The Lords of Valdeon (3 page)

The mighty roar of a lion shook the marsh, throwing them back. Julian fell to the ground, covering his ears. Beside him, the Dirge convulsed in agony. A band of energy within Julian’s mind — his bond with the Lion Ring — snapped, leaving him disoriented. Screaming, he pressed at the hot blood escaping from his nostrils. His stinging eyes stared at the Sarcion Ring pulsing upon his trembling finger. The mental link to the Lion Ring had been lost.

Get up! You must find Leo before he disappears into the marsh. The Lion Ring’s life force has been drained. I can no longer track it now that the Jalora's power has left the stone!

He tumbled down the ruined walls toward the courtyard. The Dirge waited for him at the base of the wall, spotless though they had spilled a great deal of blood that day. Their fury at the Jalora's unexpected attack was evident in the gnashing teeth and vicious sword thrusts into still corpses.

Blood pooled on the ancient stone at their center. The heavy raindrops already mingled with the thickness of Leo's sacrifice. Soon any evidence of his escape would be washed away. The Dirge seemed to sense his intent. They sniffed at the muggy air. One of them brought its face close to the stone and snorted great gulps of air into its nostrils. Howling like a demonic bloodhound, it lurched forward. Julian hurriedly followed. Several drops of blood marked a trail leading toward the back of the ruins. He cursed when the Dirge pushed aside a loose stone. It was an opening to a hidden trail. Footprints led toward clumps of matted grass surrounding a large tributary. Bent reeds and muddied water revealed a boat had been hidden, waiting for Leo’s escape. His old quarry had tricked them again.

Pounding impotently at the mud, he tried to reach out with the Sarcion once more. It was no use. He'd failed. Leo had disappeared and taken his ring with him. Something floated in the water beside the grass. He prodded it over with the tip of his sword. It was a human finger. A nasty-looking oval shape was burned into the skin. Leo had left a piece of himself behind after all.

"We should have anticipated this." He spat at the abandoned flesh. "Leo would cut off his own finger in order to hide the Lion Ring."

Ranger honor. He'd endured it his entire life, along with his father's disappointment. Neither Julian nor his brothers had been chosen to bear the Lion Ring. What was not given willingly would be taken by force.

"I must have the Lion Ring. You well know what is at stake." He held the black ring out before him. "Legends warn none but the bearer of the Lion Ring may touch the throne."

Indeed. The Jackal Emperor will be disappointed at this latest failure. Your contract with him must be fulfilled. The consequences if you fail will be…unpleasant.

Their shared thoughts moved back to his elusive quarry. Leo had lost the powers of a ranger now that the Lion Ring was no longer attached to his body. Even so, they must find him soon. Others would be looking for the ring too. He stared out across the inhospitable marsh.

"There is no one else, Father! I am the last! Your only choice is to give me the ring!" He waited, but there was no reply. Not even the sound of oars moving through the water.

Brilliant white light exploded from the marsh to surround the ruins. Pulsing with unbridled energy, it rose upward in a towering wave above the trees. Then the walls of the abandoned fortress shook violently, sinking slowly to the marsh floor.

Run, Julian!
the Sarcion cried inside his mind.
If the Jalora's power touches you, death will follow!

He scrambled to his feet and raced back toward the stone path. The Dirge followed. Some were overtaken in the wave of light. Their agonized screams hurried his pace. He dove into the tangles of branches. Hacking desperately with his blade, he propelled his body out of the thicket. He landed hard upon the rocky shore and kept rolling until the light finally faded.

Human hands lifted him to his feet. Several of the crew stood beside longboats, watching the five remaining Dirge warily. Julian shook off the hands and crept carefully back to the stone path. He peered into the dead trees and muddied waters. The ruins were gone. Only the stillness of the marsh remained.

The Jalora was supposed to be a great champion of good. Today it had shown its ruthless side.

Chapter Two

Over the waves and past the horizon, four emerald towers rose above the foaming sea. Formed with solid rock, the Grey Cliff Isles defied time and the elements for centuries before man was able to conquer their surface. They offered a simple life for those hearty souls willing to endure harsh conditions and hard work. The smallest isle, Marianna, could be traveled around by pony in half a day. Difficult to reach from the mainland, it was the farthest point west in the realm of Andara. For Seth McCloud, the little isle may as well have been on the other side of the world.

His amber-flecked brown eyes stared up toward the vast heavens as the hull of an airship floated slowly out to sea. He'd watched airships come and go from the town of Haven Bay's port for most of his sixteen years. One day he'd be onboard a vessel headed for freedom. Nothing could kill his dreams of adventure on Andara, not time or the lack of funds.

A well-placed elbow poked at his ribs. Carrot-colored curls atop a short islander frame bounced along beside him. Bright blue eyes shimmered with impatience. His best friend, Riley Logan, was not one to be ignored.

"I said Stan swears the ribbon and bows will be walking through the market anytime now. We need to pick up our pace. Great gulls, Seth. You've seen airships a thousand times."

"Ribbons and bows" was Riley's pet name for the girls of Haven Bay. He and the other boys from the outlying farms made it a point to be in the market at week’s end. It was their only chance to catch a glimpse of softness other than the fuzzy tails of their woolie herds.

They walked down the little alley separating McTavish’s Mercantile and Old Ned’s Tailor Shop. Haven Bay Town Square opened up before them. Salty air filled Seth’s nostrils as they walked. The soles of his boots pounded upon the stone of the square, scattering a gaggle of seabirds in his wake. Far below, watery fists slammed against the rocks of the cliffs. Everyday sounds of children laughing and men arguing about the cost of feed announced they were entering the market. He leaned his head back, taking in the briny air.

Long rows of chalk-white shops stood like sentries. Windows filled with tantalizing goods beckoned to the ambling crowds of market time. Each gray door sported a shop’s name in bold, white letters. Each letter was in perfect uniformity with its neighbor. He rolled his eyes. Was it too much to ask for a missing letter or two?

“Ho! Seth! Riley,” Charlie McDermott called from the hitching post in front of Morgan’s Stable and Feed.

He brought a large, rough hand to smooth at the tiny bits of fuzzy stubble upon his square jaw. It wasn’t a handsome face, but Seth found it likeable. Jamie Newcastle and Stan McBride stood beside him. One stout and the other pole thin, they were an unimpressive pair in Charlie's massive shadow. The boys nodded their greetings as Seth and Riley joined them.

Seth leaned against the empty buckboard wagon. His eyes drifted up to the thin gray patch of autumn sky peeking over the eaves. Palms sweaty and stomach squirming, he tried to summon an attitude of calm in front of his friends. After months of excuses and hesitation, today was the day he'd walk up to Alice McKenzie and start a conversation. Perhaps they'd talk about harvest? Riley's family threw a big party every autumn. Imagine if he walked onto the dance floor with the prettiest girl in Haven Bay upon his arm?

“Have you seen them yet?” Riley asked, fingers combing through his untamed curls.

“Tea shoppe’s serving those nasty little powdery cakes today. Alice fancies those.” Stan gave Seth a sideways grin. “I expect she'll be along soon with the others.”

Jamie pointed at Seth's front. "Have you been rolling around in jam, McCloud?"

Cherry filling dotted the front of his best black waistcoat. Seth wiped at the sticky mess, his fingers managing to spread the preserves rather than hide them.

"That's a stain for sure. I was helping my mother pack her baskets this morning."

Jamie grunted and shook his head. "No offense to your mum, but I don't know why she bothers with such things. Your family isn't well off either, and that uncle of yours has a tight fist. Where does she get her money to waste on those who won't work?"

"We can't let the little ones go without."

Seth kept a tight grip on his anger. Jamie was the elder's son. He'd never had to do a hard day's work in his short life. His belly had never been empty nor had he been too cold to sleep. People like him couldn't understand need until they experienced it for themselves.

"Careful, Jamie." Charlie leaned forward, a mean look upon his face. "If not for Mrs. McCloud, Dad and I would have been in a hard place last spring when the feed went bad."

Riley stepped around Seth to stand before the elder's son. Bright blue eyes turned hard as an angry splotch of red formed on his neck. The infamous Logan temper was coming dangerously close to the surface.

"You and your fancy clothes. Seth and I will be rolling in riches when we make our fortune on the mainland."

“Ha! You two will never see the mainland. Do you expect to buy airship tickets with woolie dung? McCloud there can’t afford proper clothes — stomping about in his uncle's worn-out trousers.” The elder’s son poked a chubby finger toward them. “He’ll end up a poor book mouse in a little schoolroom someplace, while you'll be up to your knees in woolie dung the rest of your life.”

Charlie stood up straight with his arms crossed. “I’d rather do an honest day’s work than wind up like you, Newstuffle, working as a clerk in my father’s mercantile. You’ll be sitting on a stool until your backside’s too wide to fit through the door.”

Skirts swept by them, trailing the scent of flowers and apple. Seth took a deep whiff along with the rest of the boys as they let the group of pretty Marianna girls pass. Light-headed and a bit dazzled by the swirl of fabric and dancing ribbons, his palms began to sweat again.

“I have half a mind to ask Alice McKenzie for a walk down Farm Row come week’s end," Charlie told them.

“You say you will every week’s end and every week’s end you don’t.” Riley tilted his head with a chuckle. “Aye, and I can guess your reason.”

He pointed to the mercantile where two massive men pounded down the steps toward their wagon. Hands the size of shovels effortlessly gripped heavy sacks of feed. They were Alice’s brothers, Danny and Mike. Hardened from life on the farm, the brothers enjoyed brawling for money on the docks. Even the Logan boys, Riley’s six older brothers, gave them plenty of distance.

“I’d ask her. I have no fear of them.”

Stan lifted his chin with a sniff. A strand of blond hair fell across his wind-burned cheeks. His scrawny frame stood straighter as he took in a great gulp of air. He made an unimpressive figure despite his usual boasts. The group of boys burst into laughter. Seth couldn't find the humor to join them. He well knew what it was like to pine for a girl who wouldn't spare him a glance.

“Why don’t you go on and talk to Alice then, McCloud?" Stan grinned, catching Seth unaware. "Everyone knows you fancy her.”

“McCloud? Talk to a girl? Don't be stupid.”

Jamie's chubby fingers reached up to play with the large brown mole on his chin. Two hairs matching the muddy color of the mop atop his head jutted out wildly from the growth. His malicious grin widened as the barb struck home. Seth had just enough time to catch Riley’s fist as it flew toward Jamie. Riley may have been short on stature, but any one of them could testify his temper made up for it. The elder’s son blanched and fell quiet.

“Well, McCloud? They’ve stopped on the row. There won’t be a better time." Stan pushed Seth toward the group of girls. “I should think Marianna’s field ball team captain would need to have courage.”

“Let’s see you go first, McBride!” Riley turned on Stan, stepping toward him.

“It’s all right. I’ll go.”

Squaring his shoulders, Seth moved toward the group of girls like a man making his final walk to the gallows. His hands were shaking, and an uncomfortable shower of sweat had broken out upon his forehead. Strange buzzing filled his ears. Tingles raced up his arms and neck. He fancied Alice, but the sensation of being near her was typically more pleasant. These new symptoms — the buzzing and tingles — certainly didn't feel like love's tender touch.

He ran his open hand along the back of a metal bench. Stopping to take a steadying breath, his fingers gripped the metal tightly. The bar collapsed under his touch with a sharp pop. He yanked his fingers away. The top piece on the bench's frame had been crushed and twisted. He stepped back, staring down at his hands. What had happened? He'd sat upon this bench many times. It had never shown signs of decay. Marianna's weather was harsh, but certainly metal could withstand more than a few seasons under its skies.

"Hurry on, McCloud!" his friends called behind him.

Alice McKenzie stood at the very center of the skirts and ribbons. Her golden hair showered in little ringlets upon the soft yellow bodice of her gown. Meadow-green eyes watched Seth as he moved toward their numbers.

“Hello, Alice,” Seth blabbered, tucking his hands awkwardly inside his pockets.

“Well, Seth McCloud?” She brushed her curls aside and put her hands upon her hips, waiting.

Sunlight blanketed her hair setting it aglow with golden shimmers. By the green, green fields she was a beauty. He struggled to say something. Anything! The heat upon his skin rose to a feverish temperature. His palms had broken out into a sweat. He cleared his throat, suddenly aware of the gurgling sound as he tried to move his tongue.

Alice flipped her hair as she turned from him. The girls burst into giggles and twirled away, leaving Seth standing red-faced in the throngs of onlookers. He let out a choked breath and turned quickly toward the stables. His friends fell silent, letting Seth have a little of his dignity back.