The disquieted land, p.1
The Disquieted Land, page 1
part #5 of The Memory Stone Series
As Theus was walking Coriae to the altar, each of them dressed resplendently, an extremely loud cracking noise sounded, followed by shrieks, as the reddish waters of the pool suddenly rose up and assumed the shape of a large human figure, no longer red, but instead a greyish blue color.
It was Currense, the goddess of the rivers, coming to Theus’s wedding ceremony. The bride and groom stopped in their tracks and looked up in surprise at the arrival of the unexpected guest.
“I have come because I wish to observe this special moment, the marriage of one of my greatest acolytes,” the goddess spoke, the sound of her voice instantly quieting the roar of conversations among the crowd of guests.
Moments later there was another, deeper cracking noise atop the slopes behind the crowd, and all heads turned again to see that Limber had arisen from the stony top of the hill, a resplendent black figure that towered over the scene.
“I also wanted to take this short break from the discomfort of the realm of the gods to come back to Earth to observe Theus’s wedding, and to wish he and the clever Coriae all the best of luck and fortune in their coming long years together.”
There was once again a deafening crack of deep noise, as another god arrived to witness the nuptials of their human protégé, but this one arrived with a smaller, human figure by his side, and a scowl on his face.
It was Trinte, the god of stones. To most of the audience, the appearance of the god was less shocking than it might have been had others of his race not already arrived.
For three members of the wedding gathering though, it was the appearance of the human figure next to Trinte that was even more extraordinary than the god.
The black magician Donal stood at the side of Trinte, grinning grimly.
The story told herein is fictional. Any resemblance to past or present circumstances, persons, or places is entirely coincidental.
Fantasy Series by Jeffrey Quyle
The Wind Word Series
The Mirror After the Cavern
The Pearl Diver
3.Amenozume, Heights and Depths
4. Foundations, Broken and Built
Memory Stones Series
Journey Through the River Cities
The Deadly Magician
Unpredictable Fortunes
Tangled Engagements
The Disquieted Land
The Inner Seas Kingdoms Series
1. The Healing Spring
2. The Yellow Palace
3. Road of Shadows
4. A Foreign Heart
5. Journey to Uniontown
6. The Guided Journey
7. An Unexpected Deity
8. A Marriage of Friends
The Ingenairii Series
Visions of Power
2. At the Seat of Power
3. The Loss of Power
4. The Lifesaving Power
5. Against the Empire
6. Preserving the Ingenairii
7. Rescuing the Captive
8. Ajacii and Demons
9. The Caravan Road
10. The Journey Home
11. The Cloud of Darkness
12. The Past Revisited
Alchemy’s Apprentice Series
The Gorgon’s Blood Solution
The Echidna’s Scale
Scarlet from Gold
The Southern Trail
The Southern Continent Series
The Elemental Jewels
Perilous Travels
The Greater Challenge
Out of the Wilderness
For more information, visit the Ingenairii Series on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ingenairiiseries
The Disquieted Land
The Memory Stones Series
Book 5
Jeffrey Quyle
Index
Chapter 1 Page 1
Chapter 2 Page 11
Chapter 3 Page 21
Chapter 4 Page 36
Chapter 5 Page 66
Chapter 6 Page 80
Chapter 7 Page 91
Chapter 8 Page 105
Chapter 9 Page 124
Chapter 10 Page 127
Chapter 11 Page 135
Chapter 12 Page 137
Chapter 13 Page 163
Chapter 14 Page 168
Chapter 15 Page 171
Chapter 16 Page 182
Chapter 17 Page 196
Chapter 18 Page 220
Chapter 19 Page 227
Chapter 20 Page 230
Chapter 21 Page 234
Chapter 22 Page 243
Chapter 23 Page 250
Chapter 24 Page 260
Chapter 25 Page 274
Chapter 26 Page 278
Chapter 27 Page 282
Chapter 28 Page 290
Chapter 29 Page 301
Chapter 30 Page 304
Chapter 31 Page 306
Chapter 32 Page 312
List of Characters
Theus, Marshal of Limber
Coriae, daughter of the House of Warrell
Forgon, Heir of the House of Warrell
Mason, Great Forks apprentice
Glory, Great Forks apprentice
Trey, Great Forks apprentice
Cleo, Great Forks singer
Eiren, co-ruler of Greenfalls
Alsman, co-ruler of Greenfalls, former priest
Holco, King of Stoke
Amory, Prince of Steep Rise
Amelia, Princess of Steep Rise
Thera, Queen of Limber
Montuse, Southsand soldier, now in Limber
Alamice, Southsand soldier, now in Limber
Letta, Magician in the court of Southsand
Citrice, Queen of Southsand
Lanaie, Member of the Court of Stoke
Crystal, a Granitine of Limber
Colline, young noblewoman of Steep Rise
Earl Krabel, influential nobleman of Steep Rise
Redford, Steep Rise royal bodyguard
Prologue
Theus had been born into a poor farming family living an ordinary life in the rural lands of the Jewel Hills, on the very edge of the wilderness. His family’s poverty had caused Theus to be sold as an indentured servant to Grant, a traveling trader.
It was while he was in service to Grant, traveling with a caravan of traders heading towards civilization, that Theus realized the world was a stranger place than he had imagined. A quiet, bodiless voice began to speak to him, offering advice and direction, which Theus found to be useful.
His indentureship ended prematurely when he was attacked by bandits and sent downstream to the city of Great Forks. He came to work as an apprentice in the shop of a merchant selling memory stones, and he discovered that he had a talent for the stones.
In Great Forks he also became involved with the ancient Warrell family, nobles who were at the top of society. His friendship with Forgon Warrell, the heir to the family name, gave Theus opportunity to learn to be a better swordsman, and also brought him into contact with Coriae, the beautiful, spirited sister of Forgon.
When Theus left Great Forks, his adventures grew darker, more dangerous, and more meaningful. He was exposed to the malevolent evilness of Southsand’s black magician, Donal. He barely escaped, but he was soon called to return to help a friend.
And Theus found that he too could be a magician, a white magician. Need drove him to accept the role, which then propelled him to become a champion against Donal.
Through magic, adversity, fortune, and the support of the gods, Theus was able to grow strong enough to fight Donal and win. And he found that he won the heart of Coriae Warrell too.
Life for Theus seemed wonderful, with an exciting new chapter about to begin.
Chapter 1
Theus woke later than usual in the morning. He woke to the sight of a strip of sunlight cutting across the floor in his room at a steeper angle than he expected, when he finally sat up and recognized that the sunlight ribbon existed. The angle of the light told him that the sun had risen far higher than he had expected.
It was the morning after the Loving Festival of Gelate, and Theus knew that he had celebrated the festival too well. There was a remedy for hangovers he knew, one that would require him to go down to the kitchen and mix the remedy for himself. He wasn’t sure he wanted to make the long journey through the halls and down the stairs to the kitchen. He gingerly stood up beside his bed and felt throbbing in his head and a churning discomfort in his stomach, confirmation that he wouldn’t have a reputable trip to the kitchen.
The metal cuffs around his wrists glowed dully. They momentarily reminded him of the crushing and extraordinary battles he had gone through just a few weeks earlier, when he’d been in Southsand and had fought Donal, then vanquished Ind’Petro. The battles had been terrible, soul-numbing and physically painful. Yet at the moment, he found the discomfort of his hangover to seem just as unpleasant, and he wished he could magically wash away his growing unsteadiness.
He looked across the room at the door to his bathing room, and prepared to launch himself in that direction, when his mind belatedly recognized that his cuffs were still slightly aglow, and offered a miraculous rescue from the effects of his over-indulgence.
Theus gave an audible sigh of relief as he lifted his cuffs to his temples, and then trickled a light stream of energy into his own body, an immediate balm that removed his headache and then his raspy throat and then his churning stomach and his weak legs.
“Oh thank you Limber,” he practically crooned the phrase.
Theus looked at the cuffs on his arms, the astonishing gift from Limber, given months early. The utility of the cuffs had become evident to Theus only when he’d needed them most desperately in his battle against Donal atop the tower in Southsand. Even now, weeks later, they provided benefits – the cuffs delivered power and bolstered it.
Theus raised his right hand and gave a jaunty salute upward to the sky to acknowledge Limber once more. He pulled clothes on and then opened his door and stepped out into the bright hallway.
Just a few feet away was the door to Coriae’s room, still shut against the start of the day. Theus stood still and stared vacantly at the door as his mind was filled with a flood of memories of the extraordinary night before. He’d come upon Coriae at the start of the evening’s festivities, arriving and surprising her as he finished his grueling journey from Southsand to Great Forks in a single day.
Despite his exhaustion, he’d been so intoxicated with his reunion with Coriae that he’d felt no sense of being tired. He’d only felt a fulfillment from having returned to be in her presence once again. He was in love with her.
He’d known her for many months in one sense, but the horrors he’d endured and the remedies they’d required had wiped away months of his memories of the brilliant daughter of an ancient Great Falls noble family. Theus could only recount a few weeks of experiences with Coriae, but those few weeks had been enough to leave him infatuated with her and once again engaged to her.
And last night! Amid the exhilaration of the festival and the passion of their reunion after the long, dangerous separation, with Theus’s energies and abilities to enable the couple to transcend the relaxed limits of the festival, the couple had lived a more unencumbered episode of life than Theus had ever known.
They had flown through the air with his powers, imbibed wines repeatedly, danced upon rooftops and strolled invisibly past guards, and kissed and caressed each other with stamina and vigor and unslaked desire for intimacy. Theus remembered much, and blushed; but he found gaps in his memory too – such as when and how he had ended the evening in his own bed.
He heard a distant noise in the house, one perhaps far removed in the kitchen, then realized he had not moved a step away from his door. He walked to Coriae’s door and stopped indecisively, then decided to let the girl sleep and rest as much as she needed. He strolled down the stairs, where Lorinse the steward happened to cross his path.
“Congratulations on being the second of the youths to arise this morning,” Lorinse said jovially. “You cost me a pint of punch; I bet the rest of the staff that you would be the first one up. You were always so punctual and early when you lived with us before, you know.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Theus grinned. “Who woke up before me?” he asked keenly, hopeful that Coriae might already be miraculously awake and available for him to rejoin.
“As you might suspect, it was lovely Miss Amelia. The girl is as much as a saint as you seemed to be when you first arrived,” Lorinse replied, then seemed to realize what he had implied. “And of course you’re even a better guest – member of the family, really – now; we’re lucky to have you in the household!” he tried to correct his comment.
Theus’s grin broadened. “I understand. And if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go visit our friends in the kitchen to have a bite of breakfast,” he nodded his head and passed on through the home’s halls to step into the kitchen in the back of the building.
It was a familiar comfortable place. Scattered among the time period of his lost memories he retained an awareness of spending time in the kitchen, talking to the staff as a peer, back when he’d first arrived in Great Forks and delivered a packet of Grant’s jewels to Lord Warrell as a part of his service as an indentured servant. The staff in the kitchen had treated him kindly and accepted his presence as a suitable newcomer.
He knew where to find the slices of fresh bread and a flask of freshly squeezed fruit juice. He sat at the small side table and served himself, then he slipped out the back door.
He saw that the family carriage stood within sight, inside the open doors of the carriage house next to the stables. Amelia and Forgon had had the carriage to themselves for most of the night – once Theus had spirited Coriae away with their flight away from the balcony where Theus had located the others sitting. He’d stayed with them just long enough to enjoy a warm reunion with Coriae’s brother and Forgon’s unofficial fiancée before he’d swept his beloved Coriae upward and away.
A stable hand was wiping the exterior of the carriage, removing the dirt from the previous night’s ride through the city. Theus gave a friendly wave, then walked into the garden and found a seat on a bench beneath a bower that was a profusion of clematis blooms. The seat was relaxing. Theus appreciated the peace.
Peace. It was a word that had new meaning. He was going to enjoy peace. There was no war ahead of him, he thoughtfully let his mind consider. Southsand was no longer an aggressive power. Donal was no longer an evil magician. Ind’Petro was no longer a hostile deity. The terrible names that had haunted him and led him on a path towards a violent death were no longer present.
“Theus!” a woman’s voice called his name softly, and he opened his eyes expectantly, his heart rate momentarily rising.
It wasn’t Coriae, he saw, but it was Amelia, a sight that was nearly as welcome as Coriae would have been.
He stood up as he saw the bright-eyed girl stride away from the armory to come join him in his sheltered seat.
“I’m so glad to see you!” her voice inflection rose with enthusiasm as she approached. “I barely got to hug you last night before you and Coriae were off flying away – really flying!” she giggled, as the pair hugged tightly, then sat down together.
“I’m so glad you’re back and you’re alive and well. I’ve heard there are reports from traders saying things have changed down in Southsand and Steep Rise; I’m so anxious to know what happened. Can you tell me, please?” she entreated him, anxiously holding both his hands in hers.
“Things have changed,” he softly repeated the phrase, his eyes staring off without focus for a moment.
“Donal is dead,” Theus began.
“I knew it!” Amelia’s voice rose in a triumphant ring. “I knew when I saw you alive that it had to be true!” She leaned against him and hugged him tightly, her body trembling with the sobs that released and reflected her emotions.
“What do I stumble upon here?” Coriae’s voice sounded, surprising Theus as he closed his eyes and shared Amelia’s strong emotions.
He looked over and saw a pale and unwell demeanor on the face of the woman who he had spent hours of the night with. She looked less unwell than Theus had felt upon awakening, but the difference appeared to be only a matter of degree. She had a robe pulled tightly around whatever she wore beneath.
“Is my fiancé under the influence of another woman?” Coriae asked in a voice that was on the edge of ungraciousness.
Theus gently removed his arms from around Amelia.
“How could I ever be lured away from your radiance?” he asked as he stood. He began to circle his arms around Coriae.
“I’m not in a mood to do that this morning,” she leaned backwards, away from him.
“Not even in the mood for this?” Theus asked as he raised his hands and clasped his metal cuffs on either side of Coriae’s head before she could duck away, and he released a gentle sprinkling of healing energy.
“What are you?” Coriae angrily began.
“Ahhh,” she closed her eyes and grew relaxed, unconsciously stepping in closer to Theus as the energy began to dispel her headache. Theus softly dragged his wrists down to her shoulders, then along her ribs, and to her stomach before he ceased his effort and turned his wrists so that his fingers were cupped around Coriae’s hips.
