The Twins of Fairland Ii

By sb white

In the sequel to The Twins of Fairland, the magic continues when Tre discovers an ancient curse placed on the Lineage of Currin. Queen Laurel, Tres mother, is the last of the line of queens of Currin and is threatened with revenge by the dark spirit riders of Lothan. Tre and his twin sister, Skylin, must lead the people to a new land and escape the destruction of Fairland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504912136

sb white

sb white continues to entertain readers with her fourth book, The Nebula Chronicles. Writing in the fantasy and science fiction genre, she continues to craft stories filled with adventure and exciting characters. Visit sbwhite.org for free stories for the beginning reader. Books available from AuthorHouse: The Twins of Fairland The Twins of Fairland II The Special Ones

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© 2015 sb white. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/14/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-1214-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-1213-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015907667

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Part 1

Revenge of the Spirit Riders

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Part 2

Rin’s Child

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Part 3

Moon’s Legacy

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

For Christen

Part 1

Revenge of the Spirit Riders

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Chapter 1

Tre walked from the large castle to the corral, and Pat whinnied loudly when he saw him, leaning his red-hued head over the fence in greeting. Tre patted the large horse’s neck. Are you ready for a ride to Rinland?

He had not seen Rin, the woman who had raised him, or his twin sister, Skylin, in weeks. He knew everyone in Rinland had been as busy as the people of Fairland this past year. After the intense battle with the Rider of Upland, the people of Fairland moved back to their homes to care for their wounded and rebuild their lives. Tre realized that it was the first real battle the people of Fairland had been part of, as Fairland had lived in peace for over one hundred years, not counting the fourteen years of cruelty when his uncle Kross had killed his own brother, Tre’s father, and assumed the throne of the kingdom.

The mountain villagers had fought hard alongside the Fairland army to defeat the Rider and his fierce warriors. After the battle was over, they moved back to the large meadow now called Rinland. So different from the people of Fairland, the villagers had never known peace. They were constantly hunted by the lowland raiders for their food and meager possessions. The village women were captured into a life of slavery. As a young girl, Rin had been captured by the raiders, and after years of being starved and beaten, she had escaped from the cage that had held her and found her way home. Rin’s unfailing courage had led the villagers to defeat the lowlanders, free the captives, and move to the large meadow named after her. The name Rinland always made Tre smile in awe at the brave young woman who had rescued him many years ago.

As Tre bridled the horse, he noticed the tightness in his shirt. All the work involved in rebuilding Fairland, planting and harvesting the crops, and completing other daily tasks he set for himself had, as Old Nanny told him, increased his stature. It was more the muscles in his chest and arms than stature, but Old Nanny had her own special way of expressing herself. Reaching the road that led out of Fairland, Tre stopped and looked across the long valley and smiled, satisfied now that the harvest was completed and all the grains and vegetables were secure in the barns. There would be ample food for the winter months ahead. Tre gave Pat a slight nudge and the large horse galloped down the road, shaking his head and enjoying his freedom as his long, reddish mane flew behind. The horse stretched out his legs for more speed, making Tre hold tight to avoid falling off.

Tre was anxious to reach the village and see Rin. After Axe’s wounds had mended with help from Old Nanny’s potions and Rin’s care, Rin and Axe had married, and she was now expecting her first child. It was the first wedding in the new village, and everyone celebrated with the happy couple. Rin glowed, her brown hair curled with ribbons and flowers, and wore a new dress one of the village women had made for her. Axe stood proudly by her side when they made their vows, affirming his intentions with hand gestures. After learning of the coming child, Axe now strutted around like a giant rooster and treated Rin like she was fragile and would break when touched. Axe wouldn’t let Rin help with the chore of cooking, and two of the village women had taken over the duties in the bakery. Rin laughed when teased about her special treatment and Axe’s insistence that she not lift anything heavy or move anything larger than a broom. Tre knew that Rin’s child would be blessed for having Rin for a mother and Axe for a father.

Moon, the village girl Tre had known all his life, now spent most of her free time with Old Nanny, who was teaching the young woman about herbs and potions and what they did and how to use them. Old Nanny said that Moon had the healing touch in her hands. Old Nanny and Moon had made several trips up the purple mountain to gather certain flowers and herbs to be used for potions. Most of Old Nanny’s supply was depleted from treating all of the wounded fighting the Rider, and she wanted to gather as many plants as possible before they withered and died in the cold. It was the small purple flowers that caused Old Nanny to exclaim out loud when she found a patch hidden between two rocks, and she carefully picked the precious flowers and put them in a special pouch. She told Moon they were very rare and held a magic to create children. Moon didn’t question Old Nanny about the flowers and knew that Old Nanny’s words often held double meanings. Tre had seen Moon occasionally when she came to the castle, but they had not spent much time together the past year, and Queen Laurel had not brought up the subject of marriage for him or Skylin lately. Tre was relieved because it was a path he was not ready to take.

As the village came into view, Tre could see that Skylin’s horse, Wind, was not tied in front of the bakery. This past year, Skylin spent much of her time in Rinland, saying she was more comfortable in the small village than the large stone castle. Skylin had not embraced the change of moving from Old Nanny’s house nestled against the forest to the large castle built into the purple mountainside. She relished being outside and free, as she’d told Tre when he mentioned that she should spend more time in Fairland. Tre decided that it was being with Dellis that Skylin wanted, but she would not admit it to herself or anyone else. Dellis and Skylin were a mystery to everyone: they spent most of their time together, but Dellis understood Skylin’s independence and did not try to make her commit to anything she did not want to do. Skylin came and went as she pleased but was not pleased when Dellis wasn’t around. Tre shook his head. Skylin and Dellis would have to work out their own future. Dellis was almost finished building his cabin in the hills above the meadow and would move there when it was completed. Tre knew that Dellis had made many changes based on Skylin’s suggestions, like where to place the windows for the best view and which direction the cabin should face, even adding a large porch across the front.

The midday meal was over and the large bakery empty when Tre walked inside looking for Rin. He had not had the chance to congratulate her and Axe, hearing the news of the coming child from Old Nanny. He was happy that Axe was doting on Rin and their child—Rin deserved to be taken care of after spending most of her life taking care of others, Tre included. A woman from the village was in the back putting away the cooking pots and, noticing Tre, stepped out and told him Rin was in the large barn with Axe. Tre thanked her and started for the recently completed barn; an exact replica of the new ones in Fairland.

Tre was stunned when he stepped into the large barn; his mouth gaped at the amount of seeds and grains and vegetables that filled the building. From the small amount of crops the villagers raised in the meadow, there was no way their harvest could have filled this large structure. In the back of the barn, he could see Axe lifting sacks of seeds onto a shelf, and he walked that way. When Tre came close, he called to Axe, not wanting to startle him. Axe turned, and when he saw it was Tre, the expression on his face was not welcoming—instead, Axe looked startled and seemed confused as whether to greet Tre. Though he was mute, Axe was not good at hiding his feelings, and Tre could sense that his being there was causing Axe stress.

Tre walked closer. I didn’t realize that the meadow harvest was big enough to fill the barn, he said, gesturing toward all the grains and vegetables in the bulging barn. Axe just stared at Tre, not responding to his words. Is there something going on that I should know about? Tre asked. Axe looked away and then motioned that he would get Rin. Axe’s sign for Rin was a closed fist to his heart. Tre nodded he understood Axe’s meaning and leaned against one of the filled bins to wait. Axe hurried toward the side of the barn where Rin lay sleeping on a small cot and shook her awake. Axe helped Rin sit up and motioned that Tre was here. Rin slowly stood, awkward in her movements as the child she carried grew larger.

Tre was shocked when he saw Rin coming toward him and realized it had been months since he had last seen her. Mother! he exclaimed.

Rin reached up and hugged him tightly and said, I’ve missed you.

Axe stood beside Rin, and Tre took both their hands and said, Congratulations. I can’t believe I will soon be a big brother.

Rin had a glow about her he had not seen before, and Axe grinned at Tre’s words. Rin looked at Axe, and an unspoken message passed between them. Axe is almost finished and will meet us in the bakery, she said. "I need to tell you something since