Free TWO HEADS TWO SPIKES (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga) by Jason Paul Rice Page B

his head, played with his robe. He had a ridiculous patchy beard that should have been shaved off altogether.
    The office gleamed with gold and jewels, like a room fit for a king. The couches and desk were finely constructed and expensive silks covered the windows. The Father had a chair that would rival a throne in some realms. Constructed of jade, its armrests also showcased every imaginable precious stone. There were a lot of gems Penrose had never seen and couldn’t identify; he only knew that they all sparkled beautifully. The back support extended up to about seven feet and was fitted with two giant pearls on either side at the top. Two ebony carved ravens held the pearls in their claws as they hovered above the chair with outstretched wings. Father Enroy tried to get the water from his ear as he listened to Penrose.
    “Well Father, I wondered, what do you do when you have the urge to sin?”
    “I like to think of the day when I am being judged by the seven Gods. What would they say? You must try to fight the urges, my son. However, there are times when primal needs must be met. And the Gods might understand that perhaps.”
    Penrose heard the answer he wanted but the Father’s message was vague.
    Maybe this is just a primal need I have to fulfill sometimes. But not right now. I can’t kill him .
    A sudden hard knock at the door caught both men unawares. Penrose placed his hand on his sword and slowly cracked the door. There stood King Ali-Stanley Wamhoff with three massive guards.
    “Penrose, is the Father in?” asked the King.
    “Yes, your highness,” said Penrose as he stepped aside to reveal Father Enroy.
    “Father, I need absolution,” the King uttered.
    “Come in my King, it will be my pleasure to absolve you and Penrose both,” returned the holy man.
    The King turned to his guards, “You are dismissed. Penrose can escort me back to the castle.”
    Penrose said, “Of course, your highness, I shall be certain no harm befalls you.”
    “Yes, I feel perfectly safe with you. You are the only protector I shall require this evening,” the King of Donegal confidently stated.

A CALL TO ARMS
 
JON
    Jon Colbert gathered his sons into a huddle so he could talk to them over the commotion and the locusts buzzing.
    “You know why we have to do this, don’t you boys?” he asked as he looked them all in the eye.
    Ruxin, Ryno and Krys all nodded their heads in agreement as their father clarified further.
    “The Fritz family is harboring other families and garnering support for a rebellion. I have received three different confirmations about a planned attack on Riverfront. You boys ought to know that if an egg is falling, you better catch it before it makes a mess. All the families of Mattingly are like a bunch of eggs thrown in the air. This rebellion is like an egg dropping, so we have to grab it now before it builds up momentum and we have a big mess on our hands. A little problem can quickly become a disaster if we ignore it. We must make quick decisions based on the evidence presented and act with haste. But we also must make sure we are thinking clearly and not out for revenge.”
    As he talked to his sons, the long-distance siege weapons continued to roll by. Each one proudly flew the Colbert banner, a black flag with a golden bull, ready to attack. The Fritz castle rested atop Locust Hill in central Mattingly. It was an older castle for Mattingly, built two hundred and sixty years ago. The castle had no protective siege wall around it and the Fritz’ depended on the steep hill and the protection of the Gods for insulation.
    “Duke Colbert, if we set up our weapons right along the tree line, straight down there, the castle will be in firing range and we can move to part two of the plan with ease,” said Sir Ryan Caughleigh as he pointed along the edge of the woods.
    “Alright, remember that we want the weapons mixed as we go, I don’t want to see a line of mangonels followed by all the onagers. We