The Guardians

Chapter 67

"What?" Sari was looking at the messenger in disbelief.

"I heard it with my own ears. From your son, of all people."

"Daylen? He's alive? Are you sure?" She was truly glad to hear he was alive after Arlan's message of having murdered her son and claiming she would be next. "And he's traveling with the prince?"

"He was with a small group. They were a ragtag bunch for sure. Two looked to be Paladins and two were spellcasters."

"There were survivors of Arlan's attack?"

"Seems to be. Do you think there's a chance that these rumors could be true?"

Sari sat in thought. Times had been tough for her forces. There had been many desertions since Daylen left and their skirmishes with Arlan's forces had been lacking. Morale was low. She was going to have to swallow her pride. And she wanted to see her son again, now that she knew Arlan had lied about his death.

"Do you know where he was headed?"

~~~

Arlan was scowling.

"That's impossible," he said. "There was no third son."

"Not according to my contact. She said that there was a group that was telling tales that the king had a surviving son and that he was recently returned to the Veloce. I found this group and I recognized the Guardian Commander. And there were two Paladins with them."

"So a few managed to escape. I thought we made sure everyone was dead in Paladins' Keep."

"We did. Either they escaped or they weren't at the Keep."

"Find out who this so-called son is. I doubt that he truly is my nephew's son and I will kill him just as I will kill Sari."

"Yes, my liege."

~~~

The two groups traveled from village to village and town to town, Aiden leading one and Daylen leading the other. Aiden's group visited the towns while Daylen's stopped in the villages. And the people were talking. The rumors spread in their wake. By the time either group arrived back in Atevora, the rumors had reached it. Daylen's group was the first to arrive. While Will, Neve, Draven, Kara, and the two Paladins returned to Alondo and Erin's house, where they stayed when they were in town, Daylen and Shara headed towards the tavern to hear the most recent news and gossip.

"You never did say why you left your mother's side," Shara suddenly asked. "You didn't think she needed you?"

"It was because of her that most of the Guardians were killed or captured. She thought she could take on Arlan in a head-on battle. Both Faeren and I tried to make her see reason, but it fell on deaf ears. After all was said and done, our friends are all that's left of the Guardians of Veloce. I couldn't stand by her and watch her sacrifice her men for her greed."

"Arlan's no better. He sacrifices anything and everything."

"That is true. And now that I know more of your past and why you became a mercenary, how did you come about becoming one?"

"Alora wasn't the nicest person in the world. I was broken. Completely broken. I cowered at her gaze. I hunkered in her presence. I crawled to her like an animal. I wasn't any better than an animal to her. The village I was born in was full of members of the Cult of the Dragon God. We coexisted with Deandra and her brood. Alora knew this and forced me to take her to Deandra's caverns. She enslaved Deandra and freed me. I don't know how long I was running in the wrong direction before I got my bearings and returned home. Only to see that Alora had forced Deandra to destroy my family."

"She hadn't planned on you being alive, then?"

Shara shook her head. "Not at all. I swore vengeance on Alora. I stumbled onto the Order of the Wolf, mostly dead from hunger. They took me in and trained me. I answered Arlan's call for mercenaries to go after Aiden and the others when they were disrupting his supply lines. You know the rest of the story."

"I thank the gods daily that you didn't leave me or Kara there to rot."

"I couldn't leave you. Even when I couldn't see you, I liked you. It horrified me to see you like that. And I sure as hell wasn't going to leave a Guardian."

"You know my first thought when I saw you was 'Holy Aroha, she's beautiful'." Shara touched the scar on her face and Daylen took that hand and traced that scar. "You are still beautiful with that scar."

"You flatter me."

"Someone should."

She smiled, touched that Daylen truly thought her beautiful. She leaned closer to him. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone approach Daylen from behind. "Hold that thought." Shara drew a dagger and dodged toward the figure. The figure tried to bat her away, but she dodged its hand. Shara slammed them against the wall, her dagger at the figure's throat.

"Shara, wait." Daylen placed a hand on her arm. The figure's hood had fallen back, revealing a woman with silver hair and a worn face. "How did you find me?"

"One of my messengers was in one of the villages you were visiting. I was told you would be here. Now, do you mind getting the whore off of me?"

"Do I look like a bloody whore?"

"She happens to be one of my companions, Mother," Daylen growled. "And she does not take kindly to being called a whore."

Sari snorted. Shara removed her dagger and stepped back towards Daylen, who didn't look very happy to see his mother.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"First, to see you. Arlan sent me a missive bragging about torturing you to death. I really thought I'd lost you." She touched his arm and Daylen took a step back. "Are the rumors true? The king truly did have a child out of wedlock?"

"Yes."

"Could you arrange a meeting?"

"No."

Sari deflated. "No? Why not?"

"Because I don't trust you not to try to kill him. Of course, you'll have to get past the rest of us first."

"Please, Daylen. I am desperate. Arlan has much more support and troops than I."

"And you think the heir to the throne will back you as queen? Think again."

"Just let me speak to him. That is all I ask."

"Your greed got every one, save a few, of the Guardians killed! Your own men want nothing to do with you!"

"You still hold me in scorn for that?"

Shara looked at Daylen, gently touching his arm. "We can talk to him. But we promise nothing," she said.

"Fair enough. I will be staying at the inn in the tavern." Sari pulled her hood back over her head and walked away from them.

Shara could see that she was desperate. But the question was what that desperation would lead her to do.