Fayersae Histories (Second Battle of Jent #1)

By P.A. Seasholtz

Harmony of the Othar Saga historical material, Parts 1-12. Blonhaft’s parents find themselves caught in the intricacies of House Triumon as the Houses scramble to confront the Dasyu invasion at Torbod. Join a young Avanian as she begins weaving the webs of intrigue that binds her fate to the House of Northmon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: P.A. Seasholtz
• Release date: Sep 13, 2010

P.A. Seasholtz

Living quietly in a Minneapolis suburb, I have been writing the Harmony of the Othar Saga in various incarnations for more years than I am willing to admit. A story which began in college has, after many years, reached fruition with my first novel, Heart of Hauden. During the intervening years, I have helped raise my daughter, Katja, with my wife, Ann, worked in the information technology field, primarily as a database administrator, and received the support of friends and family to write as time permitted.

Book preview

Fayersae Histories

Second Battle of Jent

P.A. Seasholtz

Published by Clarice Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 P.A. Seasholtz

www.animusofhauden.com

www.paseasholtz.com

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Table of Contents

Title

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 1

Bran Northmon was awakened more from troubled dreams than the biting pre-dawn wind that blew through the valley at the headwater of the Adonite River, and the sound of the gusts buffeting the royal tent and the creak of the support poles added its voice to the whispers in his head, whispers that quickly faded once he opened his eyes. Only the noise of the wind remained.

He had fallen asleep, sitting, and he unfolded his arms and stood, lifting his heavy jacket before dropping it again on the back of the chair. Resisting a shiver as the last chill of the dream fled, he parted the wall of pelts that bisected the interior of the tent. Findian’s golden hair flowed around the quilts and blankets, framing her face in the peace of sleep before she stirred at the sound of neighing horses and the splash of hooves down river. She opened her eyes, and the shimmering peaceful illusion was gone, leaving only the cold shadows of night. He turned away and left the tent just as the shout of voices began to awaken the entire camp.

The sky was just bright enough for the last of the stars to have disappeared, and two men on horseback spurred their muddy horses up the hill to his tent as the guards of his household belatedly jumped around him. He waved them off and stepped forward as a rider in Triumon colors dismounted.

My Lord, the man breathlessly said, making a quick half bow. Dasyu have landed west of Torbod. That city is under heavy siege.

Bran looked over his shoulder at Findian who stood at the open tent flap, his heavy jacket draped across her shoulders. In a single breath, her eyes narrowed and her jaw set with a cold acceptance of the news that her ancestral city had come under Dasyu attack; she was still a daughter of Bruchmon, and her unreserved lively demeanor was quickly replaced with an earnest commitment to duty. Her determined look was enough to dismiss the anxiety that had momentarily chilled his heart upon hearing this sudden disturbing news.

Still, he found himself shaking his head when he turned back to the Triumon messenger. A Dasyu invasion always followed a Darkening, but he knew the timing of this attack was uncustomary and had come too soon; it had only been twenty five years since the night the moon went dark, marking the coming of age for his generation. Perhaps this was nothing more than a small Dasyu raiding party, he thought for a moment, but the faint impressions of his troubled dreams and the hard expression on Findian’s face said otherwise; no, this was a full scale assault, and he and Findian would not be completing their peregrination to Torbod where she always spent the winter months away from the seat of the House of Northmon at Ponchon.

The Triumon messenger pulled a sealed scroll from a bag at his waist as the rest of the camp woke and circled the Triumon horses. Bran was surprised to see the seal of his liege, Segan Fayersae, on the scroll.

His Majesty had just left Spirit when the news from Torbod arrived, the messenger said to Bran’s questioning look. I was told to seek you here, around the Adonite, rather than ride to Ponchon with this news.

Bran broke the seal and read the decree from Segan, the contents of which he had already guessed; the House of Northmon was commanded to assemble all men of arms and march south to the Jent Pass. They were to hold the pass until the Dasyu intentions could be determined and the coordinated defenses of the Houses organized.

There is more, the Triumon messenger said. Shortly after we left Spirit, Westermon riders from Forn and Derth brought news of Dasyu ships harassing their coastal towns. It is not safe for the Lady to return to Ponchon, he said dipping his head to Findian.

A cold silence followed as Bran digested this last piece of news. Ordering his House to move south to the Jent Pass would leave Ponchon vulnerable should the Dasyu sail even further north, however unlikely that was with the coming of winter. The men surrounding him seemed to deduce the same, even though they did not know the details of Segan’s instructions that would leave few Northmon soldiers guarding their homes. Findian also seemed to recognize the danger, but she firmly beckoned her handmaids into the tent.

We are short on horses here, Bran said to the Triumon messengers. "The mounts of the half dozen outriders and the draft horses for the