Books of the Immortals – Earth, by Barbara G.Tarn
Books of the Immortals - Earth, by Barbara G.Tarn
Books of the Immortals – Earth, by Barbara G.Tarn
Available at:
Amazon, Smashwords
Description: 500 years later – has the magic all vanished?
In the last Book of the Immortals the Magical Races are gone. Can Humans deal with the loss?
An actress turned journalist. The legitimized bastard son of a nobleman. A mercenary turned police woman. A runaway prince turned courtesan. Outsiders and witnesses of a hot summer of mysterious royal murders.
Silvery Earth faces its future without magic.
Excerpt:
A NEW YEAR
Spring brought a bloom of perfumed flowers at Castle de Sire. And the Fools’ Company, along with Charlize. Brenda greeted the Itinerant Whore with more enthusiasm than her former companions – except for Chester, there wasn’t anybody left in the company worth talking to.
“Did you change jobs?” Thea asked Charlize.
“Of course not, I only asked for a lift,” the blonde girl answered with a dazzling smile.
“How come they decided to come here?” Brenda asked. Castle de Sire wasn’t exactly on the main road for ambulant actors.
“Apparently Moranne has heard here sleep two of the most wanted bachelors of the kingdom, one as the owner of the castle, the other as his revered guest,” Charlize said with a glint of mockery in her eyes.
“She better stay away from them!” Thea said, belligerent as usual. “Nobody touches Kevan, especially someone who throws it in your face like her! As for Lord Gareth, I doubt she is his type!”
“And may I approach them?” Charlize shot an innocent look. Thea glared at her, but didn’t react.
“Kevan already has everything he needs,” Brenda said. “And Lord Gareth’s self-exile will end one day, although he might end up choosing a non-noble wife only to upset his father.”
“By the way, is he still gloomy about his father’s position?” Charlize asked.
“He was supposed to leave in spring, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to do it anytime soon,” Thea said.
Then Kevan, Gareth and Valfred came back from the paddock. As soon as he saw her, Valfred rushed to hug Charlize with his usual liveliness.
“Charlize!” He was so euphoric, he made her fly around in the castle courtyard. “So good to see you again!”
“Thank you, put me down now!” she giggled. “I’m glad you stayed with the ladies I introduced you to.”
“Oh, they’re great,” Valfred declared, pulling both Brenda and Thea closer. “But not as much as my new lord. Please meet Kevan de Sire and his noble guest Gareth de Fors.”
“I’m honored,” Charlize curtsied, glancing at both young men with her dazzling smile. Gareth stared at her open-mouthed, but Kevan smiled back out of courtesy, not impressed by her looks.
“I’ve heard about you,” he said. “I thought you traveled alone.”
“I usually do,” Charlize said. “But having found somebody going the same way…”
Master Jeannot and his daughter joined them, and Brenda introduced them.
“My lord,” Master Jeannot bowed deeply in spite of his big belly. “We would like to entertain you tonight. It’s a show written by here present Brenda de Zorig that we’ve been playing successfully for years.”
“Really? Which one?” Kevan looked at Brenda who shrugged.
“I don’t know, I wrote more than one,” she said.
“We’re doing The Master Armorer,” Master Jeannot said. “One of your first works, where you usually played Stephan.”
“Chantelle was Gisella, Crispin the Master Armorer…” Brenda smiled at the memory. “Who is going to play those parts?”
“I’m the protagonist,” Moranne announced, straightening herself so that her generous bosom seemed about to pop out of her dress. “And Minette plays your part.”
“Good-luck,” Brenda said, staring at the short young actress with pity.
Moranne tightened her lips, insulted.
“Well, I look forward to seeing the play,” Kevan said, glancing at Brenda, curious, but without asking questions.
The tables had been taken down from the dais where the Duke normally dined to allow stage space. Everybody sat at the same level in the great hall, and after dinner the actors went on stage while tables were put against the wall and more benches were added as if the great hall had become a real theater.
Kevan sat at the front center with Gareth, Riona and Johan on his left, Valfred and Thea on Gareth’s right and Brenda and Charlize at the two ends. Servants and village people crowded around them, ready to enjoy the show.
The play had also many popular songs weaved into the story, and the audience was captured by the story of a noble lady, overplayed by Moranne, who, forced to marry a man she didn’t love, ended up falling in love with a minstrel. Discovering the lovers, the husband kills Stephan the minstrel, forcing Gisella to run away. Thus she meets the Master Armorer who rids her of the evil husband and society rules in an exciting happy ending.
“Sorry for the very bad interpretation of the protagonist,” Brenda told Kevan as the actors took off the costumes and cleared the stage. “Chantelle was much better.”
“I’d have loved to see you on stage,” Kevan said. “Why did you play male parts?”
“There were too many women in the company.”
“Besides, Brenda loved wearing breeches at the time!” Thea quipped in.
“But you had to kiss another woman, especially in parts like this,” he said.
“My kisses with Chantelle were totally fake, our lips didn’t touch,” she said. If she thought that little witch of Moranne had said she had put her hands on her, she wanted to scream. The kisses the little wench had given to Minette during the play were definitely real! True that Minette was even more masculine than Thea… but still a female!
“Do you think they’d give me a female part to play with that Chester?” Valfred asked.
“You’re too hairy!” Thea said.
“Chester would never really kiss you,” Brenda smiled.
“Pity.” Valfred was disappointed.
Kevan noticed the disgusted expression on his brother-in-law’s face. Unlike Gareth, who was obviously more used to it, Johan couldn’t stand Valfred’s passion.
“Nice story, though,” Riona said.
“I wrote it when I still believed in love,” Brenda said.
“Why, you don’t believe in love anymore?” Johan asked insolently.
“She’s not the only one, I think,” Charlize said, glancing at Kevan. “May I read your hand, my lord?” she added taking his hand.
He abruptly freed himself, closing his fingers in a fist. “I didn’t know you were also a fortune-teller,” he said, hostile, averting his eyes.
“What are you afraid of?” she asked.
“The last one who read my hand predicted my wife’s death.”
“But she also promised a long, quiet future for you.”
He stared at her, stunned. How did she know? She wasn’t present when Shawonda had read his future! A green light flashed in the prostitute’s eyes, leaving him breathless. Suddenly he knew what his father had meant with “powerful entity”.
He slowly opened his fist and put his hand Charlize’s who smiled approvingly.
“I see the long road of sorrow is almost over,” she said, following the lines on his palm with one finger. “Your body is healed, to cure your soul you need to travel. A quest.”
“What am I supposed to look for?” he asked, upset.
“Yourself,” she said, looking him in the eyes. “And what you really want.”
The actors had finished changing and were flowing back into the great hall. Charlize let go of Kevan’s hand and looked at Gareth.
“That sort of quest would benefit a lot of people in this room,” she said.
“You never had a steady home, don’t you ever wish to stop, Charlize?” Brenda asked.
“No, never,” she smiled. “Life is movement, change, a road uphill where whoever stops is lost…”
“But only you can take care of yourself,” Brenda interrupted her bluntly. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m a little tired, I think I’ll go to bed,” she added, leaving quickly.
Moranne took advantage to approach Kevan and Gareth, and Brenda left the great hall with an unbearable sense of annoyance.
Charlize left with the Fools’ Company and two days later a messenger announced the arrival of the Duke. Kevan didn’t like his brother-in-law’s satisfied expression at the news. It looked like Johan was ready to discredit everybody in the Duke’s eyes. He decided it was time he set things straight between him and his not-too-correct brother-in-law, and solve the problem before the arrival of the Duke. Thus he summoned Johan for a private talk.
“When you asked me if I was still willing to give you my sister, I said yes in good faith,” he said. “But now I’ve changed my mind. You don’t make her happy, and you sow discord in the whole castle and village. Therefore I’ll take her back and order you to leave the compound before the Duke’s arrival.”
“You can’t!” Johan spat. “I married her! She’s my wife now!”
“You don’t have children,” Kevan said. “And you never will. Why don’t you look for a wife who can give you children?”
“Riona does it on purpose! I know she takes herbs! And I don’t know what she complains about!”
“You know very well, as you have shown your true nature while drunk. You did enough damage, Johan, leave Castle de Sire now.”
“Who’s going to put new shoes on your precious horses? How will you justify my absence to the Duke?”
“Do you really think I still have to justify myself with my father?” Kevan mocked. “He gave me the castle, I can do whatever I want with it! Go to Konigtown, Johan, with your ambition you could become the blacksmith of the Regent. You’re not welcome here anymore, today I’ll go to the temple to annul your marriage to Riona.”
Johan winced, pondering his next move.”You’re a stableman,” he hissed. “And I’m a blacksmith.”
“I’m a legitimated castle owner,” Kevan reminded him. “And you’re still a blacksmith. And not a very good one at that, Roger was much better.”
“There you go again!” Johan was furious. “You were in love with my brother, as much as you now love that Valfred! And Lord de Fors, whose paternal grand-father was the king’s brother’s lover…”
Kevan stiffened so as not to hit him. How dare he…
“Johan, leave!” he hissed. “I can’t believe you’re so spiteful as to insinuate even about he who cannot defend himself anymore. I hope exile will cure you of the envy gnawing at you since childhood towards your brother! And may Roger forgive your haphazard words. Out!”
Johan was about to object, but understood he better not. He had never seen Kevan so out of control of himself. He left quickly, leaving Kevan stiff as he tried to regain control of his feelings.
“Seems like you managed to get rid of me.”
Riona was startled as Johan’s arms surrounded her waist. She could feel his breath on her neck – no alcohol, but not a nice smell either.
“But I won’t leave without using your great body one last time,” he continued mockingly.
“Take your hands off of me!” she tried to free herself to no avail.
“You’re still my wife,” he said turning her over and pinning her to the wall. He closed her mouth with his while he pulled up her gown with one hand and blocked her arms with the other.
“Let me go!” Riona struggled only to find herself on the ground, her dress ripped off and her husband’s hands everywhere. “No!” she screamed. “Johan, stop!”
He pressed one hand on her mouth and continued his assault. He was violent like that awful day when, drunk, he had taken off his mask. It was hard to give a name to the smell of hatred and resentment coming from him, but it was choking her.
Thea broke into the room, her sword unsheathed, followed by Valfred who was also armed.
“Take your hands off her, you bastard!” Thea grabbed Johan and pulled him away from Riona’s body. At the same time, Valfred sunk his dagger in Johan’s belly.
“No man shall take a woman against her will,” he said darkly as Johan collapsed, incredulous.
Thea hugged Riona, who was sobbing, trying clumsily to cover her nudity. Valfred took a sheet from the nearby bed and wrapped it around Riona, helping her to lie down on a softer place.
Brenda, Kevan and Gareth rushed in, breathless.
“What happened?” Kevan asked, furious.
“Nothing, it’s all right,” Thea said bluntly. “Valfred, help me take away this son of a bitch. Brenda, you stay with Riona.”
Brenda went to the bed, while Kevan stared at his brother-in-law, bloodied but still alive. Johan spat more blood when Valfred and Thea picked him up, and sent Kevan a stare of pure hatred. Then he fainted, and Thea and Valfred dragged him away.
Kevan stood still, dazed. One part of him still couldn’t accept the real personality of Roger’s brother. How could they be so different? How could one have been his best friend while the other was his worst enemy? Why should Johan die too so he could live in peace?
“Kevan,” Brenda called softly.
He remembered Riona and went to hug her, not noticing Gareth’s stare at the abused young woman. Brenda dragged Gareth away, leaving the siblings to their own sorrow.
The Duke didn’t comment on the death of a blacksmith and promised to send someone from Lauranta. He looked as if he had aged during the winter, even if Catherine was pregnant.
“Will I ever have an heir from you?” he asked Kevan with apprehension.
“I don’t know, Father,” Kevan replied. “Give me time.”
“You have all the time you can wish for,” the Duke sighed. “As for me, I don’t have much left.”
“You’ll see a grandson from my side,” Kevan promised. “Not now, but you’ll see him.”
The Duke nodded with a sigh of resignation.
Books of the Immortals – Earth, by Barbara G.Tarn
Available at:
Amazon, Smashwords
Related posts:
Comments