Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,309

it.”

The griffin reached out, and with a single flip of one of his talons, he thumped Sam’s breastplate. After watching the king fall off his horse, he responded. “Calm yourself. Let us agree that Soresym has been informed. ‘How,’ matters not. Your queen will be helpful in this battle. Besides, she was already on her way to join you. She was just south of Angels Village when we found her. Your queen had already ignored your order to stay behind. You should thank Soresym. He was the one who convinced your queen to wait until we had the opportunity to fly her in unharmed.”

Sam picked himself up from the ground. “How could she possibly—”

A screech from above filled the air. Sam watched as a griffin settled down a short distance away. He covered the distance between them to help Shalee from its back. “I asked you to stay home. We can’t risk our baby like this.”

“For heaven’s sake, Sam, take a pill. I missed you, too.” Shalee put her hands on her hips. “Don’t you think that I know I’m pregnant? I’ve gone bonkers while I was sitting in Brandor.”

Sam sighed. “Okay, okay. You know I’m happy to see you. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Me? Get hurt? What about you? Who do you think you’re kidding? From what I’ve heard, you could’ve died. Without the griffins, I wouldn’t have a husband. Don’t you be telling me about danger! You walked into a trap ... a trap that George set, I might add. You’re lucky Soresym decided to make sure you had help.”

“But—”

“But nothing. I’m here, and I don’t care what you say. I’m not leaving. So, you might as well let me use my magic. That’s why I teleported to Angels Village to hitch a ride. I can’t keep crying over Helga and BJ anymore. I need to be here.”

“I’m the king, Shalee. I ordered you to stay home.” Sam turned and looked at Michael. “Get her out of here. I won’t let her risk the baby’s life.”

Shalee’s right brow lifted as she grabbed Sam’s shoulder and forced him to face her. The sorceress leaned in and whispered in his ear. “If you think I’m leaving, you’re crazy. Who do you think you are, telling me what to do? I have half a mind to teleport your sorry ass home and return without you. You just try and play the king card on me, stud. I’ll give you what for. I’m here to help whether you like it or not.”

The queen’s whisper softened. “Sam, please ... I need you to believe in me right now. I can’t go home. I can use my magic to fight from a distance.”

Sam pulled Shalee close and hugged her tight. “Just promise me you’ll teleport someplace safe if you get into trouble. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, too. I’ve lost too much already.”

“You have my word.” Shalee followed the promise with a kiss.

“Sire,” Michael interrupted, clearing his throat. “We need to plan.”

Goss interjected, “Yes. Though this is a tender moment, we should be planning. Have your army gather large pieces of lava stone. We’ll fly through the night and drop them. I’ll take your queen on my back and head north. She can rain down her magic from above. This should keep Senchae’s army from resting through the night and give Brandor the advantage in the morning.”

“Sire, this is a good plan,” Michael confirmed as he dismounted. “The queen will be safe while on the griffin’s back. She’ll be hidden within the darkness. Her magic will end many, and she’ll never need to set foot on the ground. If we’re lucky, the barbarians will retreat by morning.”

Sam thought a moment. “General, you fly with the queen. If you feel she’s in danger, I want you to fly to safety. She carries the future of Brandor in her womb. I won’t risk her life.”

“Yes, Sire!”

Shalee kissed Sam again. “Thank you.”

As the griffin ascended into the night, Shalee lifted Precious above her head. Her voice was strong as she commanded meteors of fire to rain from the sky. The tents scattered throughout the barbarian camp exploded as the griffins and hippogriffs released the lava rock.

Panic filled the camp as the men of the north scattered for their lives. Bodies fell lifeless, burned, and crushed.

Senchae looked toward the darkness. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, he shouted for his general. “Order the army to attack Brandor’s camp. We need to merge