The Reborn King (Book Six) Read online

Soon it was time for him to get ready. After he had gone, Lousis and Selena spent their time discussing all the things they intended to see once they were across the Abyss. Mohanisi had spent hours telling them of the wonders and beauty of his land. They felt like children leaving home for the first time.

  Normally, a coronation would take place in the royal manor or at one of the temples. A few times in the past, when the new monarch had been particularly popular and the crowd too large, it had been held in the open air. Today however, such was the size of the occasion, they were being forced to hold it completely outside of the city walls.

  Jacob was already well loved in Althetas due to his many good deeds to improve the citizens' lives while Lousis was away. After the war was over he continued to earn their love during the reconstruction with his tireless efforts and selfless generosity. And being that he was to rule over all twelve of the western kingdoms, people from far and wide had been flocking to the city. It had been agreed that the current rulers would remain in place and govern locally, but they be oath-bound to enforce the will of the High King.

  It was King Victis who had first proposed this, and Lousis who had added the elves to the council. There would now be one nation, under one flag, with one king…all peoples united.

  As Lousis stood upon the immense platform, he stared out over the crowd. Lord Chiron and Lady Bellisia were in front, standing beside Aaliyah, Nehrutu and Mohanisi. King Victis and the other rulers were atop a small dais to his left that had been specially erected so they could have a clear view of the ceremony. Alongside him on the platform and to his right was Ertik, High Lord of Valshara, while Queen Selena was positioned just off to his left beside the pedestal that held the royal crown. He had offered Linis and Dina a similar place close to his side, or at least a seat on the dais, but they had chosen to remain in the crowd and were standing near to a large group of other elves.

  He continued looking out upon the sea of happy smiles. Occasionally, he thought he recognized someone from memory, but found that it was nearly impossible to focus on a single face for very long among the throngs of people.

  A short time later a trumpet blared, announcing that the royal procession had passed through the city gates and was now slowly making its way to the platform. As the throngs of cheering people made room for the new king to pass, Lousis could see Jacob sitting atop a white steed: the guard of honor surrounding him made up of both humans and elves. The banner they bore did not bear the sigil of Althetas, but rather the new symbol that had been adopted. Woven upon a red background was a white eagle with a ribbon clutched in its talons. Across the ribbon, written in the ancient language, was the motto: 'Once broken, now restored.'

  When they reached the platform, Jacob dismounted and ascended the stairs.

  “Are you sure I have to go through with this,” he whispered, smirking.

  “There’s no backing out now,” Lousis told him. “Not unless you intend starting a riot.”

  Jacob solemnly knelt on a satin cushion placed in the center of the stage. Once again the trumpet rang out, prompting Lousis to step forward and address the crowd. The volume of cheers was almost overwhelming, and it took more than five minutes before he was able to be heard.

  “Today is a day deserving of great joy and celebration. After thousands of years of separation and hardship, we have at long last been united as one people, with one purpose, and now…under one king.

  “I say this because Jacob Starfinder will not be king of the humans in the west. Nor shall he be a ruler of a separate nation in which elves are merely tolerated – as has been the case under my rule. We have spilled too much blood together for that. And the old ways are gone forever.

  “King Jacob will be a king for all peoples. A hand of justice for elf and human alike. A voice of compassion to reach all ears. And I gladly step aside to usher in this new age and new way of thinking.

  “It has been my deepest honor to serve Althetas and her people. I want you all to know that, though I may no longer be your king, my heart remains with each and every one of you. Through war and sorrow, you have taught me the true meaning of strength and courage. Without your undying support, I could have never endured.”

  He turned and stepped over to the pedestal, upon which, Selena handed him the crown. After bowing, Lousis approached Jacob.

  “Do you swear to honor and protect your people, both meek and strong – to use your authority for the betterment of the kingdom and its citizens – to be fair and just in all things – and to rule with kindness and understanding?”

  Jacob closed his eyes and bowed. “I so swear.”

  “Then it is my pleasure and great privilege to place this symbol upon your brow. For it is only a symbol. A thing of metal and stone. The true source of its power comes from within you. May your reign be long and filled with happiness.” After placing the crown atop Jacob's head, he took a step back.

  Ertik then stepped forward and touched the new king's shoulders. “May the gods bless you and keep you safe. And may the Creator grant you wisdom and long life.”

  Jacob rose slowly to his feet and bowed low. He then turned to face the crowd.

  “I give you King Jacob Starfinder,” Lousis called out. “High King of the Western Nations.”

  At this declaration, the crowd went into a frenzy of cheering that lasted for fully ten minutes. Jacob could only wave and smile until the noise had subsided.

  “I am truly humbled to be here today,” he began. “I have much to live up to. I now sit upon the throne once occupied by a great man. For there could be no greater monarch than King Lousis. All the free people of the world owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Without his courage, everything that you see around you would now be just ashes upon the ground. He marched into the jaws of certain death to save the lives of his people. He was willing to sacrifice all for the sake of our freedom. For that, and for countless other reasons, I say, long live King Lousis the Great!”

  The crowd cheered again, repeating his salutation to the former king.

  “I shall use his example as I move us forward into the future. But I think now is also the time to remember the men and women – both elf and human – who sacrificed their lives so that I can stand before you today with hope and optimism in my heart. Because of them, we live in a land free from tyranny and oppression. May their spirits reside in heaven for eternity.”

  Jacob bowed his head. The people did the same. The whispered names of countless loved ones carried on the air like spring pollen. From behind, he heard his grandmother offering her own private tribute. “Lee Starfinder.”

  “Penelope Starfinder,” he added quietly to this, then looked up to continue his speech.

  “Finally, let us remember the one man to whom not only do we owe our lives, but the lives of all future generations. Through his sacrifice, he saved both heaven and earth from annihilation. And though I call him a man, we know that he was much, much more. A god bound in spirit to this world who chose to die for the sake of all living things. Only he could have stood against the power that sat upon the throne of Angrääl. And only he could have cast down the Reborn King. Even now the eastern desert bears the scars of his sacrifice. And though he is no longer among us. His name will live on in our hearts forever. Darshan…”

  Barely had the name escaped his lips when the crowd began repeating it in steady unison. But it was not the uninhibited chanting that Darshan's name had engendered in so many previous gatherings. This was a solemn and reverent murmuring. Many people wept, while some fell to their knees and covered their eyes.

  “But let us now lift up our hearts,” Jacob called out with a joyous tenor that shattered the somber atmosphere. “Let this be the first day of a new age. A golden age. Together we can make it so. Now come. All of you. Let us rejoice and revel in the freedom so dearly bought. And may love be the word that defines this day…and in all the days to come.”

  “Long live King Jacob,” came a voice from the crowd.


  A host of others quickly took up the same call. Soon, the people were shouting and cheering as never before. Jacob felt his grandmother’s hands on his shoulders.

  She whispered in his ear. “You did well. And you will make a fine king.”

  “Thank you,” he replied, smiling. “But I wonder. Is Darshan really gone?”

  “No one knows for sure,” she replied. “His body was swallowed by the sands along with that of the Reborn King. But I’d like to think he is still with us...even if only in spirit.”

  The celebration lasted for three days. And when it was over, Lousis and Selena met Mohanisi at the harbor to set off on their new adventure. They said their goodbyes, and Jacob watched as they sailed into the horizon. It felt…permanent. As if a book had been closed, never to be re-opened. Yet, as he rode back to the king's manor, he understood that a new tale was now beginning. A new story for the ages. He smiled and looked up to the heavens.

  He was sure that the loving eyes of his parents would be there, watching as it unfolded.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Kaylia sat in the old wooden rocking chair that had once belonged to Gewey’s mother. As she stared into the hearth and watched the flames dance and crackle, she was reminded of the days before her father died. He had built a small house just like this one deep in the forest. It was a place that only a few close friends and relatives knew how to find.

  Each spring he would take her there for at least a month. He would tell her that it was his time for meditation and reflection, but mostly they just played and hunted wild game.

  Normally, these memories would produce a smile and warm feeling in her heart. But this was not a normal night. And she felt no warmth…only sorrow.

  Jayden’s voice broke the daydream.

  “Mommy! Do you have to go?”

  She could see Gewey’s eyes looking back at her as she lifted him onto her lap. “Of course I do. You know that.”

  “But I don’t like it when Miss Melli watches us,” he said. His pleading expression would usually get him what he wanted, and he knew it. “She makes us go to bed too early.”

  “Well, she just doesn’t understand that you’re half elf,” Kaylia explained. “Melli is human, and human children go to bed early.”

  “But I’m five already!” he protested. “And I’m never tired when she tells us it’s time to sleep.”

  Kaylia tried her best not to laugh at his pouting little face. “I don’t hear your sisters complaining.”

  “Yeah. But they’re girls,” he replied. “They never complain. They just lay in the bed and whisper to each other all night. They think I can’t hear what they’re saying…but I can.”

  “That’s not true,” two tiny voices called out in unison.

  With auburn hair and bronze skin, the twins were the spitting image of their mother. But their eyes, like Jayden's, unmistakably came from Gewey.

  They flashed him an angry look. “We don’t stay up all night. You’re a liar.”

  “Maybell and Penelope Stedding,” scolded Kaylia. “You will apologize to your brother at once.”

  “But mommy...” Maybell began.

  “But nothing,” she snapped back. “You don’t call him a liar. Especially when Melli has told me exactly the same thing about what you get up to.”

  Both girls did their best to meet their mother’s gaze, but within seconds they were looking at the floor and shifting their feet. “We’re sorry, Jayden.”

  Kaylia could not help but notice how unusually close Maybell and Penelope had become over the past four years. The women of the village had told her that this was common for twins. But the fact was, they were not common in any way. It was almost as if they shared the same spiritual bond that adult elf mates had. Jayden often felt excluded by this, but there was still no doubt that he loved his sisters very much. In spite of their occasional spats, they generally got along wonderfully well. When they played together in the hayfields, he would watch over them as if he was their parent rather than an older brother.

  A knock at the door brought squeals of delight from the girls, and a sour frown from Jayden.

  “You are to be on your best behavior,” warned Kaylia softly before calling out: “Come in.”

  Linis and Dina entered, followed by Miss Melli. Melli was the wife of a local horse trader and a leading member of the Village Mothers. When Kaylia arrived in Sharpstone, she had been the first villager to welcome her, and was constantly inviting her to join the Mothers at their monthly meetings. It was an invitation that Kaylia invariably declined.

  The girls ran headlong across the room and into Linis’ waiting arms. He lifted them off the floor and spun them around.

  “Have you missed me?” he asked.

  “Yes, yes,” they replied, giggling as Linis put them down and playfully tickled their tummies. “Did you bring us something? Did you?”

  He stood up straight and placed his hands on his hips. “Bring you something? When do I ever bring you anything?”

  “Stop teasing,” said Maybell. “I know you did.”

  Linis paused, still attempting to look as if he had no idea what they were talking about. Then, slowly, he smiled and reached into his pocket to pull out a small bag. Penelope snatched it from his hand and opened it as fast as her little fingers could manage.

  “Elf candy,” the girls cried out with glee. They each pulled out a small green ball and popped it in their mouths. “Thank you, Uncle Linis.”

  “And what about me?” asked Dina, pretending to be hurt by their lack of attention. “No hugs for your auntie?”

  The twins laughed and embraced her while she showered the tops of their heads with kisses.

  Jayden did not seem as excited. Still, he forced a smile and hugged them both.

  “What’s wrong, Jayden?” asked Linis.

  The boy shifted and kicked the floor with the toe of his shoe. “It’s nothing.”

  “I think I know,” said Dina. She produced a small piece of cloth and handed this to Jayden.

  His eyes lit up when he unfolded it and saw that it contained a bar of chocolate.

  “He doesn’t like elf candy,” Dina told Linis, as if he should have known this all along.

  “What?” he cried. “What’s not to like?”

  “It’s just too sour, that's all,” said Jayden.

  Dina knelt down and whispered into his ear. “Don’t worry. I don’t like it either.”

  This brought a smile to his face. He hugged her again, this time with more enthusiasm.

  “Now all of you need to get ready for bed,” announced Melli.

  Her words brought moans of discontent from all three children.

  “You heard her,” said Kaylia.

  They lowered their heads and filed from the room with angry little faces and dragging steps.

  “You should let them stay up just a short while longer,” Kaylia said quietly, after they'd gone. “Elf children have a bit more energy than a human child.”

  Melli smiled. “Of course. I sometimes forget that they are half elf. It's the ears that throw me. They’re not pointed and...”

  Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. “Oh my. I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t…I mean, your ears are lovely…What I meant to say…”

  “It’s fine,” Kaylia told her. “I know you meant no offense. Just let them stay up a wee bit longer tonight. But not too late of course. After all, they are half human too.”

  Melli’s face was still red with embarrassment. “I’ll read them some stories before bed. That should tire them out.”

  Kaylia smiled in approval, then went into the children’s rooms to kiss them goodbye.

  Linis had a wagon waiting outside, drawn by a pair of sturdy work horses. “A far cry from the steeds we once rode,” he said. “But they serve my needs.”

  They climbed aboard the front and Linis cracked the reins. The sun was just below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of red and purple. Linis took a deep breath and wrap
ped his arm around Dina.

  “It’s still hard to imagine you as a farmer,” remarked Kaylia.

  Linis shrugged. “I enjoy it well enough. My uncle was a farmer. He taught me some of the skills when I was a boy. Well…before I was sent to train as a seeker.”

  “I love him as a farmer,” Dina chipped in. “He stays at home.”

  “That was our bargain,” said Linis. “Dina would retire from the order, and I would settle into a life befitting a family man.”

  “Do you miss it?” asked Kaylia. “Being a seeker? Adventuring?”

  “The travel, yes,” he admitted. “But I have seen all the danger I care to see.”

  “And when do you intend to start this family of yours?” Kaylia teased. “How long must I wait for good news?”

  Dina’s face twisted into a scowl. “Unfortunately, becoming a farmer did not relieve him of his caution. He insists that we wait until after our fourth harvest.”

  “I will not make beggars of my offspring,” Linis countered. “If we live alongside the humans, then we must adapt to some of their ways. And a hunter and tracker makes very little gold.”

  Kaylia threw her head back in laughter. Linis had refused to accept any kind of reward from King Jacob for his service, while Dina had donated the retirement grant she was allotted as a former High Lady of Valshara to the victims of the war. Of course, this made them essentially penniless.

  “I have paid back the loan I took to buy our farm last year,” Linis continued, his tone defensive. “And this year I’ll make enough for us to provide the things befitting a son or daughter of mine.”

  Dina kissed his cheek. “Always the proud elf seeker.” She turned to Kaylia. “You know, Melli made me promise to ask...”

  Kaylia’s hard stare cut her off. “I’m not going to be a bloody village mother,” she snapped. “It’s bad enough that they are constantly at my door pestering me to tell them elf stories and teach them elf cooking. I’m not going to willingly put myself among them.”

  “Not enjoying living among humans?” asked Linis.

  “I like it just fine,” she replied. “But I have never liked gossipy women. I don’t care to hear about what store clerk’s husband was found passed out drunk in the streets, or whose wife was flirting with the Baltrian trader who came to town last week.”