Lord of innis torr, p.1
Lord of Innis Torr, page 1
part #3 of Bridge Quest Series
Lord
Of
Innis Torr:
A GameLit Adventure Series
(BRIDGE QUEST Book 3)
pdmac
Lord of Innis Torr is a work of fiction. Though actual locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were created/invented in the mind and imagination of the author, except for the inclusion of actual historical fact. Similarities of characters or names used within for any person – past, present, or future – are coincidental except where actual historical characters are purposely interwoven. The actions, thoughts, and dialogue of the historical characters featured in this story are fictional and not meant to reflect actual personalities and behavior.
Copyright © 2019 by pdmac
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express permission of the author or publisher.
Published by Trimble Hollow Press, Acworth, Georgia
ISBN: 978-1-946495-21-1
eISBN: 978-1-946495-20-4
Cover design by Trimble Hollow Concepts
Cover art by James Esquivel
for Terri Lynn
my Soulmate and Best Friend
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 1
It was dark as Karl became aware of his surroundings, dark and raining. This is the most beneficial place? Light from the streetlamps at the end of the alley flickered, providing enough light for him to see Caryn standing next to him.
“This sucks,” she muttered.
Karl stared at her for a moment. Despite the bedraggled wet hair, she was very pretty and he easily remembered what she looked like in real life. Then he noticed she had her bow and he looked down at his hip.
“I’m wearing Orc’s Bane,” he said then checked his belt. “And I’ve still got all my stuff.”
“What’d you expect?”
“I don’t know. I figured Orc’s Bane would be the last place I was... which wasn’t here. Let’s go find out where ‘here’ is.”
As soon as they emerged from the alley, Karl huffed an exasperated sigh. “We’re in Talbet.” He looked up and down the deserted street. “Let’s find Evnan.”
Leading the way, he passed a tavern, half tempted to get a cold pint. Arriving at the gate to Evnan’s walled compound, Karl banged on the door. When no one answered, he banged again, louder.
The door’s peephole slid open and a man’s eyes filled the space. “What do you want?” he snapped.
“Open the door Darren. We’re wet and hungry.”
The man focused on Karl only a moment before exclaiming, “O my God, it’s you, your Lordship. We thought you might have been taken prisoner. Where have you been? M’Lord Evnan has been worried about you. All of us have.”
“Darren,” Karl smiled despite the rain, “I’d be happy to share my story after we have dried off.”
“Of course, m’Lord, I’m so sorry, my apologies.” The door swung open and Karl and Caryn ducked in then through the courtyard, empty of animals and petitioners. Closing the door, Darren led them to Evnan’s main house opposite the gate and inside where a stunned Beitris nearly dropped the tray laden with tonight’s dinner.
“My Lord,” she said in reverent tones, dipping a brief curtsey.
“Good to see you too, Beitris,” Karl acknowledged with a smile.
The maid beamed that the king not only remembered her, but remembered her name. She ticked her head towards the door to the dining room. “He’s in there, m’Lord.”
“Who else?” Karl asked when he noted there didn’t seem to be a lot of food on the tray she held.
“No one, m’Lord. He says he needs time to think, but he’s been thinking this entire time since you’ve been gone, especially these past two weeks now that some man called Kevin declared himself king.”
“Kevin?” Karl startled.
“Yes, m’Lord.”
Karl shook his head and turned to Caryn. “So this is what they meant when they said we had to get back.”
Caryn’s lips tightened. “What’s he look like?” she asked Beitris.
“I don’t know, m’Lady,” she shrugged, tray in hand. “All I know is that he’s some stranger who is now king. I don’t understand any of it, m’Lady.”
Karl folded his arms and exhaled a long breath. “If it’s who I think it is, we got ourselves a big problem.”
“I know,” Caryn grimly replied. “I remember you telling me about him. Wonder how he made it across the bridge.”
“And past everything else to get here,” Karl added with furrowed brow then turned back to Beitris and Darren. “Tell no one we are here.”
“M’Lord?” Darren said, puzzled
“Once we have talked with Lord Evnan, we were never here and you never saw us.”
“As you wish, m’Lord. My lips are sealed,” Beitris asserted.
“Darren?”
“Yes, m’Lord. Of course,” Darren affirmed with a dip of his head.
“Good,” Karl said, reaching up to take the tray from Beitris. “Here, let me take this.”
“M’Lord?” Beitris’ eyes grew wide, first at the thought that the King would lower himself to a servant’s work then secondly that she would be chastised for letting the King do her work.
But Karl forced the tray for her hands. “It’s OK, Beitris. This is merely to have a little fun.”
Without waiting for an answer and the tray held high, he butted the door open and announced, “Dinner is served, m’Lord.”
Evnan looked up when the voice did not match the woman who had served his household for almost thirty years. When Karl lowered the tray and revealed his face, Evnan leaped out of his chair.
“By the gods, you’re alive… and Lady Caryn with you. Where have you been? The kingdom is in peril.”
“So I heard,” Karl said, placing the tray down on the table.
“Beitris, bring more food and ale for our king and Lady Caryn,” Evnan commanded. Seeing Darren he thrust a finger at him. “Alert the garrison captain that the king has returned.”
Darren remained rooted and shifted a glance to look helplessly at Karl.
“Hold that order for the moment,” Karl said. “We need to talk.”
“Is that wise, Sire?” Evnan warned. “Spies abound even more now.
“So I imagine,” Karl said taking the seat next to Evnan’s place. Caryn slid out a chair beside him. Looking back over his shoulder, he smiled when Beitris returned with two steins of ale. “Haven’t had good ale since we left.”
“Where did you go, Sire?” Evnan asked, resuming his seat. “I heard you were there one moment and the next you vanished into thin air.”
“Sorcery,” Karl lied. “We were whisked away to fulfill a quest.”
Evnan’s eyes brightened and his interest perked. “By the gods, where?”
“Far, far away from here,” he evasively answered, his mind scrambling for a convincing story.
“What was the quest?”
“Rescue a damsel in distress,” Caryn replied, taking a sip of ale and peering at Karl over the rim.
“By the gods,” Evnan blurted, his appetite and thirst suddenly returning. “What happened? How did you manage it?” He swallowed a gulp of ale.
“With weapons so magical,” she explained, “that you can see an enemy kilometers away, set up an ambush, and continue watching as he approaches, he doesn’t even know you are there.”
“By… the… gods,” Evnan replied in wonder. “This sorcery must be powerful.”
“Very,” Karl nodded in agreement.
“Did you see what he or she looked like?” Though focused on Caryn, he waved a hand at Beitris to hurry up with the food.
“Yes. There were two of them, the head sorcerer and his assistant.”
“What did they look like?” Evnan’s ale mug hovered below his lips.
Caryn glanced over to Karl who leaned forward and whispered, “Just like you and me.”
“By the gods. And the woman?”
“Stunning,” Karl replied with a grin, rolling his eyes for emphasis then feeling a not so gentle kick beneath the table.
The tale paused when Beitris returned, carrying a tray laden with fresh bread, cheese, and sliced cold meat then resumed when she left.
“Tell me about what has happened while we were away,” Karl said, changing the topic. “Who is this Kevin character?”
“We all thought he was one of your retainers, for he claimed he was part of your closest advisors. He came through here with several others, one who looked like you,” he said, looking at Caryn.
“An elf?” she exclaimed.
“Yes.”
“Did he have a name?
“Not that I remember,” he shrugged as apology. “They weren’t here for very long.”
“What did he look like?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t here when they came through,” he replied, “but I was told he was a warrior like you. He was reserved and kept to himself.”
“The others?” Karl asked.
“There were three others, all men:
“And the only name you know is Kevin?”
“I didn’t find that out until I discovered he was king. But more importantly, Sire, the rest of your followers are imprisoned in Avnoch.”
“I assumed as much,” he replied.
“Actually, not all are imprisoned,” Evnan said. “Lady Sakura is not among those imprisoned.”
“I’m surprised Annabeth didn’t manage to wrangle her way out,” Caryn said.
“It was three against one,” Evnan said, “from what I heard. Lady Annabeth had to contend against Caillic, Finella and the new sorcerer.” He then peered intently at Karl. “Why is it you wish no one to know you are here, Sire?”
“Like you said, spies abound. I can’t afford to be recognized before I make my move. That doesn’t mean I want you to be idle. Caryn and I are going to disappear for a while but we will still be close. I need time to recon and plan. When I am ready, I will return here.”
“What do you want us to do?”
Pushing the plate aside, Karl picked up the knife to use as a pointer. “I want you to sound out all those who can be 100% trusted. Do not let anyone know we have returned. Not yet. Is Annys still the commander up in Abynee?”
“Yes,” Evnan nodded with satisfaction. “She is doggedly loyal to you, as is Rhan. Those are two whom we can depend on.”
“Good. That’s a start. In the meantime, I’ll need food for a week for Caryn and me,” Karl said. “Hopefully we should be back before then,” he added when he saw Evnan’s puzzled face. “That should give you enough time to see who we can depend on.”
That evening, Karl asked for a small piece of oak wood and a private place where he would be left alone to mediate. Darren led him to a remote room down the corridor from Evnan’s personal chapel. The room was large, the size of the dining room, hung with tapestries and filled with dark heavy chairs and bureaus ornately carved with plant designs. Three gothic arched windows filled the outer wall that over looked the gardens.
Waiting until Darren lit the tapers of several candles, Karl barred the door when Darren left then returned to the center of the room to sit on a thick cushioned armchair, pulling out his knife to carve – F-R-E-Y-A into the piece of oak. As soon as he finished, he sheathed his blade and stood.
“I call upon the Goddess Freya, mighty and benevolent ruler in Vanir, to come to me from your abode above, now to this place in time and space, appear to me face to face.”
Silence settled for only a moment before a sensual voice said, “I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten me. What? No summoning circle,” she teased
Freya materialized, her long flowing blond hair held back with a garland of flowers. She smiled at him, the intense gaze of sky-blue eyes making him feel no one else in the world existed. Her diaphanous dress, billowing in the windless room, accentuated her curvaceous body and Karl was momentarily distracted.
“Do try to stay focused,” she chuckled before glancing down at the runes. “You’re getting better, though your ‘Y’ needs a little work. What is it this time?”
“I need your help.”
“Like the last time?”
“It’s different this time.”
“That’s what they all say,” she sighed.
“I need help regaining my kingdom,” he explained.
“You haven’t even started yet,” she retorted. “You interrupt a busy goddess like me to intercede in something that hasn’t even begun. You’re wasting my time.”
“But you don’t understand –”
“I understand perfectly,” she calmly answered. “Your arch enemy Kevin has taken over your kingdom while you were gone, which points to the obvious question of why were you gone in the first place?”
“I had no choice,” he replied.
Ignoring him, she continued, “Now you’re faced with defeating him and his friends while rescuing your own friends. My, my… your irresponsibility seems to have complicated things.”
“I said it wasn’t my fault,” he fussed.
“That’s what they all say.” She placed a hand in front of her mouth to cover a yawn.
“Are you going to help me or not?” Karl fumed.
“What’s to help with? You’re certainly not in life-threatening peril and as far as I can tell, you don’t need any help.”
She started to disappear.
“What the hell?” Karl burst. “What’s the point in having a patron Goddess if all you do is say ‘take care of it yourself’? I thought you were supposed to actually do something.”
“Now, now,” Freyja retorted, her body solidifying, “not so testy.”
“But what’s the point? I was told having a patron goddess was supposed to be some wonderful benefit that would help me in time of need. And here you are, again, telling me to handle it.”
“There you go,” she said with a benevolent smile. “You yourself see the foolishness of your summoning me at this moment, for, like you just said, I would help you in time of need. What is your need at this very moment? Are you in danger? Is your life threatened?”
Karl’s jaw clenched and he let out and exasperated sigh. “Obviously I’m in no jeopardy at this exact moment, but I will be once I leave here.”
“Then call me when you are in need. Until that time, stop pestering me.”
“Pestering you?” he shouted.
“Yes,” she snapped. “Look at you. You’re a level 25. Your enemy Kevin is only a level 14. Your friend Caryn is also a level 25. Between the two of you, you can kick ass all the way to the next bridge.” She abruptly stopped and giggled. “Did I just say ‘ass?’”
Karl frowned at the realization. “What about Kevin’s other friends?”
“Kevin is the highest among them and that’s all I’ll say at the moment.”
Karl’s eyes blinked wide. “You know what’s going on but you won’t tell me?”
“It’s not my place.”
“Not your place?” he barked. “What the hell? You’re a goddess who knows stuff that can help me and it’s not your place to tell me? Tell me again why I need you?”
“You don’t,” she said, biting off the words, “which is my point all along. You summon me when you don’t need to. I’m reminded of that fable of the little boy who cried wolf.”
“I get it,” Karl fumed. “Look. If you’re not going to help me at least you could help Annabeth deal with the three sorcerers.”
“I’m your goddess, not hers,” she tartly responded.
“This is crazy,” he bristled. “What’s the point of having a goddess if all she does is – nothing? So if I was in dire straits and you appeared and condescended to actually do something, and I said help someone else, you’d say, ‘sorry, not my job?’”
“Pretty much,” she grinned.
Karl flipped the board with the runes in the air behind him.
“You might want to be careful with that,” she warned. “That wood is now imbued with magical summoning powers. If it falls into the wrong hands, it might be to your detriment. If you’re finished with it, either secure it or burn it.”
With a huff of pique, Karl turned and retrieved the carved piece of wood. When he turned around, her gossamer form was beginning to fade as was the voice who called out, “Think before you call me again. The next time will be the last time if it’s like this time. Fare well, Viking.”
She vanished, leaving Karl frustrated and angry. Yet she did provide one bit of comfort. If Kevin was the highest player at level 14, then he and Caryn would be in a far better position to impose their will. Now all he needed to do was find Sakura.
Karl and Caryn were on the road at first light, dressed as simple laborers, the drab hooded capes pulled up over their shoulders and heads against the rain, as well as covering their weapons, though Caryn carried the unstrung bow in her hand, the bowstring tucked safely away to stay dry. Though focused on the task at hand, Karl couldn’t help but cast the more than occasional glimpse at his co-wanderer, the reverie of last night’s frolicking playing over and over in his memory. This truly was a first – sex with an elf.
“Why do you keep looking at me?” she asked with a frown. “Do I have spinach in my teeth or something?”
“No,” he grinned. “Just thinking of last night and trying to assimilate the Caryn of two days ago with the Caryn of last night. Except for the pointed ears… and the completely different body… you’re still exactly the same.”
