Sons of Ironstorm: Book 5 - Griffon's War

A Brief Reunion

"Blessed Maker!" the Queen Regent of Talemon cried into the shoulders of her sons as she held both Lawrence and Patrik tightly, an embrace they emotionally returned, all three crying freely.

"My sons have been returned to me!"

For a long moment she simply held them close, letting all the fear for their safety, and motherly love for them flood out of her heart until it overcame her, and left her body as copious tears, shed in relief at discovering them hale and whole. Only after that outpouring of emotion had happened, did she ease her hold on the two young men, who looked so much like their father, and their grandfather, powerful lords of kevan descent.

Then, looking through the veil of tears that threatened to blind her, she spotted Jaeda uneasily standing back near the map room's far wall.

"And who is this girl that stands as if familiar?"

"Jaeda kaeDrith el'Faetwah, mother," Patrik replied, easing back from his mother enough to look over at the desert princess. "Daughter of Abdulleh kaeDrith el'Faetwah, Scion of the Second House!"

"Abdulleh el'Faetwah? The man who opposes Bek the Dragon in the Scattered Kingdoms?" Jeorgina asked with an emotion-charged voice, not bothering to hide her astonishment.

Nor did she question what he meant about Abdulleh being the 'Scion of the Second House', a term completely unfamiliar to her. Now it was about family, and reunions. Questions about forgotten lore could come later.

Patrik nodded.

"The very same. His daughter has been my closest friend and companion these last few moons during my journey to become the Wielder of the Earth Sword," he added, hesitating slightly before saying: "And the woman who has my heart!"

Jaeda squeaked in surprise at hearing that, even though she knew that was where their relationship had gone. She knew it, and he knew it, but now it was real, because he had told his mother about her. Then Joergina was speaking once more:

"Then come, Jaeda, and embrace me as your mother. For if you have my son's heart, then you are family!"

That, of course, elicited another round of emotional outpouring, Jaeda grunting in surprise at Jeorgina's stronger-than-expected embrace. Then she was melting into the noble woman that had given the world the Maker's own champions against the Shadow, the Wielders of the Weapons of Power, her welcome: powerful and overwhelming. And, even though she was a virtual stranger, she could feel Jeorgina's love and acceptance wash over her, those things doing the most to connect the desert princess to the keven queen regent than any other thing. Well, that, and the fact that she was mother to the young man that now filled her heart with love and joy, knowing that she was his, and he, hers for the rest of their lives.

When the emotions had finally run their course, and the reunion was finished, the regal monarch found herself staring at the map table with its bright clusters of figures.

"So, Shawn has taken his sister, the Covenant wives, General Banik, and three companies of Redeemed to try and destabilize the demon command structure on Uepolua?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to believe Lawrence's terse report.

"It was Shiana and Lady Dezinor's idea, actually," the eldest Ironstorm Wielder replied with a half smile from across the table, arms folded across his broad chest. "Not that he'd disagree. Shawn had been looking for a fight ever since our forced retreat from Tal Morun." 'As have I', he silently added, fighting hard not to grimace at the memory of their ignoble flight from his capital.

"My brother pulled out all the cosmic power he could from his body and concentrated it into an avatar to convince the abysslord watching us, that he was still here. Then, as an almost mortal man, he used Shiana's stealth gate to travel to the island continent to see how much trouble they could make for the enemy."