Cross of Faith: Tales of Terrara Vikos #1 Read online

Cross of Faith

  Christine McDonnell

  Copyright 2012 Christine McDonnell

  “Come right in, Lord Rendra.”

  My father, Lord Lionel Rendra, pulled me reluctantly through the door. I struggled as much as I could, trying to break free of Dad’s death grip. I did not want to do this. Actually, I loathed the fact that he was making me do this.

  “Let me go, Dad!”

  My father stopped walking and turned his steely gaze on me. “Halden, you are at an age where you can start preparing for your position as head of the daemon clan. So, you need to meet the Realm leader and his family.”

  I pouted. “But I don’t wanna meet them. Why should I care? I wanna go back home and play with Colt!”

  My dad yanked on my wrist and growled, “You will do this, and you will at least pretend to like it.”

  At those words, I knew I’d lost that battle. My father looked up, plastered a smile on his face, and continued to drag me down the hall. This time I didn’t bother struggling.

  Why, at my age, did I need to prepare for my future position? I was only eight at the time. It would be years before I became Daemon Head! My mind was full with contempt-filled thoughts as we walked through the halls. Finally, we stopped at a set of elegant double doors.

  Right as my father went to knock on one, they flew open, and my father was instantly attacked by a lady with long black hair. I saw the dagger attached to her leg and instantly prepared myself to fight her. I may have only been eight, but I was told countless times that I’m good in a pinch. Just ask my tutor.

  I wrapped my arms around the lady’s torso, screaming, “Release my father now, heathen!” The lady stopped attacking my father and freed him, focusing her attention on me. I released my grip on her waist and instant geared up for battle by unsheathing my own dagger.

  The lady immediately started giggling. “Lionel, you told me he was a hellion, but I didn’t think he would be this cute!” She started walking toward me, and I panicked.

  Holding my dagger at arms-length, I shouted, “Not a step closer, succubus!” The lady cocked her head slightly and stared at me questionably.

  A loud, commanding, male voice shouted from the room’s interior, “Karie, quit scaring the kid!”

  My father instantly moved behind me, crossing his arms in front of my chest to stop me from attacking the stuffing out of that witch.

  “Halden, this is Lady Karie. She is the Realm leader’s wife. Greet her as I taught you.”

  I scowled, not lowering my dagger. My father shoved me to his chest and hissed in my ear, “Halden. Now.”

  Slowly, I lowered my dagger and sheathed it. I slowly lifted my head up, analyzing everything like I’d been taught. Lady Karie had long, layered black hair and dark, navy blue eyes. In that black mini-skirt and skin-tight purple shirt, I had to admit she looked quite stunning. My eyes darted back to my father, who had finally released me, and the glare in his own eyes made me stiffen. I looked back at Lady Karie, who had a small smile on her face.

  I placed my hand across my chest and leaned over in a traditional, daemon bow. “It’s a pleasure, Lady Karie.”

  As I was bowing, I didn’t see who made the girlie squeal of delight. However, when I was grabbed and shook back and forth, I discovered it had been Lady Karie.

  “Oh, he’s the cutest! The cutest kid I’ve ever seen!”

  “Karie, put the boy down!”

  Lady Karie slowly lowered me to the ground and took a few steps back. Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth to say something, but was halted by the commanding voice in the room, “I assume you came on business, Rendra?” I still couldn’t see the man, as he was not in my vision. He must have been off to the side of the large interior. At least I was smart enough to see that the room was huge.

  My father cleared his throat and replied to the question, “Does training my son count as business, Lord Gallager?”

  I heard someone’s footsteps walking from the right side of the large room. Eventually, the footsteps stopped in the doorway, and there stood a man. He had long, messy, dirty-blonde hair and grey eyes, all dressed up in a fancy suit. His very presence sent chills down my spine. The power emanating from this man was incredible! Even without my father telling me, I could tell this was the famous Realm Leader.

  He chuckled, “Lionel, how many times do I have to tell you that my name is Morgan?”

  My father laughed, “Sir, you were asking for it by calling me Rendra.” This made the man start laughing too, and soon they hugged tightly, patting each other on the back. When they released, the man walked over to be in front of me. Suddenly, he squatted down to my level. Very unexpected. Then, he held out a hand.

  “Lord Morgan Gallager. What’s your name, son?” the man asked.

  The overwhelming power scared even the rebel in me, and I found it hard to talk normal. Grabbing his hand, I stuttered, “H-Halden, sir.”

  Since I apparently couldn’t move my own arm, Lord Morgan shook it for me. “Nice to meet you, Halden. You know, I have a son about your age.”

  Suddenly things seemed a lot more interesting. My father had said we were meeting with the Realm Leader and his family, but failed to mention that they had someone my age. A mischievous grin crossed my face.

  “Really? Can I meet him?”

  Lord Morgan laughed out loud as he stood up. He said to my father, “He is a cute kid.” Addressing me, he replied, “Sure.” He pointed to an open door on the opposite side of the room. “Take that hallway, up the stairs, and he’ll be in the third room on the left.”

  That cheered me up. Without another word, I ran through the opposite doorway. I slowed down eventually to admire the cream and white-colored walls. The fancy molding in the center separated the two colors. I followed the hallway until I reached the spiral staircase the Realm Leader had mentioned. I slowly walked up them, my hand sliding across the banister.

  Once at the top, I sauntered down the hall, counting the rooms as I went by. I finally got to the third room on the left and peeked inside. There were two desks, one long and the other small, with about four bookcases, a small table, and a few chairs scattered throughout. But no son.

  I frowned. Where was this kid? I looked both ways down the hall and saw no one. Shrugging, I continued down the hall, not caring that the proper thing to do was go back. Eventually, I came to a perpendicular hallway. After checking both ways for the son, my eyes finally noticed the portrait hanging in front of me. It was wonderfully painted with beautiful subtle tones, excellent brushstrokes, and elegant framing. I immediately recognized the Lord and Lady, him dressed in a red robe and her in a lovely green-toned dress.

  However, there was a third figure standing in front of them. A young child, with a checkered dress shirt and black slacks. His hair was a brighter blonde than the Lord’s, and his eyes shone the same deep, dark blue of the Lady. That’s gotta be-

  Suddenly, I felt power behind me. As I whipped around, I pulled out my dagger, and it clanged against an attacking sword. I looked around the sword to find the same boy from the portrait. I smiled and released my pressure against the boy’s sword. He stumbled forward a step, as apparently he hadn’t expected that.

  “Hi!” I greeted, “You must be-”

  Before I could even finish, the boy charged at me again with a loud roar. It scared me so much that I didn’t even fight back. I ducked out of the way, and his sword dug into the wall. The boy’s eyes narrowed as they turned to me. My fight-or-flight instinct kicked in, and since this kid seemed bonkers, flight won hands down. I didn’t even need to look back to know he was chasing after me.

  “Get back here and fight, dae
mon!” the kid roared.

  I yelled as well, but mine was more, “Help! Get this crazy kid away from me!”

  I finally got to the spiral staircase and started leaping down steps two-at-a-time. The boy jumped up on the banister and slid down it, landing on the first floor before me. He turned to face me, holding the sword in front of him. I backed against the curved wall which started the stairs, scared out of my wits.

  “I’ll teach you to intrude on my father’s home,” he growled, his sword getting uncomfortably closer to my chest.

  “Lucian!” The boy froze and quickly turned around. I looked up and saw Lord Morgan and my father hurrying toward us. I breathed a sigh of relief. The kid apparently heard it, because the fire in his eyes returned. He placed the blade to my neck.

  Lord Morgan ordered, “Lucian, put the sword down now!” The sword began shaking slightly as the fire in his eyes died again. Eventually, he removed the sword from my throat and turned back to the Realm Leader.

  “But, Dad, you told me never to show mercy!” the kid whined.

  Lord Morgan laughed, “Yes, to your enemies. Not to your allies.”

  The boy crossed his arms and growled, “I’m no friends with that daemon!”

  I decided to pipe up, “Honestly, I don’t wanna be friends with him either.” I got stern glares from both the young boy and my father. To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure which one I feared more.

  With a wave of his hand, Lord Morgan gestured the boy over to him. The kid reluctantly followed, the two of them going into a nearby room and shutting the door. My father walked up to me and ruffled my brown hair. One of my lighter brown highlights fell in front of my face. I huffed air at it to push it out of my sight.

  “You know, Halden,” my father told me, “You did the right thing.” I didn’t say a word. My father was actually praising me for running away. I would enjoy it while it lasted.

  “It was smart to not fight back, him being the Realm Leader’s only child.”

  I smiled triumphantly.

  “But, you do need to be his friend.”

  … Well, enjoyment over.

  I yelled, “Why do I need to be that loony kid’s friend? He can’t even fight with a sword correctly! He’s…” I struggled to find the right words, and when I found them, they came out in my native tongue, “Pazzo! Pazzo nella testa!”

  “He is most certainly not pazzo, Halden, and do not dare say that when Lord Morgan is around. Lucian was taught to protect himself, whatever the cost. He is his father’s only child and his successor as Realm Leader. So, since you will be working alongside him in the future, you need to make nice with Lucian.”

  I frowned. “Do I have to?”

  My father nodded. “Yes, you do.”

  I looked away from him, scowling. “Fine. I’ll do it. He’s still pazzo though.”

  That earned me a slap upside the head from him. As I rubbed the spot where I was slapped and glared at my dad, I heard the door from that nearby room open, and Lord Morgan and Lucian walked out. My father headed back over to the Realm Leader. With a silly grin on his face, Lucian walked up to me. When he was only a few feet from me, he held out a hand.

  “Hi, my name’s Lucian. It’s nice to finally meet you, Halden.”

  Purposely ignoring his hand, I raised an eyebrow, scowl still apparent on my face. “Finally?”

  Lucian chuckled, “Yes. After all, you’re my godbrother.” He angled his head back to the adults, smiling. “Isn’t that right, Uncle Lionel?”

  My father smiled slightly and replied, “That is right, Lucian.”

  I glared at my father. Why hadn’t he told me this? I knew that the whole ‘Uncle’ thing wasn’t because of blood. My father must have been the brat’s godfather. Why didn’t you tell me that, old man?

  I plastered a fake smile on my face and finally took the Lucian’s hand. “Then it’s a pleasure to meet you… Brother.”