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Everything Begins Chapter 112
“Take care of the bodies,” he growled at the nearest man who bobbed a quick bow and then turned to gather quite a few other men to do the Anmah’s bidding. The women who had watched the spectacle moved toward the villagers Frank had managed to simply render unconscious and started dragging them out of the middle of the road. Frank watched for a while, and then he sheathed his sword, spun on his heel, and entered the inn. Trudging up the stairs, he went to his room, pulled off his boots, and lay down on the bed to wait for morning.Three days later, weary to his very bones, Frank spotted the red tiled roofs of Torkeln from a rise about five leagues north of the city. Since the incident in Sarat, the Anmah had avoided all contact with the few villages he had seen, preferring to sleep in the forest rather than be subjected to another night of fighting. He sighed in relief when he saw the city and pressed Klyar on as fast as the horse could carry him. When he finally reached the north gate
Everything Begins Chapter 113
He pushed the door to the throne room open, ignoring the two guardsmen who were standing stiffly with perfect salutes. When he walked in, the throne was empty, but King Tomas and his father were at the same table he had seen when Jarda had brought him to the king the very first time. Both men's heads snapped up when the door opened, and Jarda smiled brightly."Ga'briyel! Welcome home!" he cried out, glancing at the king. When Tomas nodded, he walked quickly to his son and embraced him tightly. "I missed you, my boy," he whispered harshly. "I am so happy you are home.""And I missed you as well, Baba." Frank pulled away from his father, took two steps toward the table and dropped to his knee."Rise, Captain Mistri," Tomas said. When Frank did so, the king gestured toward a third chair at the table. "Sit and tell me what has happened to you these past moons.""Yes, sire." Frank and Jarda sat, and the Anmah told them both about the sons of Sayatan he had slain, the village where he had k
Everything Begins Chapter 114
You are probably right about that, my son. I shall have to get you a sword and staff and bow built to your size. It will be important for you to learn them as soon as possible. You may not be able to die, but I will not see you or your mama hurt because you do not know how to protect yourselves.Will you get Mama a sword as well, Baba?Yes, Adama, and I will teach her to use it. If, Yisu forbid, I am not around to protect you, I need to know you can do so without me.The baby frowned and patted his father's cheek. Where would you go, Baba? Will you not stay with us?Of course I will, my son, but no one can see the future, and there may be a time when I am not there for you."Captain Mistri?"Ga'briyel's head snapped up from where he was studying his son. King Tomas was staring at him intently. "Yes, sire?""Are you sure you want no one else to go with you on this journey? I can gather as many guardsmen as you wish. If you wish it.""No, thank you, sire. All I need is my family." He hu
Everything Begins Chapter 115
Unknown to the kosmar, Frank was fighting her in his mind. When she stripped him and herself bare, he battled with the vision of her and forced himself not to react. Devina noticed this and growled softly. She tried everything she could to stimulate the Anmah, but he struggled through it all and kept Sophyra in the forefront of his mind. With his wife's face emblazoned on his subconsciousness, he was able to resist everything Devina did to him. She became more and more frustrated as time went on, and then Frank slowly became aware of a voice in his mind.Baba! Wake up! Fight her, Baba!At that, Frank opened his eyes, and Devina jerked away from him. When he slowly stood, she backpedaled until she was against the door of the room. "How?" she asked softly."My family," Frank said quietly. "They protect me. Even from myself sometimes." He walked toward the kosmar until his sword's tip was at her throat, and then he grinned without humor. Devina's eyes went wide, and she raised her hands
Everything Begins Chapter 116
"A fool am I?" Frank snarled. "And what is it that makes me a fool, Daitya?"The man laughed. "Anyone is a fool who tries to fight Sayatan and his sons."Ga'bryel grinned, but if a human had seen that grin, they would have screamed. "And yet I have killed three of his sons already, Daitya. Dismembered, they are rotting away as we speak, never to come together again. Soon they will be only bones." He shrugged as if it mattered not a bit to him. "I assume their souls are gone as well. That is what Telantes told me."At the name of the Debaduta, every Daitya recoiled. "That interfering spirit!" the spokesman said with a snarl. "He has been far too involved in your life, Sainika. Sayatan will deal with him in time. We may be able to banish him for a year or so, but Sayatan can destroy him as easily as you can destroy us.""Speaking of," Frank said, taking a step closer to the Daitya and readying his sword, "I am going to destroy you all right now.""You would fight unarmed men?""You are
Everything Begins Chapter 117
There were several villages through which they rode where Frank and Sophyra were given distasteful glares when adults saw the tiny boy riding alone on the large bay, but while Sophyra took each look to heart, Frank ignored them completely. He could not ignore Adama’s innocent question the first time it happened, however.“Baba, why is everyone so angry?”“What do you mean, my son?”“When we enter a town, people stare at me as if they are angry.”Frank smiled. “They are not used to seeing such a small boy riding alone without support. They do not understand that you are not like other boys, Adama, and they disapprove of what they do not understand.”“I could make them understand, Baba. May I try, please?”With a shrug, Frank acquiesced. “You may try, Adama, but I do not believe you will have much success.”They had stopped at the first inn they had come to, having been in the saddle and sleeping on the ground for the past four days and nights, and Frank dropped from his saddle, helped
Everything Begins Chapter 118
“It is, but they know you are here, and they will block your ability to sense them. I will do my best to help you find them, but I am at risk if I leave this building, as well. I do not wish to be banished, and so I generally stay here. They know of me, of course, but there is nothing they can do about it.” Luija came around the bar, gestured over his shoulder, and walked toward the hallway that led off to the right of the main room. “I assume you would prefer a ground-level room, Sainika?”Frank did not move. “Why would you assume that, Debaduta?”The man smiled as he turned to face his newest boarders. “Stairs can slow you down if you need to leave the inn quickly, Sainika.”“Nevertheless, I would prefer a room above ground. Stairs may slow me down a bit, but I do not want anyone to be able to reach our room while we sleep. I will not risk my family like that, Luija. They are my life, and if I lose them, I cannot be responsible for what will happen.”Luija frowned at that last state
Everything Begins Chapter 119
“Nor should you, my child.” Frank looked at his son, forced his eyes to dim, and smiled. He sat down next to Sophyra on the bench she had chosen, pulled her close, and kissed her softly. “Later, my heart.” He groaned softly when her heat almost smothered him. “Please, Sophyra, stop. Not now.”She rested her hand on his thigh and began to trace small circles on it. “I will try, my love, but it will be difficult knowing what you have planned for later.” She smiled coyly at him as Luija entered the room with a platter full of food. He set it on the table, smiled at Ga’briyel, and spoke softly.“I would love to speak with your son later on, Sainika. I think we could speak together for several hours. You and your wife could retire early to your room, I think, if you would like that.”Grinning and letting his eyes flare once, Frank answered, “I would like that very much, Luija, thank you. I was going to ask you if you would watch him for a while.”“Watch him? There would be no watching, Ga’