Second Chance

chapter 6




Carrick stood outside the paddock while Kieran worked getting the horses ready. Yeah, he’d been rough on Ava but it was probably the only thing that was going to snap her out of her sulk. There was too much at stake in Vyronas for Ava to stay behind so it just wasn’t an option.

Carrick heard the door to her house open, and then close. He turned around and saw Ava coming down her front porch steps. She had changed into jeans and an olive green, long sleeved t-shirt. Her long hair was pulled up into a pony tail, and it swished back and forth as she walked toward him. She wore her cowboy boots and carried a backpack, which he guessed contained some more clothing. Bing was trotting by her side.

Looking at her face, he tried to judge her mood. Clearly, she had decided to come with them, but if the disdain in her eyes was any indication, she wasn’t happy about it.

“Where’s Kieran,” Ava asked.

“He’s in the barn getting the horses ready. I figured you would want to bring them along.”

“As usual, you figured wrong. I only need King. I’ve made arrangements for the other two to be cared for until I return.”

Carrick gritted his teeth and let that last remark slide. He knew, for Ava, there was no coming back. If they were able to reclaim her throne, she would need to sit upon it to rule. There could be no substitute for the magical line of Clairmont to continue. She would hopefully realize that once she returned to Vyronas and got re-acclimated. Carrick turned away and walked into the barn to tell Kieran to ready just King for the trip.

***

Ava watched Carrick walk away. Her stomach was rolling with emotion. Yes, she was angry at him. Pissed as hell. But he had shamed her too. He was not wrong to point out that she was selfish not to immediately want to return to her homeland and help her people. Her parents would have been so disappointed in her had they seen the way she had behaved.

Carrick had given her a half an hour to decide what she wanted to do. She only needed three seconds after he walked out of her bedroom to know she was returning to Vyronas. She was not about to let her parents down or their death be in vain.

She spent the remaining time setting up for someone to care for the ranch. She contacted her former ranch manager and asked him to run the place in her absence. She told him it would be for an undefined period of time. She then set up online payments from her bank to secure his salary indefinitely until she returned. She also gave him access to a fund so he could pay the ranch bills. He was only too happy to accept.

The rest of the time she spent changing her clothes and putting some other provisions in her backpack. She knew she wouldn’t need much. Her magic was strong in Vyronas and she would be able to provide well for herself. Instead, she took advantage of bringing clothing that would be practical to wear. She assumed she would be camping out and possibly involved in battles. No, she wouldn’t be wearing any royal gowns until she was seated back in her palace.

Ava didn’t look backward as she walked out of her house. She wasn’t sure if that was because she felt she would be back, or if she was realizing that this ruse was never her home. Now as Ava waited for Carrick and Kieran to come out of the barn, she let her mind drift over her situation.

The Carrick that stood in her bedroom shaming her was not the Carrick she had loved back in Vyronas. This Carrick was a bit scary…cold… almost cruel. She wondered if that was an act to motivate her or had he really changed that much in the past four years. Not that it really mattered to her anymore, but a memory came unbidden to her. She had seen him act with that frigid menace once before.

Ava was just eight years old but already being an heir to the sovereign throne of Kestevayne put quite a burden on her young shoulders. Oh, it’s not that her ultimate duties of ruling and protecting her people were bothering her at this tender age. It was the burden of being unpopular with the other children.

Although Ava was a sweet and generous child, none of the other kids wanted anything to do with her. Oh, she sometimes had her cousin, Quentin who she could count on. But he was away traveling with his parents and she was lonely.

Ava was old enough to know that the other kids were jealous of the privilege that being a Royal brought to her. But she didn’t know how she could change her circumstances. Her family was wealthy, their magic was the strongest, and they lived in a palace. Ava often thought she would give that all up if she could just have one true friend. Since that wasn’t really an option, the most she could do was be extra nice to the other kids and hope that one day they would accept her.

On a beautiful spring day, Ava followed a group of kids, of varying ages, as they went to play in the meadow that lay just to the east of the palace, yet still inside the city walls. The kids were from all diverse backgrounds, poor and rich alike. They all got along well which confused Ava as to why they would not accept her into their group.

Some of the kids came from the working class families such as farmers, butchers, potion makers and the like. Some of the kids came from the Maiorn caste, which ranked above the working class, but was not of royal lineage. These were families who owned land and oversaw the running of towns and cities that sat upon their land outside Kestevayne. The Maiorn swore allegiance to Kestevayne and although most Maiorns had some type of military force of their own, they were also under the protection of the Kestevayne Army.

The rest of the kids were from the Warrior caste of Kestevayne. While not part of the Royal family, they were about as close to royalty as one could get. The Warrior caste descended from a long line of strong Magi. Their only duties were to protect Kestevayne, its citizens and the royal family. It was a great honor to be part of the Warrior caste.

So, there was a hodge podge of kids in the mix, and they all seemed to get along relatively well. The children, about twenty in all, gathered together and discussed what they would do for the day. Some wanted to go fishing, while others wanted to play a group sport game. Ava stood on the fringes, watching the discussion but not participating. When it was finally decided that they would go fishing, Ava decided this could be her chance to get included.

“We could go fishing on Parness Creek just off the Ainse River.”

All the kids turned to look at Ava, and by the looks on their faces, she was beginning to think that maybe she had sprouted antlers or something.

“Sure,” said one girl who looked to be a few years older than Ava. She thought her name may have been Ralina. “We can just go fishing on Royal land. I bet everyone in Kestevayne is invited and we can all wear our jewels while we fish.” The other kids snickered and Ava realized she was being made fun of.

“No, really,” Ava continued hopefully. “My father would be more than glad to let us all go fishing there. It has some of the biggest and best fish in the area.”

One of the older boys pushed through the others and came to stand in front of Ava. She knew his name was Barney and his dad had a large farm a few miles from the palace. She would often ride her horse that way and Barney’s dad always had a friendly wave for her. Barney was not so friendly. There had been times where he had tripped Ava as she walked by or pinched her if they were standing close to each other in a crowd.

Looking down at her, Barney sneered, “We don’t need your generosity, little Princess. Why don’t you just get out of here?”

Ralina walked up to stand beside Barney. “Don’t you get it? We don’t want your snotty little ass around us.”

“But, I just wanted to play with you and be a part of your group.” Ava could feel tears welling up in her eyes but she hastily blinked them back.

“That’s right, Ralina,” Barney said in agreement. “We don’t want her snotty ass around us.”

Barney pushed Ava in the chest, sending her sprawling backward and landing hard on her butt. The fall didn’t hurt, but boy was her pride taking a beating today.

Before she could even think of anything to say, or pick herself up off the ground, another boy, this one larger than the rest, came forward and with no warning punched Barney in the face. The hit had so much force that Barney’s feet flew out from under him and he landed flat on his back.

Ava looked up at her protector but his back was to her. He was tall and had long blond hair. Then he turned to glance at her and she recognized him. Holy Cow! It was Carrick Dunne, from the Warrior caste. His father, Graeme Dunne, was the Commandant of the Kestevayne Army, the highest rank of the Warrior caste.

Ava was in awe and couldn’t believe she had not seen him in the group before. Maybe he had just arrived. As part of the Warrior caste, Carrick lived inside the palace with his parents so Ava had seen him quite often. But she had never spoken a word to him as she always felt shy and awkward in his presence.

“What the hell did you do that for Carrick?” Barney asked, although his words were slurred due to the split lip he was sporting.

“I did that, you moron, because you don’t hit a girl, and if I ever see you touch her again, I’ll do worse.”

There was such fury in Carrick’s voice that Ava actually winced. His face was full of rage and all the other kids took a few steps backward. Ava found it odd that he was defending her for being a girl, and not as a Princess. She liked that he saw her as just an ordinary kid.

With that, Carrick turned his back on the other kids and walked over to Ava. Still sitting on the ground, Ava looked up at Carrick, fearful as to what he would do next. He gave her a small smile and held out his hand to her. She reached out and grabbed it and he helped her to her feet.

“Are you hurt?”

He still had a bit of anger laced into that question. Ava couldn’t seem to find her voice, so instead shook her head no. He smiled at her again, more warmly this time and Ava felt all of her fear slip away.

“Now, if you will excuse us,” Carrick said toward the group, “I am going to accept Ava’s invitation and we are going fishing on Parness Creek.”

Still holding her hand, Carrick led Ava back toward the palace. Ava heard Ralina call out, “I’d like to go too.”

“Sorry,” Carrick yelled back. “You’re not invited.”

And in that moment, Ava fell in love with Carrick.

Ava mused over that first time she had met Carrick and mentally shook her head in embarrassment that it didn’t take five minutes for her to fall head over heels for him. Granted, what did an eight-year-old know about love, but from that minute forward, Ava had worshipped the ground Carrick walked on.

She remembered how they went fishing that day on Parness Creek, a lot of which was just spent in companionable silence. She did learn that day that Carrick was thirteen-years-old and was hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps. Ava had heard her father talk about Carrick’s father a lot and knew that he counted him as a trusted advisor.

Never once did Carrick treat her different because she was a Princess, and from that day forward, it was amazing how many of the other kids now wanted to be her friend. The petty part of her wanted to ignore them all and just be friends with Carrick, but she knew that was wrong on several levels. But mainly because Carrick was older than her and his interests were different, they didn’t spend a lot of time together. He was learning more about his magical abilities and would be entering training for duty with the army in a few years. Still, they remained close friends for the rest of her childhood and when time permitted they would go fishing or hunting, or would just ride their horses through the countryside talking. She always considered him to be her Protector in Chief.

Yes, Ava ruminated. She had seen that cold, fury from Carrick all those years ago when he was protecting a little eight-year-old girl. It was the same wrath he exhibited toward her just a bit ago in her bedroom. Ironic.

Ava’s trip down memory lane was cut short as Carrick and Kieran came out of the barn, leading King. She marveled at how much the brothers looked alike. Kieran was two years younger than Carrick but they looked almost like twins. Even though they had very similar features and builds, Kieran, even now, was carrying himself with an easy grace and had a light smile on his face. Carrick walked as he if carried the burden of the entire world upon those massive shoulders of his, and his mouth was set in a grim line.

Carrick and Kieran joined Ava, King trailing shortly behind on his lead. “Do you have everything you need?”

“I’m ready.” Ava grabbed hold of Bing’s collar, not quite sure what to expect. Her last experience with inter-dimensional travel was a long time ago but she remembered the tugging feeling on her body She held Bing’s collar tight as she wanted to make sure they didn’t get separated and have him end up in a weird dimension ruled by cats.

Standing with his eyes closed, Carrick began chanting in a low voice, words that she could not hear. She felt the wind kick up, and pulled Bing a little tighter to her. King reared up slightly, surely feeling a little spooked, but she could hear Kieran talking to him in a soft voice to help calm his nerves. Then Ava felt the tugging on her body. She looked over her shoulder at her house, and suddenly had a moment of great sadness that she was leaving. She hoped she would return one day. Then she watched as her house started to fade while the tugging on her body became more insistent. Goodbye, Wyoming. I will miss you.

As Ava watched her house and the majestic Tetons behind it fade, she noticed other things coming into focus. She first saw trees, then noticed a small creek running to her right. The babbling water sounded cheerful.

As things became clearer, Ava gave a little gasp. She was back in Vyronas and the brilliance of color that surrounded her made her go weak in the knees. Just five minutes ago she had thought Wyoming was the most beautiful place in the world, but how could she not have remembered the stunning brilliance that was Vyronas?

It wasn’t just the beautiful landscape that was laid out before her, but the intensity of color was so powerful, it almost hurt her eyes. Oh how she missed the rolling hills carpeted with the softest green grass that always seemed to shimmer with dew drops. The trees were massive and sprawling. There were some of the same trees that existed in The First Dimension. Oaks, Maples, Pines. But how could she ever have forgotten something as stunning as a Leedle Tree. There was one five feet from where she appeared and she drank in the sight. Its trunk was very light and smooth, almost the color of bleached bone. It had bright blue leaves the color of sapphires and a sweet yellow fruit that was always in season. Beside the Leedle Tree was a Chappelle, Ava’s personal favorite. It was close in features to the Willow tree, except the leaves were a shimmery amethyst color. Only at night when the moon was at its peak, the Chappelle would sprout white flowers that perfumed the air with a light sweetness and could also be used in a number of magical concoctions.

The sky was multi-colored with a blend of light blues, peaches and creams. Ava could tell it was mid-day by the position of the sun that hung over Vyronas. It was nothing like the sun of The First Dimension but instead was a pale pink. It gave a pearly shimmer to everything the rays touched and caused the clouds to glow. You could stare directly at it and never hurt your eyes, yet it managed to light their world to perfection.

Ava couldn’t wait for the evening as the night moon was of the same pale pink shade. It didn’t cast the same brightness as the sun but always gave off enough light that one could walk outside at night and never need additional light to see the way. The moon was always full and heavy as it hung low over Vyronas every night.

Ava took a deep breath. Vyronas even had its own scent. It was fresh, light and sweet. The air was cleaner, almost crisp, and it was a smell she hoped never to forget again. Wait a minute, girlie. Don’t forget about Wyoming. You are going back there one day.

Ava closed her eyes and relished the smell just a little bit longer.

“Come,” Carrick said as he headed off toward what she felt was due north. “We have a bit of walking to do before we reach camp.”

“Camp?” Ava asked as she started walking behind him. She gave a quick look to find Bing, who was running back and forth, sniffing everything he could put his nose on.

“The Clairmont Conclave has set up a stronghold about two miles north of here. Our army is dispersed in various locations surrounding Kestevayne. Every one of our strongholds is cloaked by magic, but we cannot hide the entire army all in one place under a cloaking spell. It would sap too much of our magic to do so.”

“Makes sense. What can I expect when we get there?”

“I’ll get you settled in your quarters, and then I’m sure the Conclave will want to meet with you, to bring you up to speed on everything that has been happening.”

“Why don’t you make use of the time we have while we are walking and you bring me up to speed on what has been happening. I mean, I have the gist of what happened up to the point you banished me from Vyronas.” She knew that last remark sounded snotty and petulant but she couldn’t stop herself.

Carrick looked back at her, like he was going to give her a sharp retort but instead sighed. “You know your parents were murdered the night we made our escape. You were aware that we thought it to be the work of the neighboring region of Stansworth.”

“I remember,” Ava acknowledged.

“What you don’t know, and what we have since come to find out, is that Ralina Haramish, is the person who was leading those forces and orchestrated your parents’ murders.”

“Ralina Haramish? As in, your ex-girlfriend Ralina Haramish?” Ava asked, astounded.

Carrick gave a curt nod, to which Ava snorted. “Puh-leeze. That woman couldn’t lead an army of ants to an abandoned picnic basket.”

Carrick stopped walking and spun toward Ava. His eyes were hard and frosty. “Whatever you do, do not underestimate her. Much has changed since you have been gone. I will tell you now, she has learned how to use the blackest of magicks to control her army, and her heart is pure evil. She is extremely powerful and we have yet to find a way to bring her down.”

Ava didn’t know what to say to that. She felt she should have a thousand follow-up questions but nothing came to mind. Carrick had just named her parents’ killer and she still couldn’t think of a thing to say.

Carrick resumed walking and Ava followed. Kieran brought up the rear, leading King along. Bing was running zigzag patterns across their path, sniffing up everything that was Vyronas.

Ava let her mind drift to Ralina Haramish. The same Ralina who’d stood next to Barney when she was eight years old and bullied her. Ralina was of the Maiorn caste and her father owned and ruled the city of Stansworth. Stansworth was a good friend and ally to Kestevayne, so it was very much a surprise that it was their forces which led the attack.

But how had Ralina managed to control that army? Her father would never have let her do something like that. Ava knew Ralina fairly well. Turned out, Ralina had quite the crush on Carrick as they were growing up and was the same age as Carrick. Ralina hated the friendship that Ava and Carrick had and always managed to demean Ava when she could get away with it. That usually meant when they were both out of Carrick’s sight and hearing as Carrick would never put up with that type of treatment. It about killed Ava when Carrick and Ralina started dating each other. Ava always suspected Carrick went out with her because Ralina would have sex with him. The rumor was that Ralina would have sex with anyone. Still, Ava kept her childhood crush to herself and never told Carrick of Ralina’s meanness toward her or of the nasty rumors that everyone said about Ralina. She figured Carrick was a smart enough guy he could see her for what she was.

Ava looked at Carrick while musing over his relationship with Ralina. It had ended so long ago, she wondered what he thought of her now. Which made Ava’s mind kick into gear with more questions.

“Why is she doing this? Why did she kill my parents?”

Carrick didn’t say anything but she knew he heard her.

“Answer me Carrick.”

“I’ll leave it up to the Conclave to fill you in on all of the details. That is their role, not mine.”

“Well, then, what exactly is your role in all of this?” Ava asked, clearly frustrated she was not getting the information she wanted.

“I am Commandant of the Kestevayne Army and I lead all the forces, which now includes thousands of Kestevayne citizens and other royal families who have joined our cause to reclaim your throne.”

“You are Commandant? But, that can’t be. Your father is Commandant of the Army.”

Carrick stopped walking but didn’t turn to face Ava. His head hung low. “You’re smart, Ava. Put two and two together and you’ll figure it out.”

Carrick took off walking again, but at a much faster pace. Ava just stood and watched as he walked away. Kieran eventually came up beside Ava. She reached out and ran her hand up King’s neck.

“How long ago?” Ava asked.

“Two years. He was killed leading an attack against Ralina’s forces.”

Ava felt tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m sorry Kieran. Your father was a great man.”

Kieran put his hand on Ava’s shoulder and gave a light squeeze. “Yes, he was.” He started walking. “So is Carrick for that matter.”

Ava followed, her heart heavy.