untouched snifter of brandy. "The others? About a year, as I remember."
"Conar was there for five," Prince Chase Montyne of Ionary said quietly. "None of us knew he was alive until we found him there."
"He had been sentenced to a flogging and exile," Wyn, the son of the man being discussed put in. "They beat him so badly, we thought he had died from it." The young man, soon to be twenty-eight years old in three weeks, looked up from cleaning his dagger. "The Tribunal told us he hadn't survived the beating and we believed them." His young eyes became haunted. "We didn't even question them."
"We weren't meant to," Holm van de Lar, the Captain of the Ravenwind grumbled. "Them bastards meant to make the boy suffer and he did."
"But he made them suffer when he got back home," Sentian Heil exclaimed. "He undid everything the Tribunal had done while he'd been in prison. He took back the land those sons-of-bitches stole and he stole the money from their coffers right out from under their noses."
"He destroyed the Tribunal," Thom Loure said, nodded. "And the Domination." He took a small sip of his drink and grimaced before setting it aside. "And nearly himself in the bargain."
"I heard he was married," Kalli commented. "That she died?"
"Elizabeth," Chase Montyne said softly. "She fell to her death."
"Along with Conar's brother, Brelan, who was trying to save her," the Tzarevna Catherine Steffonvitch McGregor injected.
"That is when we took him to the Outer Kingdom," Yuri Andreanova, the Shadow-warrior said. He looked at his Tzarevna. "And that is where he met our lady."
"And fell in love with her," Prince Sajin Ben-Alkazar added, smiling at the lady in question.
Charlotte Boyett-Compo WINDRETRIEVER 10
"So much tragedy for so young a life," Kalli said. He shook his head. "I can see why my brother thought he could destroy McGregor's mind if he but heaped more personal pain on the man."
"It will take more than the deaths of a few of his closest friends to bring about the ruin of Conar McGregor!" Shalu hissed. "The man is stronger than that Hasdu demon realized."
"Yes, but Conar is wounded deeper this time than any of us may want to believe," Chase responded. "He may have avenged the deaths of our comrades, but he hasn't come to terms with those deaths, yet."
"Give him time," Balizar Arbra asked. "I've a notion when he's at himself, there's going to be hell to pay in Rysalia."
"I believe so, too," Asher Stone agreed. "He had started something before he was kidnapped that I believe he will want to see to a final end."
"You hope he will, anyway," Shalu snapped.
"We are fighting for the freedom of our homeland, Taborn," Asher argued. "He knows what that is like."
"Fighting for you almost got him killed," Thom Loure growled.
"We aim to see he goes home with us," Holm remarked, drawing agreeing nods from the men of the Wind Force and frowns of disapproval from the men of the Samiel.
"And should he want to remain here?" Rupine, the physician questioned.
"We won't let him!" Sentian snapped in answer.
"You could help us, you know," Asher protested. "You men came all this way to aid him and now you want to drag him back before he has finished with what he started."
"We want to keep his white ass out of trouble!" Shalu thundered. "Taking him back, dragging him back as you call it, to Serenia is the only way I know to keep him in one piece."
"Even if he doesn't want to go?" Rupine asked.
"It doesn't matter what he wants," Paegan Hesar, the sailor Prince of Virago grumbled.
"He's going back whether he likes it or not! I won't lose any more of my kin in this heathen place!"
"Have any of you stopped to think of how he might feel about the lot of you so blithely making these decisions for him?" Catherine, Conar McGregor's second wife, asked quietly. As heads turned to her, she shrugged delicately. "If you know anything about the man at all, you know he will make his own plans and carry them out in his own way."
Ching-Ching,
"Conar was there for five," Prince Chase Montyne of Ionary said quietly. "None of us knew he was alive until we found him there."
"He had been sentenced to a flogging and exile," Wyn, the son of the man being discussed put in. "They beat him so badly, we thought he had died from it." The young man, soon to be twenty-eight years old in three weeks, looked up from cleaning his dagger. "The Tribunal told us he hadn't survived the beating and we believed them." His young eyes became haunted. "We didn't even question them."
"We weren't meant to," Holm van de Lar, the Captain of the Ravenwind grumbled. "Them bastards meant to make the boy suffer and he did."
"But he made them suffer when he got back home," Sentian Heil exclaimed. "He undid everything the Tribunal had done while he'd been in prison. He took back the land those sons-of-bitches stole and he stole the money from their coffers right out from under their noses."
"He destroyed the Tribunal," Thom Loure said, nodded. "And the Domination." He took a small sip of his drink and grimaced before setting it aside. "And nearly himself in the bargain."
"I heard he was married," Kalli commented. "That she died?"
"Elizabeth," Chase Montyne said softly. "She fell to her death."
"Along with Conar's brother, Brelan, who was trying to save her," the Tzarevna Catherine Steffonvitch McGregor injected.
"That is when we took him to the Outer Kingdom," Yuri Andreanova, the Shadow-warrior said. He looked at his Tzarevna. "And that is where he met our lady."
"And fell in love with her," Prince Sajin Ben-Alkazar added, smiling at the lady in question.
Charlotte Boyett-Compo WINDRETRIEVER 10
"So much tragedy for so young a life," Kalli said. He shook his head. "I can see why my brother thought he could destroy McGregor's mind if he but heaped more personal pain on the man."
"It will take more than the deaths of a few of his closest friends to bring about the ruin of Conar McGregor!" Shalu hissed. "The man is stronger than that Hasdu demon realized."
"Yes, but Conar is wounded deeper this time than any of us may want to believe," Chase responded. "He may have avenged the deaths of our comrades, but he hasn't come to terms with those deaths, yet."
"Give him time," Balizar Arbra asked. "I've a notion when he's at himself, there's going to be hell to pay in Rysalia."
"I believe so, too," Asher Stone agreed. "He had started something before he was kidnapped that I believe he will want to see to a final end."
"You hope he will, anyway," Shalu snapped.
"We are fighting for the freedom of our homeland, Taborn," Asher argued. "He knows what that is like."
"Fighting for you almost got him killed," Thom Loure growled.
"We aim to see he goes home with us," Holm remarked, drawing agreeing nods from the men of the Wind Force and frowns of disapproval from the men of the Samiel.
"And should he want to remain here?" Rupine, the physician questioned.
"We won't let him!" Sentian snapped in answer.
"You could help us, you know," Asher protested. "You men came all this way to aid him and now you want to drag him back before he has finished with what he started."
"We want to keep his white ass out of trouble!" Shalu thundered. "Taking him back, dragging him back as you call it, to Serenia is the only way I know to keep him in one piece."
"Even if he doesn't want to go?" Rupine asked.
"It doesn't matter what he wants," Paegan Hesar, the sailor Prince of Virago grumbled.
"He's going back whether he likes it or not! I won't lose any more of my kin in this heathen place!"
"Have any of you stopped to think of how he might feel about the lot of you so blithely making these decisions for him?" Catherine, Conar McGregor's second wife, asked quietly. As heads turned to her, she shrugged delicately. "If you know anything about the man at all, you know he will make his own plans and carry them out in his own way."
Ching-Ching,
Similar Books
Stories in Stone
David B. Williams
Scoop
Rene Gutteridge
Dear Mystery Guy (Magnolia Sisters Book 1)
Brenda Barrett
Homebody: A Novel
Orson Scott Card
White Guilt
Shelby Steele
A Thousand Yesteryears
Mae Clair
Reckless Disregard
Robert Rotstein
Who Knew
Amarinda Jones
The Speaker for the Trees
Sean DeLauder
The Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets
Diana Wagman