The Claiming by J.A. Nielsen

Author:J.A. Nielsen [Nielsen, J.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Epic Quest Fantasy; Faeries; Magic; Botched Spell; Natural World; Kingdom Strife
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2022-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 44

Dewy flitted through trees, dusting dry boughs with a few drops as she passed. Spense practiced a tiresome slogging he called “double-timing.” She would hate to imagine what single-timing might be. He was all red and swollen, and little droplets trickled down his pink face. He pushed out air from his mouth in regular whooshes.

“Not…much…farther,” he panted.

“Oh, no, not much. I have heard your brother’s horses stamping for several minutes, now.”

They reached the edge of the Telridgian camp and were halted by a pair of guards. Dewy shied away from their steel, peering around Spense as he bent over, his hands pressed to his knees. He sucked in mouthfuls of air.

“Sern…good to…see you,” Spense said in between breaths.

“And you, Master Spense. We were told not to expect you until the afternoon,” the older of the two soldiers said while signaling a quick two finger salute. The man was stout and gruff, salt and pepper in his dark hair and beard, but he treated Spense well and that warmed Dewy to him.

“We made good time,” Spense said, straightening up.

The man—Sern—clapped him on the shoulder. “Ay, that you did!” He leaned to wink at Dewy. She took a step back.

Another soldier arrived. This one wore a helmet with ostentatious markings. Spense stiffened. “Sir Saylor.” Spense nodded.

“Master Spense, the Commander has ordered you be brought to his presence immediately upon arrival.” This soldier had none of Sern’s friendly camaraderie. Dewy decided she didn’t care for him, or his hat.

Spense nodded. “Lead the way, sir.”

“Your companion—”

“Goes where I go.” Spense traded glares with the soldier.

After a moment, Saylor shrugged. “I’ll let the Commander sort it out. This way.”

They wove through canvas tents pitched in neat rows. Dewy wondered at the structures. Humans were so insistent on sleeping under roofs they built themselves that they ignored the lovely canopy the tall cedars provided all around them—but she supposed she’d have to get used to it. Gone were her days of sleeping under the lacy bows of a cedar speckled with starlight.

Dewy clung to Spense as they walked, wrapping her hands around his elbow and forearm. Soldiers stood at attention as their party passed by. Sir Saylor nodded reciprocal salutes as he marched through their small groupings.

When they approached a larger canvas structure adorned with Telridgian flags, their party halted. A female guard holding a bow blocked their entrance.

“Lady Xendra,” Saylor said. “Please inform His Lordship that his…brother has arrived.”

The flaps at the front of the tent whipped open and a brutish-looking soldier stepped out. “Don’t bother, X, I heard him.” He had the same color hair as Spense. His chin frowned in exactly the same way. And that ended the similarities. Where Spense was lean, his brother Dirk was heavy with muscle. His bearing said soldier and unapproachable, where Spense’s said open and welcoming. Dewy shrunk back, leaning into Spense.

Dirk scanned the pair up and down. “So you made it.”

Spense nodded.

“Come in then.” Dirk held the flaps of the tent open. He glanced at Saylor who made as if to follow.

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