The Riddled Stone

Banished Chapter Seven

All Christopher Fredrico wanted was to be a peaceful scholar who could spend a lot of time with his friends. Now, falsely accused of stealing a magical artifact, he is forced to leave the only home he knows.

But as he and his friends travel towards the coast, they find a riddle that may save a kingdom — or cost them their lives.

Banished: The Riddled Stone Book One by homeschooled teen author Teresa Gaskins, is being serialized freely on this website at the pace of one chapter per week. The full novel is available in ebook or paperback format on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers.

PART ONE

Click here to read from the beginning.

Chapter 7

Nora

Nora sat beside the campfire with her arms around her knees, which she had pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were on Arnold and Terrin, who were talking quietly. Arnold had a worried look, and Terrin was looking rather serious.

Chris was already asleep, or at least pretending to be. He was on the far side of the fire from her, and she watched him.

She understood why Arnold had been thinking so hard during the day. She had been thinking hard, too. But she’d made up her mind: Chris was her best friend, and life wouldn’t be the same without him. It’s true she was leaving her family, but she could come back someday to visit them.

Probably.

Anyway, ever since she met Chris, she had wanted to travel more. She had never really known anything outside of North Yorc before.

She slipped into her bedroll.

When she awoke, she saw that Chris had already woken up and was gone.

She jerked up, throwing off her blanket, then calmed as she noticed Marc grazing nearby. For a second she had thought that Chris had slipped away while they were sleeping.

Comforted by the fact he wouldn’t have left Marc, she guessed that he had gone down to the nearby stream. She stood and stretched with a big yawn. She slipped on her shoes, boots that were made for traversing the rough terrain of a mountain, and started towards the stream.

Chris was there, sitting in the shade, fishing.

She stood beside him for a moment, then whispered, “Will you let me fish for a bit? I used to help my father, and it would be fun.”

Chris looked at her with a surprised expression. She wasn’t sure why he had that look, but he handed her the rod. They continued to fish for a while, then they headed back to camp with their catch.

As they walked, Nora said, “I doubt I’ll be much help in catching food. I can only fish, and fish gets pretty tiring. But, I’ll be sure to cook us some tasty stuff.”

“Don’t. It’s not your job.”

She turned on him, her brow furrowed. “Listen here, Chris. It’s not your job to take care of us. Especially because you don’t want us along.

“Which brings me to a point that I can’t understand: Why don’t you want us along? If I was in your place, I’d be overly eager for company. Is it so bad for you that we’re here? We’re old enough to leave our nests, Chris. What would you do if I were in your place?”

They looked at each other for a while, then Chris gave up. “Fine. Just make sure that whatever you cook is yummy stuff, or I’ll have to fire you.”

She gave a solemn bow, though she could feel the corners of her mouth twitching.

Read Chapter Eight…

Copyright © 2012 by Teresa Gaskins
Published by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover and layout copyright © 2016 by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover art copyright © Anton Tokarev / DepositPhoto.com, and Christian Joudrey / Unsplash.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Banished Chapter Six

All Christopher Fredrico wanted was to be a peaceful scholar who could spend a lot of time with his friends. Now, falsely accused of stealing a magical artifact, he is forced to leave the only home he knows.

But as he and his friends travel towards the coast, they find a riddle that may save a kingdom — or cost them their lives.

PART ONE

Click here to read from the beginning.

Chapter 6

Arnold

The four companions rode in silence. No one knew what to say. They had turned south the first chance they got, about two hours ago. Arnold squinted at the sky. The sun had nearly reached its peak.

Yesterday had been a whirlwind of preparation. Now that they were on the road, he had time to think, and he began to wonder why they were going with Chris. They couldn’t let him go alone, of course, but it felt wrong just to leave — like giving up without a fight.

If only they could prove that he was innocent. What would Chris want with a Shard? The whole thing was ridiculous.

But where had he gone, the night of the dance? Or had he been there, in the ballroom, the whole time? Arnold’s memory of that night was a fog of confusion.

Finally he turned to Chris and asked, “Where are we going?”

Chris didn’t even bother to look up as he spoke. “Diamond Isles. It’s the best spot, I think. Since I’ll have to take a boat to get anywhere.”

The Diamond Isles. One of the most active trading ports, and the most peaceful country Arnold knew. Wasn’t that where Lady Joline was from? She had been a star example of why he’d never been interested in the Isles — friendly and very pretty, but oblivious to the world at large and the dangers it held.

Chris was his best friend. Arnold couldn’t abandon him when the whole world seemed against him. But eventually Chris would settle down, and then what? What could a knight do on the Diamond Isles?

He glanced around. They were still on the plains, but to the east he could see a woods not far off, and beyond that the mountains of Scar Range. No, the Isles wouldn’t be the same as Raec. They would all miss their homes. And what would their families think of them trekking along with an earl’s banished son? Nora was a Yorc and so was protected, at least a bit. Her family would always be glad to welcome her home. But what of Terrin? Or himself?

He heard Terrin call, “Hey, Arnold! Wrong way, silly. Aren’t you paying any attention?”

He looked up and realized Chris had turned off onto a side road, and, deep in thought, he had kept riding straight on.

Scowling, he turned Rich around to follow them.

“What’s wrong with the main road?” he asked. “It’s safer than going through the mountains.”

Terrin shot him a blazing look, and he had a feeling that in a different situation she would have kicked him. He realized that Chris didn’t want to be recognized, and on the main road there was always the chance of meeting a noble.

So much for his knowing Chris better than anyone.

Terrin pulled Leaf up to ride beside him. She had on her sternest face, and her prominent cheekbone made her expression look even harsher. He looked away. When she got angry, Terrin was scarier than any dragon.

Read Chapter Seven…

Copyright © 2012 by Teresa Gaskins
Published by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover and layout copyright © 2016 by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover art copyright © Anton Tokarev / DepositPhoto.com, and Christian Joudrey / Unsplash.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Banished Chapter Five

All Christopher Fredrico wanted was to be a peaceful scholar who could spend a lot of time with his friends. Now, falsely accused of stealing a magical artifact, he is forced to leave the only home he knows.

But as he and his friends travel towards the coast, they find a riddle that may save a kingdom — or cost them their lives.

PART ONE

Click here to read from the beginning.

Chapter 5

Terrin

It wasn’t fair, Terrin thought. The Shard should not have been that big a deal. Sure, it was a powerful source of magical energy, but no one could use it. A few people had tried to draw on the power of the Shards, generations ago, and the action had sucked them dry of magic.

Way back during the Great Raec War, King Miles had followed a series of cryptic hints that led him to the famous Riddled Stone. It was surrounded by a shell of impenetrable, black rock, but as he picked it up, the shell split into five pieces, revealing the white Stone. Those five Shards were nothing, compared to the power of the Stone — and only the king could use that. King Miles had used the Stone to end the Great War. The Raecs had still become separate countries, but there had been peace, for a while. Later kings had used it, too, in times of great need, but never on a whim because the magic in the Stone was natural, not a magician-cast spell, and such raw magic was always finicky.

Of course, from Arnold and Chris’s story, she thought the whole situation reeked of magic. How else would all those people forget that they had danced with Chris mere minutes before? But of course, there was no way to prove anything of that sort.

Now Terrin, Nora, and Arnold were sitting at the fountain. They didn’t care that Arnold should be on his way, or that the girls should be in class. They had just returned from the earl’s house.

The early spring air, which had seemed icy and fragile, shattered as Nora spoke. “I suppose we should be packing.”

Arnold stared at her, and even Terrin blinked in surprise.

She had known what was coming, from herself and Arnold at least, but she hadn’t expected it from Nora. Arnold opened his mouth and spluttered something that sounded a bit like, “Sput duh you manths?” though it probably was, “What do you mean?”

Nora spoke again. “Oh, come on, Arnold. We can’t just let him go alone. Yes, he’ll argue, but he can’t stop us. Even when he had his title of Honorable Christopher, he couldn’t control us. We all know that he’s not a thief. Besides, it’s better to all go together rather than run into each other later.”

Arnold opened his mouth as if to argue, but Terrin shook her head. “Nora’s right, we all know we’re going. There’s nothing else to do. Come on, Nora, I bet we can finish packing before class ends. No use letting our roommates figure it out.”

The two got up and hurried to their room. She heard Arnold mutter something about girls, and she rolled her eyes.

She and the boys had been together for a long time, since Chris started school. They’d had their arguments in the early days, lots of them, and it had been a long time before they had actually become friends. But something about Chris had drawn them, and later Nora.

And it still did.

* * *

Terrin, Nora, and Arnold left in the early morning, when only people like shopkeepers or farmers were up. As soon as the city gate opened, they slipped out and rode as far as the first bend in the road. Now they let their horses nibble the grass as they waited for Chris.

Finally he appeared, riding his white horse, Marc. He obviously hadn’t packed much. The medium-sized brown sack slung across Marc’s back couldn’t have contained much more than a bit of food and a few changes of clothes. Chris’s head was hanging, and Marc picked up on the mood, plodding more like a pack horse than a fine steed.

Arnold nudged his dun-colored horse, Rich, to walk alongside Marc, and the girls followed on their own horses — Terrin’s, a dark chestnut named Leaf, and Nora’s, a dapple gray named Minty.

Chris looked at them sadly. “I should have known I couldn’t get away without saying goodbye.”

Nora opened her mouth, and then shut it. Terrin wondered if she was scared of how Chris would react when he realized they weren’t there just to see him off.

Arnold spoke instead. “Chris, we are going with you.”

Chris’s eyes popped with anger, and he pulled Marc to a stop. He twisted in his saddled and glared at his friends.

“Did you not hear what the prince said? If we’re caught in this country by the time the month is out, I’ll be thrown in jail, or worse. And anyone traveling with me will get the same. I don’t care how much you want to show your faith in my innocence, I’m dangerous. Get that through your heads: I’m dangerous.”

Marc stomped his foot.

Terrin spoke calmly, “Chris, we are coming with you. You know you can’t stop us. And it’s not just to prove that we think you’re innocent. It’s also because you’re our best friend. We’re old enough to make our own decisions. However much you keep saying no, we’ll just follow you.”

Chris looked her in the eye, but she knew he was faltering.

Read Chapter Six…

Copyright © 2012 by Teresa Gaskins
Published by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover and layout copyright © 2016 by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover art copyright © Anton Tokarev / DepositPhoto.com, and Christian Joudrey / Unsplash.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Banished Chapter Four

All Christopher Fredrico wanted was to be a peaceful scholar who could spend a lot of time with his friends. Now, falsely accused of stealing a magical artifact, he is forced to leave the only home he knows.

But as he and his friends travel towards the coast, they find a riddle that may save a kingdom — or cost them their lives.

PART ONE

Click here to read from the beginning.

Chapter 4

Terrin

The crowd milled around the courtyard outside the earl’s manor. Most belonged to the party Crown Prince Tyler had brought along, but there were others, too. They were all waiting for the prince and the earl to finished talking, waiting to hear Chris’s fate.

Terrin felt ready to punch something — the face of either the caretaker, the prince, or Earl Fredrico would have been fabulously satisfying. Especially the caretaker’s.

She glanced at Nora, whose expression looked gray and stony as she tried to keep from crying. Terrin’s eyes softened, and she took her friend’s hand. She saw Arnold, on Nora’s other side, do the same with Nora’s left hand. She turned her attention to the scene before them.

Two weeks had passed since Chris had been arrested. A small disk had been found in his room, and the caretaker, who was something of a magician, had claimed that it was a teleportation device, big enough for the Shard but not anything much larger. The guards and caretaker had checked everywhere they could think of, and had still not found the actual Shard.

Terrin cursed mentally. She was sure this was some kind of mistake, or a setup.

Finally the prince and the earl stepped out onto the veranda. The prince raised his hands, and the earl coughed a bit. The crowd fell silent at once.

“I have made my decision, and I have received approval from my father,” Prince Tyler began.

She pressed her lips together. Next to her, Nora shuddered and squeezed her hand. Terrin squeezed back, but kept her gaze on the prince.

He continued, “I have decided that as the Shard cannot be found, nor any traces of it, we cannot truly prove Christopher Fredrico guilty on the circumstantial evidence of a teleporter and a missing brooch. However, he has no alibi, and it seems certain that he is involved, so I have decided to banish him from the kingdom of North Raec until such time as completely solid proof for or against him is found.

“From this moment forward, Christopher is to have nothing of his father’s, not even his last name. He will be given only enough money for passage beyond our borders. If he is found within the territory of North Raec after this month is out, his life will be forfeit.

“If any of you find fault with my decision, speak now.”

The silence fell like a brick.

She wanted to yell that it wasn’t just, that Chris wasn’t a criminal, and therefore he should have no punishment. However, she held her peace and looked hard into Tyler’s face, as if trying to telepathically pass the message instead.

“Finally, I wish to add that any who go with him, or offer him assistance, will share his fate,” continued the prince.

Terrin raised her eyebrow a bit. So he thought some of them might choose to go with Chris? Or was this merely protocol, informing everyone of the exact rules? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arnold biting his lip.

“If no one has any comments, then you are dismissed. Christopher, I will grant you tomorrow to prepare, but you must leave no later than the morning of the following day.”

Read Chapter Five…

Copyright © 2012 by Teresa Gaskins
Published by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover and layout copyright © 2016 by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover art copyright © Anton Tokarev / DepositPhoto.com, and Christian Joudrey / Unsplash.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Banished Chapter Three

All Christopher Fredrico wanted was to be a peaceful scholar who could spend a lot of time with his friends. Now, falsely accused of stealing a magical artifact, he is forced to leave the only home he knows.

But as he and his friends travel towards the coast, they find a riddle that may save a kingdom — or cost them their lives.

PART ONE

Click here to read from the beginning.

Chapter 3

Christopher

As the music ended, Chris pulled Arnold back against the wall of the ballroom, hoping to avoid attention while the various young ladies sought their next partners. Voices rattled in the background. The feast had been finished hours ago, and now it was eleven and he was sick of dancing, and his feet agreed.

Anthony had brought the news that Crown Prince Tyler was coming. Four days later the prince had arrived, and now, of course, there had to be a party. All sorts of people had accompanied the prince, or arrived slightly before him. Chris wasn’t even sure how they all found out the prince was coming.

Arnold, as a knight, had been invited to the banquet, and though he had planned to leave town yesterday, he decided to “stick around for the food,” as he’d phrased it. But Chris wished the two girls were with them as well. He had danced most of the dances, but the ladies were snobbish or boring. He wished Terrin was there to roll her eyes at their fancies, and Nora to at first stare in awe, but then giggle with him about their faults.

A slim lady, more elegant than most, stepped forward. She held her chin high, showing off her pearl choker, and causing her pearl circlet to catch the light.

“Honorable Christopher,” she said in a high voice, with a bit of an accent, “you probably don’t remember me. We met when we were young. I was a bit older, so I remember, but you were just five. I’m Lady Joline.”

He half bowed, then said, “Lady Joline, I think I remember you a bit. Your parents were the ambassadors for Diamond Isles, right? This is my cousin, Sir Arnold, recently titled a knight.”

Arnold bowed deeply, and Chris saw a slightly sappy grin on his friend’s face.

Lady Joline beamed. “Sir Arnold. An honor to meet you. Yes, my late parents were the ambassadors, and I have recently taken my mother’s place. Duke Grith has been very kind to accommodate me when I’m in North Raec.

“But enough about me. Arnold, come dance with me. And can I claim the dance after from you, Honorable Christopher?”

“I do not have any previous engagements,” he said.

Then Arnold stepped forward to take Joline’s arm. Chris bowed his head to them as they departed. Arnold glanced back, and Chris played the game, grinning at him and winking.

But the grin vanished quickly as he wondered how mad his father would be if he simply left. He looked towards the high table. Prince Tyler was chatting merrily with his father, who no doubt was slipping in compliments to his children whenever he could. Chris shook the thought from his mind — with the crown prince here, there would be no hope for escape.

Anthony himself was nowhere to be seen, but Chris suspected he was among the dancers, winning favor with the most important of the young ladies, or at least the richest.

By the time the bell tolled midnight, he had been made to dance with almost every lady in the room. His feet ached, and he happily retired to a corner as his father stood to make a speech, and then the prince after him.

Midway through the prince’s speech, there was the sound of footsteps from the hall. Everyone’s eyes shifted to the door, and the prince paused. Then the door swung open, and an old man appeared, accompanied by five younger-looking guards.

Immediately the man, whom Chris recognized as the Shard’s caretaker, knelt and bowed his head. The guards quickly did the same. The prince bid them rise, and the man, Darwin, explained.

“Hail, Crown Prince Tyler Coric. Hail, Earl Diard Fredrico. Hail, honorable knights and ladies. I’m sorry that I must ruin your fun, but I have found the Shard stolen, and proof that one of the Earl Diard’s family is involved.” He held up a brooch, marked with the seal of the earl’s house.

Chris bit his lip. Making a quick decision, he stepped forward before anyone else could. “I have been missing my brooch since the early afternoon. I noticed it was gone when we were walking back to the house from meeting the prince. I didn’t go out after that.”

Then Anthony stepped forward and said, “I hate to accuse my own brother, but I have not seen him for at least the last hour. I speak only out of concern, but it is hard for him to confirm his story.”

And slowly, as if Anthony’s words had convinced them, the people said they couldn’t remember it either. Suddenly Chris felt dizzy, even slightly sick. He looked for his sister, but Trill was shrinking into the crowd, unable to say anything above the growing murmur of angry voices.

His father’s face looked red and angry as he spoke above the noise. “And how do you suppose an eighteen-year-old boy, even the son of an earl, stole a Shard?”

“With the Crown Prince at the manor, we thought it best to move most of the guards here. Only these five were at the Shard, and I found them fast asleep.”

“What will you have us do, Crown Prince?” asked the earl. His hands gripped the table, his knuckles white.

Tyler rose. “Search Christopher and his rooms for further evidence. If none is found, we will let him go. If proof of his involvement is found, then I will send a message to my father.”

Chris stiffened, but then relaxed. They couldn’t prove anything against him, because he hadn’t done it. And the only people who could have planted something in his room were his family, the servants, or maybe a few of the guests.

And why would any of them do that?

Read Chapter Four…

Copyright © 2012 by Teresa Gaskins
Published by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover and layout copyright © 2016 by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover art copyright © Anton Tokarev / DepositPhoto.com, and Christian Joudrey / Unsplash.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Banished Chapter Two

All Christopher Fredrico wanted was to be a peaceful scholar who could spend a lot of time with his friends. Now, falsely accused of stealing a magical artifact, he is forced to leave the only home he knows.

But as he and his friends travel towards the coast, they find a riddle that may save a kingdom — or cost them their lives.

PART ONE

Click here to read from the beginning.

Chapter 2

Christopher, 17 years later

Chris caught Arnold as the bigger boy stumbled backwards towards him and Nora. He pushed Arnold back towards Terrin, and the two continued their duel.

Arnold easily regained his balance in time to parry a blow from the grinning, brown-haired forest girl, Terrin.

Nora sat nearly oblivious to the scene. She had long ago stopped being excited at the duels of her friends. Now she hummed quietly, her long, blond hair falling to nearly hide her face. To a passerby, she would have looked completely absorbed in her studies, but Chris could see a hint of amusement in her deep sapphire eyes as she glanced up every once in a while.

Nearly four years had passed since he had met Nora, back when she had first entered the school. She came from North Yorc, a town up in the mountains of North Raec. Yorcs were tough folk; some thought them too opinionated. After the Great Raec War, the war that had really made North and South Raec two different countries, the people of Yorc decided that no longer would they serve the king, except when they agreed with his orders. It was commonly understood that the only reason the king had put up with such insubordination was that Yorcs were some of the best fighters, and he hated to completely lose their allegiance.

But he had found that Nora was neither opinionated nor did she have much of an interest in fighting. Instead she was shy and studious, and what opinions she did have, she rarely stated. It had surprised him a bit when he first met her.

Arnold he’d known nearly all his life. Terrin he met when he was seven. The four were best friends, doing everything together. Arnold had graduated the year before and had left to continue his training as a knight. Having completed that training, he had come to spend some free time with them. The other three had missed him, but they too would be parting soon.

Terrin would be returning to the forest people of Xell, where she would become a hunter. Nora was going to continue her studies at a small college, to specialize in either history or healing. Chris himself would be going to a more well-known college, where he would finish his training as a scholar.

A bell tolled the late hour, and he sighed. “I need to be getting back now. I’ll see you tomorrow, and then maybe we’ll have a duel, Arnold, to see if you really have earned your knighthood. When do you have to leave, anyway?”

“I might as well go Monday,” Arnold said. “You’ll be back in classes, and with exams… Well, I’ve been there before, and I wouldn’t do it again for the world. I’d rather take on the whole school alone in a fight.”

Terrin rolled her eyes, and Nora smiled.

Chris waved and departed. He walked with his head down, trying not to draw unwanted attention. He was the youngest child of Earl Fredrico, and he hated when people felt the urge to bow and say, “Honorable Christopher,” when he would rather be treated like a normal person.

He was about halfway to the manor house when someone grabbed his arm and tugged. He turned his head to see his twin sister, tall as him but with strawberry blond hair flowing in waves down her back. He thought Trill had a regal look, with her straight pose and her bright eyes, like a younger version of their mother.

“Anthony is home,” she whispered, barely audible.

He knew what this meant and started walking again quickly. Anthony was his eldest brother, who spent most of his time out looking for quests or courting at the Dukedom of Grith, where he had lived in Chris’s childhood as a squire and later as a knight.

Anthony was not really bad, but Chris and Trill thought that he was overly ambitious and more interested in power than anything. Their father, on the other hand, considered him the crown jewel of his collections, and, in his own words, “one worthy of kingship.”

Chris himself was scared of his eldest brother, who had often teased him about being the youngest — even younger than his twin by several minutes. And Trill, the only one who knew, hated Anthony because of it.

He groaned, straightening his coat, and hurried on with Trill at his elbow, preparing himself for his brother. He probably wouldn’t be allowed to leave the house over the weekend. He’d have to ask one of the servants to give his regrets to Terrin, Nora, and Arnold.

Read Chapter Three…

Copyright © 2012 by Teresa Gaskins
Published by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover and layout copyright © 2016 by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover art copyright © Anton Tokarev / DepositPhoto.com, and Christian Joudrey / Unsplash.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Banished Chapter One

All Christopher Fredrico wanted was to be a peaceful scholar who could spend a lot of time with his friends. Now, falsely accused of stealing a magical artifact, he is forced to leave the only home he knows.

But as he and his friends travel towards the coast, they find a riddle that may save a kingdom — or cost them their lives.

PART ONE

Chapter 1

Christopher

Wide-eyed with curiosity, Chris crept away from the grassy spot where he was supposed to wait. His nurse had turned away to clean up Trillory, his twin sister, who had spilled her food over her front. Chris went quickly as he could with waddling, short steps.

He paused just before a corner of the hedge, his chubby two-year-old hands catching himself on a branch. From around the corner he could hear someone crying in short sobs. He continued forward and was surprised to see Anthony, his eldest brother.

Anthony’s hair, usually so much like Chris’s own slightly-curly black, was in a mess. He was sitting with his back to the stone wall of a gazebo, his knees pulled as tight against his chest as they could be with his head buried in them.

Chris let out a slight gurgling sound. Anthony looked up. His pale blue eyes, also like Chris’s, were slightly hollow, and the top of his cheeks tear-stained. Chris smiled and cocked his head, much like a puppy. Then he stumbled forward a couple steps before tripping.

He looked up in time to see Anthony’s face go from surprise to anger. His eyebrows squeezed together until they nearly touched, and his lips all but disappeared as he pinched them.

Chris was surprised. His brother had always been smiling, friendly and loving. Last time, Anthony had reached out his hands and laughed when Chris had grabbed his fingers.

Anthony rose and scooped his brother up. Holding him loosely, he carried Chris back the way he had come.

“Naughty child! You should be with your nurse, not sticking your nose in other’s business,” he hissed. Chris gave a small cry at his brother’s roughness.

Then a few steps later they encountered the nurse, carrying Trill and hurrying down the path. She paused as she saw Anthony, and then dropped a curtsy.

“Thank you, young master Anthony, for returning your brother to me.”

Anthony gave a slight humph, and handed her Chris. “See that you don’t lose him again.” Then he turned, leaving as fast as he could while retaining a noble posture.

Chris stared after him for a second, and then buried his face against his nurse, who spoke with a slightest tremor. “Now, now, Christopher. See that you don’t wander off again. It’s time you two were headed inside for your nap.”

Read Chapter Two…

Copyright © 2012 by Teresa Gaskins
Published by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover and layout copyright © 2016 by Tabletop Academy Press
Cover art copyright © Anton Tokarev / DepositPhoto.com, and Christian Joudrey / Unsplash.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.