Guardian of the Gauntlet
4/5
()
About this ebook
Read more from Lenita Sheridan
Guardian of the Gauntlet, Book III Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guardian of the Gauntlet, Book II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Guardian of the Gauntlet
Related ebooks
A King's Treasure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeauty and the Vampire (Book 1) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Sorceress of the Five Crowns: The Chronicles of Tralia, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Vial (Legends of the Realm Book #3) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mrs. Claus and the Viking Ship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Red Fairy Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kingship Bound by Blood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sorcerer's Daughter: The Chronicles of Tralia, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKitty in the Winter Wild Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmugglers Daughter: Regency Romance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA New War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Defender Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe North Wind Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Sister's Steel: Tales in Salona, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShield Knight: Duel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Highlander Enchanted Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Champion of Fire & Ice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Red Fairy Book: A Collection of Fairy Tales for Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mark of Destiny: The Mark of Destiny, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProtected by the Knight's Proposal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWarrior Bride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristmas Roses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Dream of the Past (Book 1 in the Dream Series) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Gathering of Dragons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDerring-Do for Beginners: Red Company, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Lady Bountiful Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDaggers of Gold Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Devil Water Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Fantasy For You
Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empire of the Vampire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neverwhere: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tress of the Emerald Sea: Secret Projects, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wizard's First Rule Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nettle & Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sarah J. Maas: Series Reading Order - with Summaries & Checklist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Galatea: A Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of the Forest: Book One of the Sevenwaters Trilogy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mistborn: Secret History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Sun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Eyes of the Dragon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Talisman: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Desert: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Phantom Tollbooth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Guardian of the Gauntlet
2 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Guardian of the Gauntlet - Lenita Sheridan
29)
I. The Kingdom of Harroway
In the kingdom of Harroway in the year three-hundred-and-eight of the second sun there lived two sisters, Camari and Mila. Camari was twelve and had tawny hair and large brown eyes like those of a young doe. She was pretty, but not beautiful like her older sister who was fourteen. Mila had shiny black hair and eyes the color of a midnight sky. Both sisters were slim and healthy from walking about in the woods behind the castle. The sisters were very close, especially since they had few playmates other than their servants, and living in such a poor kingdom they didn't have many of the latter, either.
Harroway was a small kingdom, located just east of Palinoth. It was somewhat isolated during the winter when heavy snows made the roads impassable. The long winter made it difficult to grow crops, and Harroway had few natural resources. King Shandar and Queen Varice ruled the kingdom. Their two daughters, Camari and Mila, were given the freedom to roam about forest near the castle as they wished as long as they were back by suppertime.
The girls played very well together and rarely became jealous. Their disputes were usually about who was right. There was the time Camari had spotted a small mammal and insisted that it was an Aril, a rare mountain rodent that could sometimes be found in colder climates such as Harroway's. Mila insisted that it was only a rabbit, but Camari was sure that the animal didn't have long ears. It had scampered away so fast that neither sister could confirm her belief. Both sisters were intelligent and loved to challenge each other. To increase the stakes and excitement of their disputes they often engaged in a wager. The prize was often a ride on Lassiter, the horse they both shared.
The princesses' rooms were on the second floor of the castle, which housed about one hundred people; over half of these were the king's army and the rest were guards and servants. The castle had only two floors, excluding the upper battlements. The main floor consisted of a banquet hall, a kitchen, laundry and barracks for the guards and the king's army. The upstairs contained bedrooms for the royal family and their guests at one end and quarters for the upper servants at the other. The bedrooms were separated by another hall which served as a sitting room; a staircase lead down from it to the lower floor. Only the princesses' nursemaid, Renna, the housekeeper, cook, butler, and chaplain had chambers on the second floor. There was no dungeon or secret passageway beneath, which Camari often regretted because she loved to explore. Prisoners were a rarity, but if there were any, they were locked in one of the towers, which stood at each of the four corners of the castle. In fact, the only time Camari could remember there ever being a prisoner was when she was only four years old, and much of this memory was from having the story told to her by her parents and older sister. A stranger had come up to the castle one day and insisted upon seeing King Shandar. It was winter and the wind was blowing fiercely. The guard took pity on him, for Harroway was a kind and friendly kingdom, and let him in. Besides, King Shandar welcomed guests since Harroway received few visitors in winter, especially as cold a one as they had had that year. The man's clothes were torn and had holes in them, but he insisted that he was related to King Shandar by marriage, something like his wife's sister's husband's brother. King Shandar was sure he knew of no such relation, but seeing that the man was hungry and in need of shelter, bid the guards to let him stay in the barracks.
A number of odd occurrences began to happen around the castle, for which no one could find a logical reason. Inanimate objects began to act in a decidedly mischievous way. For example, when the cook would try to slice an apple, it would move from her grasp. She never cut herself, but it was exceedingly frustrating. The grooms found saddling a horse particularly difficult when the saddle kept flapping about and would never settle upon the horse's back.
The problem was, that when the king did imprison him, the occurrences kept happening, even though he was locked up and given access to nothing. He was even watched constantly. The king couldn't prove that this man, Sir Hansoff,
had done any of the deeds, but he didn't have to; he was a king. So he had the man banished from the kingdom and they hadn't had problems of that sort since nor had they heard of the man again. If you wish to read more of The Tale of Sir Hansoff,
you will have to wait, for that is another story, and now it is time to get back to the princesses and their castle.
Instead of a moat, a high stonewall surrounded the castle with gates at the front and back. The wall enclosed a courtyard, which surrounded the castle. In the back part of the courtyard was a garden in the middle of which lay a pond containing nothing more exciting than a few toads and some tadpoles. Stone benches surrounded the pond; they were backless so one could either watch toads hop or gaze at the daisies or other wildflowers, which grew in the garden.
Behind the castle was a forest filled with both deciduous and evergreen trees. These woods were a playground for Mila and Camari. They were playing Christmas there one day when they met Denir. The sisters had a tradition of bringing gifts of food for the small animals that lived in the forest. The weather had been mild for the past two weeks with temperatures of about ten degrees above zero Fahrenheit. On this particular day, the sun shone low in a clear sky. The snow had just fallen and the branches of the trees were heavily frosted. Now and then the branches would give with the weight of the snow, causing it to cascade down in a shower of flakes. The girls wore hooded woolen capes trimmed with fur. Mila had brought decorated cones filled with seeds and nuts and breadcrumbs for the birds and squirrels. She and Camari were hanging them on the trees when they heard a loud crack, turned around and saw a tall figure some feet away, covered with snow that had fallen off one of the branches.
Camari shrieked: It's the Great Kimbali! Run!
She started to run away when Mila grabbed her arm.
Don't be ridiculous,
said Mila, being the more pragmatic of the two. It's not a snow monster! But it's obviously someone. Let's find out.
No,
cried Camari, still shaking. If it's not Kimbali it could still be dangerous!
It's not an it. I think it's a he.
Denir had moved closer and heard the girls arguing. It is a he,
he said, laughing loudly, and my name is Denir.
He shook the snow from his head.
Mila smiled and politely held out her hand. And I am Mila. It is a pleasure to meet you.
Denir stepped forward and took her hand, bent over it and brushed it lightly with his lips. Pleased to make your acquaintance, my lady.
Mila giggled, echoed by Camari, who was in awe of him. Camari envied her sister's ease in social situations. Her innate shyness was often a hindrance in these areas, but when she tried to be more outgoing she either made a fool of herself or felt badly about it afterwards. Her sister never had these problems. After too many unsuccessful attempts, Camari had given up trying to be like her and often remained quiet.
It's Your Royal Highness, Princess Mila of Harroway,
Mila said, regaining her dignity.
And I'm Prince Denir of Thalon.
He smiled.
Some prince!
said Mila as she noticed his snow-covered hair, which was beginning to drip with melted bits. Thalon, that's just south of here, is it not?
Yes,
said Denir, I know you have few visitors, being the northernmost kingdom.
We don't get to travel much, either, due to all this snow.
Mila spread her arms out, gesturing at the blanketed ground.
In the summertime, Father takes us fishing in the lakes of Palinoth,
added Camari, beginning to relax a little.
He hasn't any sons. Mother says, as we're growing up, we ought to take on more 'feminine pursuits.'
Mila said this last flippantly.
Denir laughed. My parents have the opposite problem--they have only sons. My older brother, Hamil, just married Tanira of Bredin, so now I have a sister.
Denir had been leaning against a stump as he was talking. Mila and Camari were sitting on a fallen log. It was not as sturdy as they had thought,