The Dark Spawn (Battle Lords of de Velt Book 5) Read online

  THE DARK SPAWN

  A Medieval Romance

  By Kathryn Le Veque

  © Copyright 2021 by Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc.

  Kindle Edition

  Text by Kathryn Le Veque

  Cover by Kim Killion

  Edited by Scott Moreland

  Reproduction of any kind except where it pertains to short quotes in relation to advertising or promotion is strictly prohibited.

  All Rights Reserved.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  License Notes:

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook, once purchased, may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or borrow it, or it was not purchased for you and given as a gift for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. If this book was purchased on an unauthorized platform, then it is a pirated and/or unauthorized copy and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Do not purchase or accept pirated copies. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work.

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  Author’s Note

  It’s time for the de Velts to have their saga continued!

  I can’t believe how long it’s been since I last wrote about Jax de Velt or his family, but there is a reason for that. Originally, I was going to write about Jax (The Dark Lord) and the knights who served him, men known collectively as The Titans, but I became more interested in Jax and Kellington’s children than the men who helped Jax conquer the borders. The kids kept popping up in places – Cassian, mostly, because he served Christopher de Lohr (Rise of the Defender). Jax even popped up in Devil’s Dominion and had a fairly meaty part in that book, so my focus really went to the family as opposed to Jax’s collection of cutthroats.

  And here we are!

  Now, we met Coleby de Velt as a baby at the end of The Dark Lord… and that’s all we’ve ever seen of him. He’s evidently been working behind the scenes and doing all sorts of wild stuff in my universe, much of which we’re going to discover now. As we’re going to find out, he’s been a VERY busy boy. I don’t want to give away too much, but you’re going to want to find out what he’s been up to. Some of it isn’t pretty, but that’s understandable – he’s a de Velt.

  And then we have our heroine, Corisande. A very unusual lady from the House of de Bourne, a new series I’ll be introducing next year. They are descended from the last King of Northumbria, Eric Bloodaxe, and they carry the ax as their standard. The Warrior Knights of de Bourne will be an exciting series, and Corisande is as darned near as tough as her brothers. She’s certainly tough enough for a de Velt.

  Now, there are a LOT of books of mine set between about 1190 to 1220 A.D. – all of the Executioner Knights, of course, plus the de Lohr series. In reviewing some of these books to make sure I stick with the details of Cole that I’ve already established, I read two of them that were particularly engrossing – Devil’s Dominion and Godspeed. Godspeed has a life-changing event happen for the House of de Velt and it just made me detest King John all the more. If you’ve read this series, and others set in John’s reign, then you know I have a particular dislike for John. Ironic, considering he’s my 23rd great-grandfather. No kidding.

  Let’s talk a little about William the Lion, the King of Scotland at this time. He’s mentioned in this book as William the Lion, although that’s not what he was known by to his contemporaries. He was called William the Rough, among other things, but for the purposes of contemporary identification, I have used the term we are most familiar with. Also, I had to make sure he was identified from William Marshal. So many Williams!

  Now, the warnings – this is not only an Executioner Knights tale, but it’s a de Velt book, meaning the rules don’t apply here. There are some gross things. There are some disturbing things. A de Velt book always has something that’s grittier and more brutal than any other book, so be aware that there are some things in the book that will make you laugh out loud and then other things that will make you cringe.

  But that’s the beauty of de Velt and the Executioner Knights – they’re not sugar coated, and I personally love that. It’s so much more relatable and “real”. But they will never, ever cross that line into something that’s going to turn you away from the book. What happens with de Velt stays with de Velt – and it’s something that endears the family to readers. The de Velts make no apologies. Add in a touch of the Executioner Knights (they’re really only secondary to this tale), and it makes it an innately edgy story. But I love these guys, all of them. We should all be so ballsy, loyal, and unrestrained.

  I want to mention the most prevalent de Velt physical trait – the different-colored eyes. There’s more than one de Velt in this book, so it comes up frequently. The trait is called heterochromia and it is indeed hereditary. I have it myself – my green eyes have yellow around the pupils and a darker teal ring around the entire iris, but Jax de Velt, Cole’s father, had it to the extreme – two brown eyes, only the right one had a big splash of bright green in it. His sons inherited that condition, only mixed with their mother’s golden-brown eyes’ The boys have all sorts of interesting color combinations.

  Now, let’s talk about some Easter eggs in this book!

  Northwood Castle plays a role here, but it’s the generation before The Wolfe, so you’re going to meet the Earl of Teviot, Adam de Longley, and his son, John – who is the John de Longley that William was so fond of in The Wolfe. Not huge roles, but they’re present. This book is all set pre-de Wolfe, so all of the usual locations we’re familiar with – Castle Questing, The Lair, etc. don’t really exist as they do in the de Wolfe Pack series. In fact, Castle Questing is mentioned in the context of its original owner, Baron Dudworth. There are a few other subtle Easter eggs in the book, so see if you can find them.

  Lastly, as I wrote this book, I realized that the Executioner Knights’ stable has really grown. There are almost twenty of them now and it seems that more are added with every book, so I’ve done something for this book that I haven’t done for any of the others – I made a list of the Executioner Knights and where they serve. There are a lot of knights in this book because the Executioner Knights stick together, but not all of them are here. We’ll assume those that aren’t here are off doing their own thing. I love how the Executioner Knights are growing into an enormous brotherhood. The list is so you can refresh your memory about the players and also get acquainted with two new ones. You’ll love them!

  The usual pronunciation guide:

  Corisande – CORA-sond

  Gaia – GUY-uh

  Ares – AIR-ees (like Aries, the Zodiac sign)

  Anteaus – An-TAY-us

  Happy Reading!

  Hugs,

  Coleby de Velt is the firstborn son of the notorious Dark Lord, Ajax de Velt.

  Cole grew up idolizing his father – and knowing all about his history – and he has his father’s dark streak. That makes him a perfect agent for William Marshal and the Executioner Knights. As William Marshal himself says – “Tis better
to be at the Devil’s right hand than in his path…” And Coleby is definitely the Devil.

  He’s the spawn of The Dark Lord and everything that goes with it.

  When Cole falls for an unusual woman, it’s with his whole heart. He doesn’t know how to do anything half-measure – and he doesn’t know how to protect himself. Lady Corisande “Cori” de Bourne, an accomplished woman of considerable talent, has bewitched him and, for a sweet moment in time, Cole experiences something he’s never known before – a blooming love and a calm to his restless soul he can’t begin to describe. He believes he has finally found happiness. Perhaps the darkness has finally met with the light.

  Until the Scots attack and Cori is captured.

  Unfortunately for the Scots, The Dark Spawn is unleashed. Cole will stop at nothing to rescue his beloved Cori. But when he finally regains her with surprising ease, a horrible truth is revealed.

  All is not as it seems.

  Can Cole forgive the unforgivable? Or will The Dark Spawn’s heart turn cold?

  de Velt Motto: Quoniam magnus coram mors

  Death before mercy

  List of Executioner Knights and Allies

  As of 1210 A.D.

  (Note: some later Executioner Knight tales take place years after this story is set, so as of 1210 A.D., this is where these knights serve and/or are in command of)

  William Marshal – Earl of Pembroke, Pembroke Castle and Farrington House

  Christopher de Lohr – Earl of Hereford and Worcester, Lioncross Abbey Castle

  David de Lohr – Earl of Canterbury, Canterbury Castle, Bellham Place

  Peter de Lohr – Lioncross Abbey Castle

  Gart Forbes – Dunster Castle, Devon

  Caius d’Avignon – Richmond Castle, North Yorkshire

  Maxton of Loxbeare – Chalford Hill Castle, Gloucester

  Kress de Rhydian – Seton Castle, Scotland

  Achilles de Dere – Caversham Manor, Berkshire

  Susannah de Tiegh de Dere – a Blackchurch-trained knight, wife of Achilles

  Alexander de Sherrington – Farringdon House for William Marshal (a year before he becomes Christopher de Lohr’s son-in-law)

  Bric MacRohan – Narborough Castle, Norwich Castle, Norfolk

  Dashiell du Reims – Ramsbury Castle, Wiltshire. Also Thunderbey Castle, East Anglia.

  Sean de Lara – King John’s personal bodyguard

  Kevin de Lara – Canterbury Castle (in the service of David de Lohr). Also Hyssington, Caradoc, and Trelystan Castles – Welsh Marches

  Cullen de Nerra – Rockingham Castle, Northamptonshire

  Cole de Velt – formerly William the Lion’s personal guard, now Pelinom Castle

  Addax al-Kort – service to Ajax de Velt and William Marshal

  Essien al-Kort – service to Ajax de Velt and William Marshal

  Morgan de Wolfe – in service to Caius d’Avignon, Richmond Castle

  Gareth de Llion – in service to William Marshal

  Keller de Poyer – in service to William Marshal at Pembroke Castle/Netherworld Castle (Keller is more of a knight for William Marshal than he’s actually a spy)

  Garren le Mon – technically, he’s believed to be dead after 1201 A.D.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Author’s Note

  About the Book

  de Velt Motto

  List of Executioner Knights and Allies

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Epilogue

  Author’s Afterword: Berwick Castle

  Kathryn Le Veque Novels

  About Kathryn Le Veque

  PROLOGUE

  NOCTEM INTERFECTIS (A Day of Slaying)

  The Month of May

  Year of Our Lord 1210 A.D.

  Farringdon House, London

  Property of William Marshal

  “What is happening?” A battle-scarred knight with a heavy Irish accent spoke softly. “Does anyone know why we’ve been summoned?”

  He was speaking to a group of men, hovering in the same room, standing silently as they waited in the darkness, with only a flickering fire to light the surprisingly ornate solar of one of the greatest knights in England. It was William Marshal’s domain, the lair of England’s greatest agents.

  Spies… killers… gentlemen knights.

  They had been summoned.

  It smelled like death.

  The first floor solar of Farringdon House was a meeting place, one that William Marshal used to summon the great and powerful of England. It covered nearly half of the floor. There was easily room for fifty or more men in the solar with its great stone hearth, exposed beams overhead, and painted walls. The floor was made from thick slats of wood, but pocked from men who had walked upon it with their spurs and heavy boots. It was a spectacular room, meant for men of greatness.

  Tonight was no exception.

  The knight’s question was met with silence, for truthfully, no one had an answer for him. In fact, they all had the very same question.

  Why had they been summoned?

  Perhaps only one man really had an answer.

  “Sit, lads.” Christopher de Lohr, Earl of Hereford and Worcester, took his own advice and planted himself in a cushioned chair next to the hearth. The chair groaned under his bulk. “We shall all know soon enough.”

  Words of wisdom from the great earl. The group of knights began to settle down, waiting for William Marshal to make an appearance.

  And what a group it was.

  The big Irish knight who had asked the question was a legacy knight from the House of de Winter. Sir Bric MacRohan was the biggest, meanest knight this side of Eire and The Marshal found him a particularly effective intimidation tool. Next to him, and related to him by marriage, was Sir Dashiell du Reims, captain of the army for the Duke of Savernake. They didn’t come any more talented than Dash.

  Standing over near the enormous and elaborate table that contained wine and refreshments were a few more knights who had decided that drinking their liege’s fine wine and eating the sweets provided were a good enough diversion to pass the time. David de Lohr, Earl of Canterbury and Christopher’s younger brother, was one of them. In a chamber full of talented warriors, David was the crème de la crème. There was no one faster with a blade in all of England. Next to him stood Kress de Rhydian and Achilles de Dere, men who were known throughout England as the original Executioner Knights.

  If there was a dirty job, they would do it.

  Their leader, Maxton of Loxbeare, was standing near the window, looking out over the London streets as they quieted down for the night. Maxton was a noble knight with a dark streak in him and he owed a debt to The Marshal, which is why he and Kress and Achilles served the man. At least, it had been a debt in the beginning when The Marshal had secured their release from a French prison, but these days, they served him out of loyalty.

  They might have been assassins, but they were also men of honor.

  But there were more men, still. Kevin de Lara, a young knight of great skill, came from a fine Marcher family, while next to him stood Alexander de Sherrington, another Executioner Knight. He would do anything, to anyone, with no regrets. And leaning against the
wall near him was Caius d’Avignon, an enormously tall and formidable knight known as The Britannia Viper.

  His name said it all.

  Rounding out the group were two of the youngest members in Peter de Lohr, son of Christopher, and Cullen de Nerra, son of the Itinerant Justice of Hampshire. They were great knights from great families, and much was expected of them. As agents for William Marshal, that meant that they were the most elite of warriors.

  The final member of the collection was perhaps the most intimidating and frightening, even more than MacRohan and The Britannia Viper. His name was Gart Forbes, a monster in battle, and a knight who had served the de Lohrs for years before he married the Dowager Baroness of Buckland. Now, he had his own empire in the wilds of Devon, but he was never far from The Marshal should the man have need of him.

  All of these great men, waiting for William Marshal to make an appearance.

  Fortunately, the wait wasn’t an excessive one.

  The time and day had already been pre-destined, so they knew that they were expected, but William Marshal was late. Then they heard a door slam down on the floor below, something that had heads lifting, senses attuned. There were footfalls on the great stone staircase that led to the solar, and as the footfalls drew closer, the knights grew more focused. There was more than one set of footsteps. More than one man was approaching.

  Something was afoot.

  The great double doors to the solar burst open.

  “Excellent,” William Marshal said, pulling off his cloak. “Is everyone here?”

  Christopher stood up from his chair next to the hearth. “Aye,” he said, noting that William was quite rushed. “Everyone is here. How may we be of service?”

  William heard him but didn’t acknowledge him, at least not right away. He was clearly preoccupied. He tossed the cloak aside and moved for the table where the wine was kept, pouring himself a measure without even offering any to anyone else, including the man who had entered the chamber behind him and was now quietly closing the doors.