared for him the most. Still that did not stop the
grieving king. Instead, he drew forth his massive broadsword and attempted to
put it to use against those in front of him, but Seth reacted faster.

Seeing the sword, Seth pushed harder with his power, driving
the king backwards and out of range. Even so, Garret raised the sword as if to
throw it, his eyes locked on Sara. Seth had no choice but to try and make
Garret drop the sword.

Lightning burst forth from Seth’s hand, arcing across the
distance and licking the blade of the sword. There the bolt ran up the metal to
arc into the metallic flesh of the blessed king, to no avail. Angered, or
perhaps hurt, the king yelled unintelligible words of rage.

Seth could do nothing but look on, and hold his adopted
brother at bay with his power.

“Calm down, Garret!” he shouted. “You are not yourself. Let
us grieve with you.”

“You grieve
with
me? asked the king. “It is you that
I grieve, brother.”

Seth stared at his supposed twin, confused by his words, but
it was not long he waiting for his brother’s reasoning.

“I do not know who or what you are, Seth, or what happened
to the brother I grew up with, but you have been tainted by evil. You surround
yourself with demons and I can stand you no longer. Be gone from my kingdom,
never to return, for you are not my brother. He died upon an artillery bolt
days ago. If you should enter Valdadore again, I will see you killed myself. Leave
my city and take your beasts with you, for those who remain will be put in
irons and tortured to learn what evil guides you. I, King Garret of Valdadore,
banish you from the lands of my kingdom!”

Seth’s heart stopped beating in his chest for longer than
could have been possible. It was true he had made some bad choices and paid
dearly for them. Many had died because of his actions. But this… to lose his
brother too… it pained him beyond measure. He had thought them inseparable. But
now he was being banished. Garret was not thinking straight.

“Garret, this is not what Father would want,” he pleaded.

“Then I suppose we should talk to him,” Garret replied. “Oh
wait, that’s right, you killed him!” Garret spat. “Now be gone with you,
demon!”

Seth did not know what to think. His head lowered in defeat,
he released his control on the magic and let it fade as Garret dropped his
sword arm and turned his back on them to rejoin the dead lady Linaya, dragging
the blade behind him. Seth watched him go a moment before he turned and began
to walk away from the palace. Sara reached out and grasped his hand in comfort,
and Borrik placed one giant hand upon his shoulder as well.

“I’ll inform the men that we are leaving, and have them
gather provisions.”

“Very well, Borrik,” Seth muttered.

“Don’t ye go too far, Prince Seth,” began Zorbin. “He’s
justa hurtin’ and he’ll be regrettin’ his words soon. Ye’ll see. Send message
of where ye’ve went to and when he calms down a bit, I’ll send ye word.”

Seth simply nodded halfheartedly in reply, so Sara spoke on
his behalf.

“That is very kind of you, Zorbin, you are a good friend to
the king. I pray that you stay by his side and help him through these dark
times.”

“Oh I will, m’lady. The light is easiest to seek when
surrounded by darkness. We dwarves know this well. I’m sure Garret will bounce
back quickly. Just give ’im some time.”

And that was farewell. With nothing further, the dwarf spun
on his heel to return to the palace. Seth, Sara, and Borrik strode through the
city, three beings that everyone cheered and feared just the same. When they reached
the wall of the city they found the gate still closed, so instead they turned
and climbed the rubble of the crumbled wall to look down upon their waiting
contingent of troops. All of Seth’s wolves had survived the ordeal, and nearly
eighty percent of his young rat soldiers as well.

He did not bother to stop and address them; instead he
walked past, and the contingent of mutated soldiers who fell in behind their
god, their master, and followed him obediently.

“So where do we go, love?” Sara asked, a sad quality to her
voice.

“We go to claim Sigrant’s kingdom for our own. We have a lot
of work to do and it is just as good a place to start as any.”

-End

I need YOUR help before I can begin writing book seven of
the series!  You see, at this point, I have two different paths to choose. 
From here forward, the stories of Seth and Garret will be divided into two
separate trilogies, one following Seth’s story, and the other, Garret’s.  But
before I continue writing, I need to know which story line you want to read
first!

What do you need to do?  Come and visit me on The Blood and
Brotherhood’s Facebook page here :
http://www.facebook.com/bloodandbrotherhood

Like the page and simply let me know that you have read The
Crowned and which storyline you would like to follow first.  Also, you should
know that I do contests and giveaways on the Facebook page regularly.  Past
prizes have included cash, Kindle Fire tablets, armor (yes actual armor), and
signed copies of my books, including very rare publisher proof copies!  So stop
by, say hi, and tell me what you want to read!

Available RIGHT NOW is a new Blood and Brotherhood trilogy
called Orc Destiny.  It parallels the timeline of the Blood and Brotherhood
Saga, but introduces new characters, races, concepts, and plot lines you will
want to be familiar with in books to come.  Come and visit the lands of the
Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins with me as another champion of the gods is born. 
Beware, here you find beasts with dark abilities!

Click here to begin
TWISTED FATE

(Orc Destiny, Volume I)

As many of you know, I am just another blue collar guy with
a passion for writing, that I one day hope to make a full time career.  I have
four daughters, an amazingly supportive wife, and a son who is due to join our
family in February of 2014.  We live in southern Louisiana in a small town
where nearly nothing exciting occurs.  But considering the hurricanes that
harass the area year after year, it is probably a good thing.

My dream becomes more and more a reality every time one of
you buys one of my books, and for that I am eternally grateful to you.  I do
appreciate the time you have spent with me on this journey through Thurr, and
hope to have you along for the ride when I write the conclusion.  It is you,
not me, who makes Thurr possible.  So it is with that reality, that I have to
ask of you a favor that will only take a few more moments of your time.

Though I love writing to no end, it is hard to sustain not
only the associated costs, but also the time involved in writing each book with
my large family and my normal day job as well.  But if you would just take a
few moments and return to the retailer where you have purchased my books, and
leave a candid review just two sentences long for each book, not only would you
be doing me (and my books) a great service, but you would also be helping me to
complete the next book in the series, by allowing me more time to write.

Now back to my wife’s “honey do” list….Thank you again!

Clad in Shadow
(Poetry for a Burdened Soul)

The Choosing
(Book One of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

The Chosen
(Book Two of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

The Changing
(Book Three of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

Crimson (Book 3.5
of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

The Contention
(Book Four of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

The Champions (Book
Five of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

The Crowned (Book Six of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)

Beyond The Mask
(The Beyond Book One)

Beyond The Flesh
(The Beyond Book Two)

Beyond The Soul (The Beyond Book Three)