Free Avondale V by Toby Neighbors

the throne room while the soldiers were escorted down to give their report. They bowed as soon as they saw their king. Leonosis wondered what the other soldiers in the castle had told them.
    “Report!” Draggah demanded.
    “We come from Avondale, my liege,” said one of the soldiers. The others stood behind the speaker with their heads down. “The wizard is there.”
    “Tell me everything,” Draggah demanded.
    “We were patrolling, just as you ordered us. We saw something happening with the other war ship and so we went to investigate but were attacked by the city soldiers.”
    “Men from the earl’s war band?” Draggah asked.
    “Yes, my liege. We were overwhelmed,” he lied. “Your brother arrived and, for a short time, took control of the city, but then the wizard defeated him.”
    “So Tiberius has taken control of Avondale,” Draggah said.
    “No, my lord. He was injured, and his father is protecting him.”
    “You’re sure of this?” Draggah demanded.
    “We don’t know how he was hurt, but we saw his friend, the sword master’s son, hanging from the palace walls. There was a battle of some kind. Most of your men were slain.”
    “And they just let you escape?”
    “No, my lord. The earl sent us. Your father. He’s not ill, not anymore. He sent us to tell you that you aren’t welcome in Avondale.”
    “What did he say exactly?”
    “That he is disappointed in you and Brutas. That he may not be able to stop you from being King of Valana, but you are not welcome in his city. And that he wants you to send your mother home.”
    Leonosis felt a pang of fear. He hadn’t seen his mother since shortly after his coronation. Leo had no idea what had become of her, but he knew it couldn’t be good.
    Draggah laughed, but his humor was short lived.
    “What of Tiberius?”
    “We heard he refused to let your brother leave the city,” the soldier said meekly. “He said the city would protect him.”
    “How certain of this are you?”
    “We only heard stories of what happened, my lord,” the soldier said. “But the other sky ships were all in Avondale when we left.”
    Draggah’s mind flipped through the possibilities. He knew Earl Ageus was up to something, but he wasn’t certain what it was. Leonosis knew his father was a cold, calculating man. The fact that Tiberius had healed their father was a surprise. The earl had never shown any love to Tiberius, but perhaps healing the old man was a tactical decision. Earl Ageus was almost certain to oppose Brutas. Draggah regretted not slaying the earl’s second son and taking control of his body, the way the demon had done with the other earls. At least then Draggah would have had firsthand knowledge of what had happened in Avondale.
    The mental slip was like a flash of lightning. It was suddenly there and suddenly gone again, but Leonosis knew that it was real. Draggah had not taken control of Brutas because he was too weak. Splitting his concentration between the earls took a heavy toll on the demon, and losing Earl Marcus when Tiberius and Rafe had slain him had caused Draggah a great amount of pain. In the end, the decision not to enslave Brutas had come out of necessity.
    No sooner had the realization of Draggah’s weakness crossed Leo’s mind than a wave of soul-crushing pain followed. Leo’s thoughts were almost always clear to the demon. He had to work hard to hide his thoughts, and the realization of his tormentor’s pain had happened so quickly that Leo hadn’t had time to conceal anything.
    When the pain finally eased enough that Leonosis could think clearly again, he was on the king’s sky ship. Below him the last of the war ships were being provisioned. Draggah stood at the bow of the ship, looking down over his army.
    Don’t be foolish, the demon spoke directly into Leonosis’ mind. This army is just the beginning of my power. Soon your world will buckle under the weight of my wrath. Your kind will run in terror, but none will escape