Queen of Jastain (36 page)

Lyndsea stood, her straight brown hair falling into her eyes. "“Oh, I’ll get you something. I helped Saundra put the food up earlier and know where it is.”

Avant nodded and sat down. “Thank you.”

She blushed and scurried to the kitchen. Abby turned the Crown over in her hand. The cool metal weighed heavier than she anticipated, but smooth to the touch. A ring of intricate scrollwork, about half an inch wide
,
above the solid band graduated to a rounded point in the center of the circlet—the space where the Stone of Light sat above the others. She considered trying it on her head to see how it fit, but one sideways glance at Avant confirmed that was not the best idea. The skirmish with Aesdil’s men, and presumably his empty stomach, had made him snappish.

Abby fingered the last hole in the crown. “Where are we going to find the amethysts?”

Petra stared at the circlet. “Those are the last stones you’re looking for?”

Abby sighed as she gazed into his chocolate brown eyes. His face showed no hint of previous hurt, but he hid his heartbreak well. She knew he still loved her even though she’d chosen Avant, but she also knew he would do whatever it took to keep the peace and relieve the awkwardness.

Avant focused on the crown. “Once we find them, the Crown can be completed, but we are at a loss as to where to look.”

Abby held up the Crown to Petra and pointed to the pentagon shaped opening at the end. “The amethysts go here, in these holes.”

Petra stared at it with a puzzled expression. “May I take a look, Abby?”

She raised her brow and nodded. “Sure.”

Petra stood and walked to Avant. “Here, take the baby.” He quickly handed Avant Baby Abby before he could protest.

Abby passed Petra the Crown. He held it close to his face and fingered the opening. “Abby, what color are amethysts?”

“Purple usually.”

His face clouded, and he stared past her. “I have two purple stones this shape.”

“I don’t think you can put just any purple stone in there.”

“No, Abby. I think I have these stones.”

“
What?
Avant, did you hear….” She turned to him, but Avant hadn’t heard a word. Mesmerized by the sweet-faced little angel in his arms, he sat holding her with a gentleness she'd only seen in him once before, in a cave. Her heart melted like marshmallows in hot chocolate. In all these weeks, he'd never once held the baby girl that could be his granddaughter. In fact, she was certain he'd never held any baby.

Abby suspected the little thing had been born premature, but Lyndsea couldn’t remember Baby Abby’s exact birthday, only that she thought it was early April. Abby glanced over at Petra, and he grinned knowingly. The child had now captured the heart of every man in the house. Abby smiled. Lucky little girl. These men were the best she would find anywhere.

Petra handed the Crown back to Abby and ran upstairs to get the jewels. She scooted next to Avant. “She's beautiful, isn’t she?”

His face glowed with wonder, as if the baby had been invisible until she was placed in his arms. Her heart hurt for Avant. He would've had the joy of his own children if it weren’t for the Darkness.
Maybe one day.

“She is so small and weightless.” Baby Abby gripped her little hand around Avant’s pinky, and at that moment, he was wrapped around hers.

Lyndsea and Chad arrived with a tray of food and drinks. Lyndsea took the baby from Avant. He stared at them. “Your daughter is beautiful, and she always has a home here, as do you both.” He picked up a piece of bread and looked around the room. “Where is Petra?”

Abby was in the middle of explaining when Petra bolted in with a large wooden inlaid box.

Avant took one wide-eyed look at it and asked, “Petra, where did you get that?”

“This is the wooden box I had when you found me, Avant. It’s all I have of my family.”

Petra opened the box to reveal several items made of silver, a white gold filigree locket, and a rounded cylinder of amber. He removed each item reverently. When the box was empty, he felt along the inside edges for the trigger. A small drawer popped out of the side. Petra pulled it out and handed it to Avant. Inside sat two pentagon shaped amethysts.

“I found these shortly after you took me in. I’ve always believed they had a special purpose, but hadn’t thought about them in years…until Abby showed me the Crown. The unique shape of the stone triggered my memory.”

Avant put his hand on Petra’s shoulder. “I am sorry I have never asked you more about your family. I felt you would tell me if you wanted to talk. Do you remember the names of your parents?”

Petra nodded. “My father’s name was Fortis and my mother was—”

“Ferial.” Avant looked at Petra as if for the first time.

“Yes.”

Abby rubbed down the hair on her arms.

Avant said, “Ferial and Sentieve were sisters. I heard she and her husband went into hiding after Sentieve married the king. You and Chad are first cousins, which explains the striking resemblance. Abigail, I am shocked we didn’t see it before. The Light has provided everything we need through those we love the most.”

Chad brought in the emeralds, Abby ran and got the rubies, and Avant got his sword, which he swore never to Implant without again. For the first time in over forty years, all of the pieces were in the same room together.

“How do we get the jewels reset? None of us are jewelers,” Abby asked.

Avant smiled. “The Light always provides. There is someone who can set the stones.”

“Hossa?” Petra asked.

Avant nodded.

The next morning Abby and Avant made a trip to the home of Hossa and Annova. Riding the valley south, they stopped in the village for their favorite
panas
and ate their breakfast on the way to the vineyards.

Avant had been unusually quiet. The fact that he hadn’t touched her since they’d made love in Dallas weeks ago gnawed at her heart. Vicious thoughts plagued her mind. Thoughts of him hating her, leaving her and breaking her heart sliced like sharp glass in her stomach, and she hadn't been able to eat since they acquired the Crown.

She knew the prophecy weighed on his mind, but it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t want the damn job, and if it made him happy, he could have it. God knows, he’d be better at it than she would. Besides, when he became king, everyone would assume he made the decisions anyway—including him. Then they could live happily ever after just like in the fairytales—she raked her gaze over his body—only hotter. Way hotter.

He turned his head toward her as if he’d caught the tenor of her thought. “Hossa was a commissioned artisan of the previous king, but when the king killed my father, Hossa and Annova fled to the west and eventually made their way north, where they found me. He forged my sword.”

When they arrived at the house, Avant opened the door and entered without knocking. “Annova, are you home?”

The graceful beauty glided down the stairs. “Avant, you bring Light into my house. I perceive you've found the Crown!”

“It is finally time for restoration. We have all the pieces.” He beamed at her.

Annova took both of Abby’s hands. “Abigail, we have all longed for this day, waiting patiently for the Light to bring you to us.” She pulled her toward the stairs. “Hossa is preparing his tools upstairs. I saw you coming last night. You were in darkness, and Abigail found a key which led to the Crown.”

Abby eyes widened and she nodded. “That is pretty much what happened.”

Hossa took the Crown and spent the next few hours setting the jewels into the band. Abby and Avant sat, stood, paced, and watched in silence.

Finally, Hossa looked to Avant. “It is time. I need the Stone of Light.”

Avant didn’t move but stared at the Crown.

Abby glanced over at him. His face lined with stress, his eyes remote. “Avant, are you okay?”

She reached to stroke his arm. His muscles tensed, and he flinched. Hossa walked to the hall for Annova, but she was already there and came speedily to them.

“Avant, my love. It's time to let the Light go.” Annova touched his shoulder. He looked up at her and nodded.

Abby held her breath and a knot formed in her throat. With a gesture that clearly caused him pain, he took the diamond from his ear and handed it to Hossa.

Hossa set the Stone of Light in the glittering band. A bright light flashed and a sound like thunder cracked. Abby’s heart jumped to her throat, pounding out a beat and reminding her of that scene in
Raiders of the Lost Ark
where people’s faces melted off as they turned to dust. She hid her eyes to escape impending death. That is, until a perturbed Avant poked her in the arm, and she realized her face was buried in his chest. She lifted her head to find everyone staring. With her cheeks the temperature of magma, she mumbled an apology and tried to smooth out the wrinkles she’d made in Avant’s linen shirt.

Their gazes turned to the finished crown, and they let out a collective sigh. As a piece of art and adornment, the Crown was splendid, but as a tool and relic of the Light that brought life to the Kingdom, it was transcendent. They all stared wide-eyed at its splendor.

Avant was the first to break the spell. He held out his hand, but Hossa shook his head and held the diadem out to Abby. Avant glared at her. She shrank back.

Focusing on Hossa and the crown, she shook her head. “I can’t.”

Hossa’s quiet voice held an authority she couldn't place. “My dear, it's your destiny. You must or no one will.”

Annova spoke quietly to Avant, “Support her. It's your destiny.”

Abby could see the weight of Annova’s words press on Avant. He squared his shoulders. “Abigail, the Light has spoken. Take the Crown.” He nodded solemnly. “It belongs to you.”

Avant was a warrior of great pride. She knew what it cost him to utter those words. She smiled appreciatively at him. He truly was the bravest man she’d ever known. At his encouragement, she reached out her hand and curled her fingers around the band.

A bright light shone from the golden circlet, all colors of the stones illuminating the faces in the room. Her hands trembled and vibrated. The power was as real as the pull of the Great River. It poured through her with a mighty, rushing current, flowing deep and wide.

The weight of the crown became the weight of the world, her world, in her hands. She studied each set of sparkling jewels, unable to tear her gaze from them. The amethysts, provided by Petra, flanked the row of stones on both outer sides and glinted with peace and diplomacy. The emeralds, provided by Chad, were set next. They represented the knowledge and skill to make the world better. Then came the rubies, carried by her own mother, which represented sacrifice and love. Finally, the sapphires that Avant had skillfully pried from his sword represented loyalty and strength. The blue gems surrounded the Stone of Light, protecting all that was holy and pure. Each stone and setting glinted with a beauty and uniqueness all its own. Each was wholly necessary for the completion of the task. But, together, they represented the greatness of a people for their land and country. The completed crown represented everything good she’d come to love in Jastain. A stillness settled over the room, a quiet wonder. She’d never felt so honored or humbled by any sight.

Reality and reverence swept her over. Their success or failure meant the literal difference between life and death, and for the first time since the Great Heights, she felt the grace of the Light infusing her with the ability to accomplish the greater task.

Every face dimmed as the Crown burned brighter and took focus from all else.

* * * *

Avant paced the parlor while he and Petra mapped out the plot to take the castle. He tapped his lip in contemplation. With the additional men from the southern territories, he had six thousand troops at his command, but the king had more than fifteen thousand. Through spies, he'd learned the king had sent nine hundred men to guard the Northern Passage of the Itehris. Aesdil also had the roads and bridges leading to the castle guarded with at least two thousand men and ten thousand more ready to move at a moment's notice.

He spread a map over the small table he’d moved in front of the sofa. “In open battle, I am confident my men can best the king’s army though outnumbered almost two to one. The difficulty lies in the castle stronghold. Aesdil reserves the best and strongest soldiers for his personal guard. I trained many of them myself. They are far better equipped and number at least three thousand. Within the confines of the castle, I need every available man of my six thousand to breech the keep, which means we cannot sustain heavy casualties in open battle.”

He huffed out a breath and steepled his fingers. The king would do whatever it took to keep himself safe and maintain the kingdom—even if that meant sacrificing his general army to Avant’s men. They must find a way to lead the troops to the castle without engaging the majority of Aesdil’s army.

Another issue was how to actually breach the castle. The wooden gateway was, as always, the weakest point, but the dual ironclad doorway sat twelve inches thick and would not yield easily to anything with which they could batter it.

Chad stared at Abigail. “Abby, didn’t you say you Implanted here in your X-terra?”

A twinge of jealousy shot through Avant’s heart, but he snuffed out the emotion. As it had been from the beginning, this was now a task that required levelheadedness, free from sentiment.

“Yes! Do you think we could use it against the gates?” Abigail's beautiful face lit with her reply.

His love for Abigail had only intensified since they’d made love, but he’d kept those emotions firmly intact. Once the battle was over and peace was restored, he could attend the emotion. Until then, he must maintain his distance. Or, so he told himself.

The others watched in awe as Chad took a quill and did some mathematical equations on a piece of parchment. Pride welled in Avant's chest.
With his mental faculties, this young man is surely my son.

“Avant, do you have access to a blacksmith?” Chad asked.

“Yes.”

Chad explained, “I believe we can reinforce the front end of the vehicle so a velocity of eighty-five mph would be strong enough to penetrate the gates. The challenge will be in exiting the moving vehicle prior to impact. No one could withstand the impact at that speed and live.”