Queen of Drattüjert

  Queen of Drattüjert

  L. L. Nelson

  Nelding & Michcomb Publishing

  Copyright © 2022 by L. L. Nelson

  All rights reserved.

  Published by Nelding & Michcomb Publishing

  Cover design by MoorBooks Design

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED, STORED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, SCANNING, OR OTHERWISE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER. IT IS ILLEGAL TO COPY THIS BOOK, POST IT TO A WEBSITE, OR DISTRIBUTE IT BY ANY OTHER MEANS WITHOUT PERMISSION.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  Dedication

  1. Chapter 1

  2. Chapter 2

  3. Chapter 3

  4. Chapter 4

  5. Chapter 5

  6. Chapter 6

  7. Chapter 7

  8. Chapter 8

  9. Chapter 9

  10. Chapter 10

  11. Chapter 11

  12. Chapter 12

  13. Chapter 13

  14. Chapter 14

  15. Chapter 15

  16. Chapter 16

  17. Chapter 17

  18. Chapter 18

  19. Chapter 19

  20. Chapter 20

  21. Chapter 21

  22. Chapter 22

  23. Chapter 23

  24. Chapter 24

  25. Chapter 25

  26. Chapter 26

  27. Chapter 27

  28. Chapter 28

  29. Chapter 29

  30. Chapter 30

  31. Chapter 31

  32. Chapter 32

  The Lohikärran Chronicles

  Follow me!

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Your FREE book awaits!

  A mysterious young woman, an elven invasion, and the tokens of the High King

  Haldrek Rodreksson has known his entire life where his future lies and what is expected of him. But on the eve of battle, soothsayers show him three visions of a different future: a mysterious young woman, a new invasion, and theft of the High King’s tokens. Visions which make him question his future and that of his homeland, Lohikärra.

  When the capital of Lohikärra falls, Haldrek’s world is thrown into disarray and he must scramble to keep the young woman from his visions safe.

  Injured, weaponless, and with little support, will Haldrek be able to save the woman and change the visions he was given? Or will he, his homeland, and his loved ones fall to their enemies?

  ***

  Get a free copy of the prequel

  Visions of Lohikärra here:

  https://www.llnelsonauthor.com/newsletter/

  To my husband - For always supporting me, even when I doubted myself. You are more amazing than you know.

  To my kids - For inspiring me to be a better mom and showing me what it looks like to have limitless confidence in yourself.

  To my dad - For always believing I was an amazing writer and being my cheerleader.

  To my sisters - For inspiring me and just being plain awesome.

  Chapter one

  Closing my eyes, I exhaled and tried to relax into the sounds and smells around me. One quick moment to center myself before more people came to say hello or gawk at me.

  I was currently in Skarvollr, sitting at the far end of the main room in town’s central tavern. On my right, Llamryl sat watching the festivities and trying to look tough. On my left, the gesith of Skarvollr sat drinking his newest tankard of mead and talking jovially with someone on his other side. The platform we three were on looked over the rest of the room, where the town was reveling in my arrival. Apparently my father hadn’t visited Skarvollr too often during his time as thegn, so my visit was an occasion to behold for them.

  “How are you doing, my thegn?” Llamryl’s voice made me open my eyes. I turned to him, took a deep breath, and smiled.

  “I’m fine. Just tired. Today has been long.”

  “The last couple of weeks have been long. I was worried you’d exhaust yourself when you said you wanted to visit the rest of your gesiths and the major towns here in Svartån.”

  “It’s important. And your sisters are good healers.” Thandes and Meri had tried every Hethurin restoration tonic they had known in the past two and a half months to restore both my strength and stamina to what it had been before I’d deep fried Seirye. Between them and Mattie’s concoctions, I was almost back to normal. The only times I still felt effects from my overcharged lightning spell was when I forgot to pace myself. Like today.

  “They are.” Llamryl nodded. “I still wish Meri would have stayed at the estate. But I suppose that’s of little import now.”

  I shrugged. “I’m not going to keep her in a place where she’s lost so much. She needs to grieve in her own way.” I had found out soon after my coronation that Meri and Ecaeris had grown close, after her return from Aldinnvollr and before Ecaeris’s death. When she had asked to leave the estate again, I didn’t take issue with it.

  “Still…”

  “Her leaving the estate gave me the idea to travel around Svartån. I needed to get out and explore just as much as she needed to leave. Different reasons, but—”

  “May the dragons watch over our new thegn and her rule be long and prosperous for Svartån!”

  A bard on the opposite side of the room stood on a long center table and jumped lithely between and over dishes of foods, strumming his instrument and launching into a new-to-me song about my victories over the Isillas. The townsfolk seemed to know and enjoy the song as I watched his acrobatics become more outlandish, waiting in apprehension for him to trip and fall. Instead, someone rapped a metal spoon against his kneecap as he drew near and a man’s voice shouted:

  “Get down, you drunken sot! Damn wench’s done nothing worth singing about. If you must, sing about real heroes of Lohikärra!”

  The bard stopped singing and the room’s mood changed quickly. A few boos started and for a moment, I wondered if this man’s open disdain had somehow changed things. Instead, he got jostled out of his spot and pushed from the tavern.

  As soon as he was gone, the bard started up again, but this time with a new song about Bjornulf the Brave. A heavy, leathery hand landed on mine and began shaking it.

  “Don’t worry. Every town has their naysayers. As you can see, Skarvollr is very supportive of our new thegn.” The gesith smiled widely, revealing a tooth missing, but I could see a slight bit of panic in his expression.

  I returned a smile instinctively, not wanting to sour the mood despite my own cheer fading. “Don’t worry. I’ve had more than one naysayer before. And they were wrong.” I cringed inside, the words sounding too cocky to me.

  The gesith nodded quickly. “Of course. Of course. Are you still hungry, my thegn? Or thirsty?” He quickly gestured and a young boy popped out from the room’s edges, a mug ready.

  I took it, not wanting to be rude, and turned to see the bard finishing his song about Bjornulf. The people cheered more, but a heavy weight had settled into my chest. I knew the stories of Bjornulf, at least the ones that had been included in the video games in Fargo, and a thought struck me. I wondered whether or not songs like this would be written about Haldrek. I didn’t want to be so arrogant as to think any of the songs about me would be remembered, but Haldrek…he was going to be the High King. There would definitely be stories about him. Just thinking about that made my spirits lift a little. Even if I was an outsider here in Lohikärra, I could still ma
ke sure he was remembered as well as Bjornulf or any of the other heroes of lore.

  “Lady Ina?” Nudging my arm, Llamryl leaned toward me.

  I smiled, trying to brush the heavy thoughts from my head. “Yes?”

  “I hope you’re not taking that man’s comments too seriously.”

  I shook my head. “Why?” I wondered if my expression had betrayed what I’d really been feeling.

  “You look less cheerful than before. I wanted to remind you that some people say things drunk that they regret when sober.”

  I opened my mouth to say something and then shook my head again. “I’m just tired. Pushed myself too much today.”

  Llamryl bobbed his head and looked out on the crowd for a moment. His face lit up and a light banter filled his voice. “I think I know something that would cheer you up.”

  “What?” I started to laugh from his tone.

  “I’m sure no amount of naysayers would pull you down if Thegn Andrattür was here.”

  I grinned. “That’s true. I miss Haldrek.” Fingering my pendant, I said, “Talking with him regularly through this just isn’t the same being around him.” I paused for a moment to clap for the bard as he finished another song. “I’m sure you’re missing someone right now as well.” My smile turned impish as I cocked my head at Llamryl.

  His cheeks flushed a little bit and he looked away from my stare. “I…I won’t lie. That is true. Sometimes I wish I had a pendant to connect with Mattie like you and Thegn Andrattür do. But I know we’ll be back at Svangendom soon.”

  “We will. One more town and then we’ll be able to head back.”

  ***

  A few days later, we arrived in Sigreykir, the last town in my tour of Svartån. I knew the town had connections to Hardbein, so I was less than eager to visit. The day was less than welcoming as well. It may have been June and nearly summer, but this particular day was miserable and gray.

  As we entered the city gates, the guards watched my group, me on my horse and my Thegn’s Guard trailing behind me, with expressions ranging from wariness to disgust. I ignored the stares for the most part, focusing on the path in front of me and looking for the gesith’s dwelling. Sigreykir didn’t have any notable parts to it, as some of the other towns had. Though it sat at the southern crossroads of Svartån’s easternmost valley, I didn’t see much in the way of trade or markets. Instead, most of the city had iron shops, armories, and other businesses around the edge of town, and more residential areas toward the center. If the current gesith of Sigreykir and his forebears were anything like I expected, the gesith’s manor would be in the center of town.

  Within a few minutes, I rode up to a sturdy but ornately decorated building facing the square at the town’s center. Standing outside was a group of men, one of whom wore finely made chainmail and more baubles in his hair and beard than I could count. In some ways, he reminded me of the former gesith of Katla. Except he didn’t seem pleased to see me.

  I stopped my horse. “Gesith Sigreykir, I assume?”

  He looked me over for a long moment, arms crossed and disdain evident in his posture. Long enough for me to start feeling uncomfortable. “I guess you are the new Thegn of Svartån then. Yes, I am the Gesith of Sigreykir. Skarde Bosson.”

  I smiled in an attempt to warm up the conversation. “Maja Ingmar Svanunge.” I’d found during my trip that many of the gesiths treated me with more respect if I used my full name instead of just Ina. The gesith said nothing, his posture still stiff. After a moment, I said, “Sigreykir looks like a very prosperous town. I’d love to see it.”

  The gesith waved his hand around him, gesturing to the center square and houses. “It is a good Lohikärran town. We mine much of the metal used by Svartån warriors and quarry much of the rock to make its buildings. You may wander around if you like, but I’m only here because it is part of my duty to welcome you and sign an oath of my allegiance to you. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  I grimaced and nodded. “Very well then.” Trying to hide my annoyance and embarrassment, I got off my horse and gave the reins to Llamryl. “I’m guessing this shouldn’t take too long. If you and the men want to find a place where you can rest, I’ll be along shortly.”

  Llamryl nodded and the gesith cleared his throat. When I faced him, he wore a smirk on his face.

  “Only humans are allowed to stay in Sigreykir’s taverns and other establishments. If your ‘men,’ as you call them, want to find a place to rest, they’ll have to do it outside the city walls.”

  My cheeks warmed up in anger, but as I opened my mouth to say something, Llamryl clasped my shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, my thegn. We’ll find something.”

  I nodded. Llamryl’s tone of voice told me this wasn’t a hill to die on. At least not yet.

  As my men headed in the direction we had come from, I followed the gesith into his abode. Two of my guards stayed with me at Llamryl’s behest and, while I didn’t feel threatened by the gesith or his men, their presence made me feel better.

  The inside of the gesith’s home was warmly lit, showing off the beautifully carved stone and wood decorations. Images of dragons covered nearly every inch of the building and I couldn’t help but smile. Even though it had been months since I’d spoken to Rhaegos in person, Sivath, another dragon who seemed to have a connection to Andrattür, visited Svangendom regularly now. He mostly came to visit and train Mattie, but a handful of times he visited on behalf of Rhaegos, and I enjoyed those visits.

  “Admiring Sigreykir handiwork?” The gesith’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  I nodded. “I am. Sigreykir has talented artisans.”

  The gesith stood next to me, staring at one particular dragon design. “My father took pride in making sure this place was decorated only by Sigreykir artisans while he was gesith. I remember running around here as a child with Hardbein, watching them in awe and looking forward to the day when we would become haldragas.”

  The brief bit of happiness I’d had from looking at the carvings of dragons disappeared. The gesith’s last little jab hit its mark and I steadied my expression, careful not to reveal anything. I knew I was the only thegn right now who wasn’t a haldraga. No dragon had yet bonded itself with me and I sensed this made me stick out. Most thegns were haldragas before they took the mantle and title.

  The gesith continued. “I’ve heard that you are not a haldraga yet?” A lilt hung in his voice, as if he was leading me into some kind of trap. I stiffened up.

  “Whether or not I am a haldraga is no one’s concern except for mine and the dragons.” I was repeating something Sivath had told both Mattie and I a few times when we had mentioned that concern to him.

  “Huh. I wonder why the dragons chose you over my cousin then?” The gesith walked over to a table set with parchment and writing tools. My cheeks flared up again. “He’s already a haldraga and a known son of Lohikärra. But I guess even the dragons have their traditions. Come. Let me sign this document and you can know of my continuing loyalty to the Thegns of Svartån.”

  I followed him, his underhanded insult still stinging. The document was written in Lohikärran runes, most of which I still didn’t understand. It had been the same in other towns, but I’d had Llamryl or another person by my side to translate. The only parts I could read were the signatures and even then, only my father’s and what I assumed was his father’s. On the left-hand side there were another handful of signatures. I could decipher a corresponding gesith signature and thegn signature, much like the loyalty pledges the gesiths had signed in the other towns. The gesith quickly signed the document, at which point, so did I. After I signed, I heard a little laugh.

  “You do not sign with your runes? Or you don’t have them?”

  My cheeks warmed up again. My signature hadn’t been an issue anywhere else. “I choose to sign this way. That way people know my signature is mine.”

  The gesith bristled as he stood up. “Well, that is the document. I have heard of other gesiths
holding festivities at your coming, but unfortunately, we have not been able to do anything like that here. Been busy with the upcoming summer solstice and all that.” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at me for a moment, re-emphasizing the feeling that my appearance here was an inconvenience. “If you are hungry, I’m sure any of the taverns would be happy to feed you for some coin.” He gestured to the front door and I saw several other people in the room begin to leave, as if tending to other duties.

  I hesitated, not necessarily wanting to take the gesith’s lead, but to remind him of who was in charge. Haldrek’s words about keeping gesiths in line popped up into my thoughts. While this gesith hadn’t done anything yet to warrant a rebuke, I still had a feeling he might need a reminder of his position in the future.

  “Tell me, Gesith Sigreykir… the warriors of your town, what are they noted for? Katla and Eldingheimr have sailors, Aldinnvollr fierce spearman. Should I need Sigreykir’s aid in defending Svartån or Lohikärra, what should I expect?”

  The gesith turned to me in confusion, cocking his head. “Do you expect to need Sigreykir’s aid, Thegn Svartån?”