Page 5 of Immortal Sentry

His wicked, superior smile made him nearly unrecognizable beneath his elaborate helm. Bain. Bastard Uncle of King Lothan. A horse-drawn cart followed in his wake, wheels and hooves clattering against wet cobblestone. The cart stopped a few yards away. Kerric didn’t bow, nor did he acknowledge whatever titles Bain might’ve given himself. He also fought the urge to wipeaway the rain spattering his helmet and splashing into his eyes. “Bain.”

The smile left Bain’s face. “That’s King Bain to you.” He waved the cart forward, exposing the contents.

Oh, gods! No! Kerric couldn’t stop the magnetic pull urging his feet closer, though his knees grew decidedly weak. His heart broke with each step. He clutched the side of the cart to keep from falling. Kerric had failed. Failed his king. Anger built inside him. Bain thought his surname granted him the right to the throne. He’d never be the rightful king.

Then Kerric looked back into the cart. Oh, Ibrus, no. Pain lashed through his heart, followed quickly by rage. It wasn’t just King Lothan lying there.

A shock of red hair. Royal robes. A hand devoid of the royal king’s seal. Beside the king lay a younger man and a boy, both with ebony curls, the man’s lids open to reveal green eyes, the boy’s closed.

Time enough for anger later. The lifeless bodies of King Lothan and his two sons lay sprawled in bloody hay in the cart. A hard swallow did nothing to clear the lump in Kerric’s throat. Images flashed through his mind of these two young men, one nearly his own age at twenty-seven, the other seventeen summers younger. “What of Princess Lessa?” Surely Bain wouldn’t have killed a woman who’d never be in competition for the kingdom.

“I gained the king of Anilitk's aid in this battle in return for the princess. He plans to wed her.” Bain sneered. “Otherwise, she’d have joined her kin.”

Imminent death loosened Kerric’s tongue. “Bain, you are without honor. Besides, the Anilitk King has a queen.”

“Not for much longer, I believe. She’s past childbearing age and hasn’t provided an heir. Lessa can still bear many sons.”

No! Not sweet Princess Lessa and the old deviant from the south! Kerric had failed his king, but he wouldn’t fail the king’s surviving daughter. “What of Queen Jaidia?” Lothan’s widow wasn’t well-liked, but she, like Lessa, was Lothan’s kin.

Bain appeared far too smug. “She remains queen. She bore Lothan no children but will bear them for the new king.” So, Bain planned to take Lothan’s widow for his wife. She wouldn’t give him legitimacy to the throne. Locals considered her an arrogant foreigner.

The queen also had no love for the children Lothan’s former queen gave him before she died. Queen Jaidia wouldn’t cry tears for anyone in the cart.

Kerric stalled for time. Why? He didn’t know. No one would come and save him, not even Ibrus. Though he knew the answer, he asked anyway, “Do I need to ask who the new king might be?”That’s King Bain to you.The deities couldn’t be so cruel.

“Me, of course, as should’ve been my right. My father never should’ve been passed by.”

Bain’s father had been an insane tyrant, the reason the old king named a younger son heir—and the fact that Bain was a bastard and not a legitimate son.

“My men and I have failed. We accept our fate. Be quick about it.” Kerric would indeed die this day. “But before I lay down my life for my sins, allow me to see the face of my king one more time.”

“Look at him all you want. You’ll see him soon in death.”

Please, Lady, let his chest rise and fall!But no. The king, his grown son, and his younger were still and cold. Kerric studied their features, relaxed in death. Hadn’t Commander Crau said they were safe? Judging by the dried blood and stiff limbs, King Lothan had died long before Crau stopped Kerric from opening the door.

Ice formed in Kerric’s insides while a dagger pierced his very soul. Betrayed! By his own commander. It came as no surprise when Commander Crau made an appearance, flanked by an officer wearing Anilitk’s colors. Kerric blinked back tears. He fixed his gaze on the younger son. Wait! Could that be.…

Though Kerric now faced his last moments, triumph soared within him. The third body wasn’t a boy’s but a small man’s. Not Prince Eron! A stranger.

“Swear fealty to King Bain and live,” Crau said with reverence as though he hadn’t cursed Bain’s name in the past.

“Men!” Kerric shouted. “I’d rather die. Who’s with me?”

“Huzzah!” his men shouted. Kerric charged Bain. Crau met him midway, their swords clashing. Kerric shoved his boot into Crau’s gut, sending him crashing to the ground. His ceremonial armor wouldn’t protect him.

Kerric raised his sword over his head. “Die, traitor.” He paused a moment too long to relish the fear in Crau’s eyes.

A soldier stepped between Kerric and Crau, straight into Kerric’s blade, swung with all his strength. The man screamed once, giving his life for an unworthy traitor. Kerric kicked his body away and lunged.

Crau was gone.

“Crau!” Kerric bellowed. “Face me!” Clangs of steel marked the whereabouts of Kerric’s men.

As did their dying screams.

A bright light flashed. More lightning?

All went dark.

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