Chapter One #2
Dethan pushed away from his brother and went back to the maps.
On the maps were small figures of wood meant to represent troop locations, so he could follow where they had progressed and where they had fallen back.
Kriza was a coastal city with a strong armada in its docks.
An armada they wanted control of very badly.
Fortunately for the brothers, an armada did a city no good on the land, and thus Kriza, for all its tremendous size and population, did not have a well-organized standing army.
The men of Kriza were used to working ships in defense of their city.
They were used to raids and battles that took place amongst the riggings of a vessel.
But fighting in the rocky terrain that surrounded their home was another story.
Jaykun’s army was a vast one. It was a compilation of warriors from many different cities—cities that the brothers had defeated and claimed as their own over the full turnings.
Normally Dethan would not be in battle with them.
Instead he would be making the rounds of the cities they had previously secured, making certain that the trusted men they had left behind to rule them were still securely in place and were supported if any type of discontent grew.
After all, Dethan was not immortal any longer.
He had traded away his immortality for a normal life with the woman he had claimed as his own.
The woman Jaykun now called sister. Selinda was the ruler of the city of Hexis and the mother of Dethan’s children.
She had given him three thus far, all very young, the eldest just four full turnings old.
The middle child was half that age and the youngest had been born mere weeks ago.
That was partly the reason why Dethan was on the battlefield.
He had gone to be by his wife’s side for the birth and then come straight to his brothers’ location before continuing on his progress through their other holdings.
In the past it had been Dethan who had commanded a great army and taken cities in the name of Weysa, and Jaykun had been his second in command. Now their roles had reversed and Jaykun was the leader of this army, Garreth and Dethan playing second to him in turns.
Because now it was Jaykun’s lot in life to win cities in the name of the warrior goddess, and his brothers were free to live and love their beautiful families in all but the summer wanings.
Garreth had a family as well. A beautiful wife and child, and another on the way.
Sarielle helped him to rule over their home city of Kith.
She was also a wrena, which meant she was soulbound to a mighty wyvern, a dragon-like beast that lived in the caves of the Asdar Mountains.
To be soulbound to the creature meant that she could speak into its mind, hear its thoughts, and feel its feelings.
To Jaykun, a wyvern would have been an excellent tool for an invading army …
except that every time the wyvern was injured, Jaykun’s new sister was injured as well.
The reverse also held true. And since Garreth did not want to see his wife come to any harm, they did not use the wyvern to help them advance on their target cities.
To say Jaykun envied his brothers was something of an understatement.
Oh, he did not actively seek or desire a family of his own—those days were long past him—but he did envy them their contentedness.
Their peace. He had never known a life that was not surrounded by war and strife, and perhaps he would be bored in a life without it … but still …
“Where is Tonkin?”
“He should be back shortly.”
Tonkin was Dethan’s most trusted aide.
He walked into the tent at that very instant. He was very tall, nearly as tall as Dethan, so he had to duck to enter the tent. He was broad shouldered and lean, and he always gave the overall impression of being very easygoing.
“Tonkin, are the supplies stowed?” Dethan asked.
Tonkin took in the tableau inside the tent, his eyes widening only a fraction as he saw Jaykun’s injuries and supine position on the cot.
Other than that, he acknowledged Jaykun’s injuries not at all.
It was typical of Tonkin to react very little to things.
It was one of the reasons the brothers kept him close.
Jaykun did not need someone who grew emotional at the drop of a hat.
His brothers used to be steady like that …
before they had fallen in love. Now they could be as emotional as most women were.
The juxtaposition of the situation gave him some measure of amusement.
“Yes. All the supplies are well secured. We should have another caravan coming on the morrow, according to the missive I just received.” Tonkin held up the letter he was referring to.
“Good.”
“Sor … you will sleep,” the mem said.
“The hell I will,” Jaykun barked at her.
“You do not have a choice. Your body, however strong and enchanted it might be, will force you to sleep so that you may heal more quickly.”
“I am not enchanted,” Jaykun barked.
“Of course you aren’t,” the mem said a bit dryly. “You are merely miraculously able to live after what should have been a death stroke.”
“She’s got you there,” Dethan said with a laugh.
Jaykun gave him a rude hand gesture. He turned to the mem. “You’ll not be speaking to anyone of miracles or anything else concerning this,” he said threateningly.
“Of course,” she said with a patient smile. “Have good dreams.”
“I am not going to sleep!” But Jaykun found himself suddenly with the desire to do just that. An overwhelming desire. An irresistible one.
He was asleep within minutes.