Children of the Sun and Moon

All was quiet in Klayhern castle, which was unusual considering all that had happened. It was perfect though, the king and the general were communicating again, and the royal guard was in training. It was unfortunate that the men's peaceful existence had to be interrupted by the thought of war, but no-one argued. They were just happy to be in the service of the king.

  For Payton, it was a joyous time. Over the years he had endured hours of training with Korben to become a very accomplished soldier, and was glad he may have the chance to prove his worthiness in a battle for his king. He never knew why, but he always felt guilty of something whenever he was near the royal family. Walking through the halls, he tried to push the thoughts away, but could not.

  As he wandered, the air grew cold, and a chill ran up his spine. Payton then felt the call and before he realized what was going on, he was again under Malena’s control. “I have need of you my fair soldier. Please find out what is happening with King Jeremy and report it to me.”

  Payton, no longer in control of his body, could only agree.

  Korben felt a slight disturbance, but within an instant, it was gone. He may not possess any magical abilities, but with having a sister who turned out to be a very powerful sorceress, it was hard not to become in tune with it. He had no idea what had happened, but assumed it was either Lakin or Malena trying to penetrate Gillock's shield. Korben could only hope neither one had figured out a way to get through the spell.

  It had been a day since the general arrived, with much accomplished in the first meeting. The king and general were again friends, and although they will never get back the friendship they had, Korben was glad that Jeremy was finally able to reveal the secrets he had been carrying around for so long. Korben moved his way through the castle, trying to see if he could sense the magical presence again. The only time he felt it was when he neared Payton. As before, it was gone, leaving Korben with no idea what it was about.

  “There has been developments,” said Korben, once he caught up with Payton. “The general and his men will be staying here for a time. We need to set up the old soldier barracks to accommodate them.”

  “I will go immediately and get the maids cleaning, and the stable boy as well,” stated Payton.

  Korben patted him on the back and off he went. Korben was glad he had his second in command to trust. Still unsure of the magical presence he was feeling, he decided to keep looking around. He could always go and help later with the barracks.

  Robyn had been watching the soldiers closely since they arrived. Trying to find out all the information he could in case his queen called on him for an update. Most of the men had no idea what was going on, but the two who kept to themselves were full of interesting information. He was so entranced by the information he had discovered he didn't hear Payton come up behind him.

  “Doing something productive I hope,” commented Payton.

  Robyn slowly turned, keeping his eyes down. “Yes, I was just finished cleaning up this area.”

  “Good. The soldiers will be staying here for some time, so we need to clean and set up the old barracks for them. I will be going and asking the maids to clean the inside, but will need you to do the stables.”

  “Ya, I can set up those stables easily,” Robyn remarked.

  Payton nodded his head. “Oh, and one more thing. Why have I not gotten a report from you?”

  Robyn lifted his head and stared into the guard’s eyes. “My queen?”

  “Yes, I am here. What is going on?” Payton demanded.

  “I’ve tried to report, highness, but have had nothing but darkness greet me. I do have news.”

  “Then spit it out. I can only hold on to this body for a short time.”

  Robyn swallowed hard. “Yes, majesty. Brin has gone and turned herself in to Lakin personally. He has convinced her to join the Order.”

  “How did you come by this information?”

  “There are two soldiers, highness, and they discuss this fact in great detail. They don’t appear too interested in matters of war. However, with the king ordering the barracks cleaned, they may change that opinion.”

  Payton stared, eyebrows crossed, towards the soldiers. “Keep an eye on those two. They may prove useful to us.”

  “Yes, highness,” said Robyn bowing.

  Suddenly Payton’s expression changed and he looked about, confused. Robyn, knowing his queen had left the body, responded immediately. “I'll clean out the old barrack stables like you asked. Please tell the king everything will be ready by night fall. I'll need you to ask the maids to clean the barrack rooms though.”

  Payton, not wanting to show he had no idea what the stable boy was talking about simply nodded and moved off towards the maids quarters.