Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 2 Read online

  JOURNEY OF A BETRAYED HERO

  VOLUME 2

  BRANDON VARNELL

  ILLUSTRATIONS BY AISORETTO

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Journey of a Betrayed Hero, Volume 2

  Copyright © 2019 Brandon Varnell

  Illustration copyright © 2019 Aisoretto

  Kindle formatting: Lia at Free Your Words

  All rights reserved

  Brandon Varnell and Kitsune Incorporated supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce creative works that enrich our culture.

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  If you would like to know when Brandon Varnell releases a new book, please sign up for his mailing list at www.varnell-brandon.com/mailing-list.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9989942-5-3

  Contents

  Title Page

  Publishing Info

  Prologue: The Hero is a Traitor

  Chapter 1: Far Apart but Still Together

  Interlude I: Council Decisions

  Chapter 2: Alyssium

  Interlude II: A Queen’s Anger

  Chapter 3: Political Dealings

  Chapter 4: Lustful Intentions

  Interlude III: Dark Plan Hatched

  Chapter 5: Escape from Alyssium

  Interlude IV: Red Tidings

  Chapter 6: Lust for Entertainment

  Epilogue: Return Home

  Afterword

  WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior

  Chapter 1: The Ending Is Only The Beginning

  Hey, Did You Know?

  Exclusively on Patreon...

  American Kitsune

  A Most Unlikely Hero

  Arcadia’s Ignoble Knight

  The Executioner

  Social Media

  Coming Soon: Swordsman Of The Rift

  PROLOGUE

  THE HERO IS A TRAITOR

  It was late at night as Alice tossed and turned on her bed. Sweat had broken out on her forehead, and her lips twisted as if she was in pain.

  Her sleep was often plagued with nightmares, visions of what happened in the past, present, and what could happen future. Foresight was a powerful magic indeed. However, it was relatively useless for real life situations, and it generally only activated while she slept.

  That night, as with most nights, her dreams featured Jacob, the hero who’d saved her kingdom and vanished from the palace after forsaking his title. This dream happened the same way every dream had. He would appear before her, his face older, his body more mature. The expression that he wore reflected the pain he felt, and his eyes were accusing daggers that knifed her through her heart.

  “You betrayed me,” he would say.

  “I didn’t!” she denied.

  “You left me alone. When I needed help, you weren’t there. When the nobles tried to use me, you refused to so much as lift a finger. You promised me that we would always be together, but you weren’t there when I needed you the most. You betrayed me.”

  “That’s not true! I wanted to help, but my… my hands were tied! Please, you have to believe me!”

  “Traitor.”

  “Stop it…”

  “Traitor.”

  “Please stop…”

  “You’re a traitor.”

  “I said stop it!!” Alice screamed as she shot up in bed. She took several deep breaths, gasping lungfuls of air. Glancing around, she recognized the cream walls, splendid decor, and beautifully crafted vaulted ceiling. It was her bedroom.

  Alice pressed a hand to her face, grimacing as it came away slick with sweat. In fact, her entire body was covered in sweat, and her nightgown was caked to her skin. When she looked down, she saw that her clothes had been so thoroughly soaked that her breasts were visible through the fabric.

  When will this nightmare end?

  It probably wouldn’t end. Not ever. That was the conclusion that she’d reached years ago after Jacob had left. It would plague her to the end of her days, a constant reminder of how she had failed to protect the kingdom’s hero. Her hero.

  The sound of movement alerted her to the other person in the room. A woman dressed in a white nightgown appeared before her, Listy, her maid and best friend.

  “Are you having trouble sleeping again, My Lady?” Listy asked.

  “It was just the same nightmare as usual,” Alice said, as if that would assure her maid.

  “That nightmare again.” Listy sighed. “I feel like you are far too hung up on the hero.”

  “It is not necessarily that I am hung up on him,” Alice admonished. “It is my failure to protect him after he’d done so much for my people that continues to bother me.”

  Perhaps it had been due to his age, or maybe it was because she had been young as well, but when Jacob had been summoned to this world, she felt like she’d finally understood how heroes felt.

  Every hero in their history was one that had been summoned from another world. They were torn from their homes, forced to fight for a people they didn’t know, and at the end of it all, the only thing that awaited them was either death or a life of loneliness. However, she only understood this fact after Jacob had left.

  “Jacob saved our kingdom, but I couldn’t do anything to save him,” Alice continued.

  “It is regrettable what happened to Lord Jacob,” Listy allowed. “However, as our queen, you cannot devote all of your time and attention to one man. It would have been a greater disservice to his actions if you had not helped your people after the war ended.”

  Alice felt a sardonic smile tugging at her lips. “Somehow, I don’t think Jacob would feel the same way.”

  “That may be so, but that is how it is. In the end, your loyalty is to your people, not to a single person.”

  This was not the first time she and Listy had this conversation. They’d spoken of her feelings many times, and every time, Listy said the same thing. It was not her concern. Her loyalty was to her people. She knew that, of course. After all, she had chosen her people over Jacob, but that didn’t make it easier to accept how her neglect had pushed him away. It didn’t change how she’d allowed the nobles to abuse him.

  “Let’s take a bath, Listy,” Alice said. “I feel disgusting.”

  “As you wish, My Lady.”

  The bathhouse was a large room that could have easily seated forty people, though only she and Listy used it. A large pool filled with steaming water sat in the center of the room. After undressing in the changing room, Alice and Listy wandered over to the left wall, where there was a stool along with a bucket.

  She sat down on the stool. Listy grabbed the bucket, filled it up at the pool, and then came back and poured the hot water onto Alice’s head. Her maid did this two more times before beginning to wash her body.

  “I am always jealous of how soft your skin is,” Listy commented as she ran a loofa over Alice’s arms.

&nb
sp; “Your skin is just as soft as mine,” Alice contradicted. “And let us not forget another area where you shine that I am lacking in.”

  “If you are referring to my chest, then that only makes sense,” Listy said. “I am older than you, and you are still growing. Give it time.”

  Alice sighed. “If you say so.”

  “I do say so.”

  While Alice did feel a little bit of envy toward Listy’s enviable bust, it was not like she was lacking in that department. She knew she had a large chest for her age. At the same time, she remembered how Jacob had once found himself mesmerized by her maid’s chest and felt a flash of envy toward the other woman.

  After the two of them finished helping each other wash up, they waded into the pool, stepping down the marble steps and entering the sitting area. Heat rose all around them. Steam wafted off the water’s surface. Alice sighed as she leaned her head back and tried to forget her worries, if only for these next few minutes. Soon, she would have to return to the life of a queen, she would hold the lives of millions of people in her hands, and their weight would be crushing. However, at this moment, just for now, she was merely a simple seventeen-year-old girl taking a bath with her best friend.

  It was sad that all good things must come to an end. Alice and Listy eventually redressed and wandered down the hall. Night had turned into early morning, so Alice decided to grab something to eat.

  She and Listy traveled into the kitchens, where her head maid was already up and wandering around. Dressed in nothing but her nightgown, Alice sat down on a tall stool in front of the table normally used to prepare ingredients. Her bare feet couldn’t reach the floor.

  “Mornin’, Your Highness.” The head maid didn’t even look away from her work as she greeted Alice.

  “Morning, Melinda.”

  “I’m guessing you want the same thing as usual?”

  “Yes, please.”

  The “same as usual” was actually just simple oats and milk. Alice enjoyed simple breakfasts over extravagant ones. She had enough lavish meals prepared for lunch and dinner, especially when she was meeting with a member of the nobility. She didn’t need to deal with that in the morning.

  While she and Listy enjoyed their breakfast, the door to the kitchens opened, and Bayard walked in.

  “I knew I’d find you here when I noticed that you weren’t in your room,” Bayard said.

  “You were looking for me?” Alice asked.

  “Yes, there’s been a… a situation that requires your attention.”

  Alice, realizing that whatever had made Bayard search her out must have been grave, sighed and pushed away her food. It looked like she wouldn’t get to be a simple girl as much as she would have liked this morning.

  “What happened?” she asked, adopting her role as queen.

  Bayard coughed into his hand. “Reports coming in are varied— however, there are three things that we have confirmed. The first is that we located who we believe is the thief, though she somehow managed to escape.”

  “So in the end, even our paladins couldn’t catch her?”

  “Do not be so quick to blame the paladins for this, your majesty,” Bayard said. “There were extenuating circumstances. The city the thief was discovered in, Tallus Caelum, was attacked by an unknown person. That person destroyed nearly one-tenth of the city.”

  Alice paled, while Melinda and even Listy gasped. “W-what?”

  Bayard sighed and rubbed his face. “We’re not sure who, but one-tenth of Tallus Caelum was destroyed by what reports claim was a woman of unknown origins.”

  “Unknown origins?” Listy questioned.

  “It was night, and there was too much chaos happening to get a proper glimpse of her. However, a rumor has spread that she was a member of the Dark Clan.”

  “The Dark Clan.” Alice placed her head in her hands. She could already feel the headache this situation would give her. “We haven’t heard a peep from them in nearly three years. Why would they suddenly appear now?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Bayard said, shrugging. “Anyway, there is something else that you should know.”

  “And that is?”

  “It seems the person who fought against this woman was none other than Jacob.”

  “Jacob?!” Alice almost fell off her seat. “Where is he? Is he still in Tallus Caelum? How is he?”

  Bayard raised a hand for silence. Alice frowned, but she knew he wouldn’t have done something that would have normally been considered rude for no reason.

  “Unfortunately, Your Majesty, Jacob is not in good shape. When he was found by Caslain, he was on death’s door. I’ve been told that his wounds are horrific.”

  “Is he going to be okay?” she asked.

  “We believe so,” Bayard said. “His wounds have been healing rapidly. They were healing even before our healers got to him. The reports said that he should recover in a few days.”

  Leaning back in her chair, Alice placed a hand over her chest. Her heart was beating harder than a pair of bongo drums being repeatedly pounded on.

  “That’s good.”

  “There is something else that you should know,” Bayard said before she could become secure in this new knowledge. “Jacob was seen with two other people, women who are also from the Dark Clan. We now have evidence that Jacob was aiding the person who stole the gate key. He might be a traitor to the crown.”

  Alice had gone through many hardships. Her mother had died when she was young, and her father had followed on her twelfth birthday, forcing her to assume the role of queen before she was ready. Every day she fought against the nobles and the White Council, who sought to undermine her authority. Despite all this, she had remained strong, beating back the nobles with their flagrant desires to line their pockets with coin, and forcing the White Council to adopt her policies that would aid the people instead of themselves.

  However, in that moment, Alice could have sworn her heart had broken. She didn’t blame Jacob. She blamed herself.

  Alice wondered if things might have been different if she had been there for Jacob when he needed her the most.

  CHAPTER 1

  FAR APART BUT STILL TOGETHER

  Enyo opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a canopy of trees over her head. They blocked out the stars and night sky. Heat washed across her face, which alerted her to the fire that was crackling merrily away right next to her.

  Sitting up, Enyo observed her surroundings. She was in what looked like a makeshift camp. Of course, she called it a camp, but that was a polite term to describe it. It was, in actuality, nothing but a small clearing with a fire. There was nothing else there—not even Fellis.

  “Fellis?” she called out, though part of her was scared to do so. She nearly shrieked when something snapped, like a foot stepping on a twig. Swinging her head around, Enyo prepared for trouble, yet no trouble was forthcoming, and Fellis stepped out from several trees and into the fire’s light.

  “Enyo,” she said. “I’m pleased to see you’re awake.”

  “I’m glad you’re awake too,” Enyo nearly cried. “I don’t remember anything that happened after falling into that river, but I do remember you being knocked unconscious. I was worried you’d drown.”

  Fellis’s face shifted into an ugly grimace. “I am sorry about that. While we were falling, one of the drake riders attacked us. I blocked the spell, but it knocked me out.”

  “I’m just glad you’re alright,” Enyo admitted.

  Smiling, Fellis sat down. “I am also glad for that.”

  A moment of silence fell upon them. Enyo stared into the crackling fire, her thoughts a whirlwind of activity. So much had happened in Tallus Caelum, and she hadn’t had any time to put her thoughts in order. She wanted to know where they were, what happened to Tallus Caelum, and whether or not Jacob was safe.

  “There hasn’t been any word from Jacob,” Fellis said suddenly, as if she’d somehow read Enyo’s mind. “However, that’s not so surp
rising. Given what happened to us, even if he defeated Lust and escaped, he wouldn’t be able to find us unless he knew exactly what happened. He could be in the next town over and we wouldn’t know it.”

  “I guess that’s true.” Enyo sighed as she drew her knees up to her chest. A thought soon occurred to her, causing her to look at Fellis. “Speaking of what happened to us, do you know where we are?”

  “I have not been able to figure out where we are exactly, but I believe that we are a little more than two or three weeks travel from Alyssium.”

  “Alyssium, huh?”

  Alyssium was the capital of Terrasole, and the home of Avant Heim, the royal castle where the otherworld gate was located. She’d heard the stories about it. Supposedly, Alyssium was a paradise on earth. The roads were said to have been paved with gold, and the houses were covered in flowers. Water flowed freely, food was plentiful, and the people were happy. Well, those were the stories anyway.

  “In either event, we should eat and rest while we still can,” Fellis said. “Tomorrow, we’ll head out. I discovered a road while searching the area. It should lead to a town, where we can get a new map and plot a course for Alyssium.”

  Enyo nodded. “I understand.”

  As they ate the fish that Fellis had caught and cooked, Enyo looked up and wondered what Jacob was doing.

  High above them, the stars shone like phosphorous lights.

  ***

  Consciousness was slow to return to Jacob. His body felt heavy, weighed down, and exhausted. This didn’t surprise him, much as he would have liked it to have been otherwise. His battle with that woman, Lust, had taken a toll on his body. Her last attack would have killed him if he hadn’t ramped up the power of his energy barrier at the last second.

  Jacob didn’t open his eyes at first, but instead tried to get a feel for his location through his other senses. The bed that he was lying on was soft—softer than anything he’d felt in a long time. Cool air caressed his skin, yet he could tell from the warmth showering him that there was a window with sunlight spilling in. Wherever he was, it was ritzier than any place he’d been to in a long time.