The Vacant Throne: The Legend Of Kairu Vol 3 by Tim McFarlane

asked curiously.
    “ Just a place to
sleep for the night,” I answered. “We aren’t going to make it to
Riverside before sun down.”
    Aaron looked up into
the sky and nodded. “You have a couple hours of sunlight left, but
I can see your concern. Come on, let’s go find my
mother.”
    He turned around and we followed him.
“Thanks for helping us,” I said.
    “ No problem...Kairu
was it?” He looked back and smirked and I nodded. “Plus it isn’t
everyday a Lord or Lady of Balendar drops by to visit. With
everything that happened at Thurlborn Peak we need to look out for
each other.”
    “ That is very
commendable of you, Mr. Reed,” Cathy said. “I will be sure to pay
back your family for any goods you can share.”
    “ That won’t be
necessary,” Aaron replied. “Just make sure the other Lords stop
their bickering and put a king or queen on the throne before
Balendar falls apart.”
    “ That is the plan,”
Cathy responded.
    Aaron led us through the front door
into his house. The warm familiarity was refreshing as we crossed
the threshold. The twins, Clare and Bethany, looked up from the
living room and smiled at the sight of me.
    It was hard to believe it had only been
a couple of cycles. The twins had grown a lot but had still managed
to look completely identical; something they took pride in so they
could trick anyone that asked.
    “ Andy!” They both
squealed as they ran up to greet me.
    “ Well if it isn’t
Trouble #1 and Trouble #2,” I smiled.
    “ Who’s number 1 and
who’s number 2?” Clare (I thought) asked.
    “ I’ll leave you two
to figure that out,” I replied.
    The girls looked at each other as Mary
walked in to greet us. She was still aging gracefully despite the
twins’ best efforts at stressing her out. Her frizzy hair was
starting to grey and was in its trademark mess. She smiled sweetly
at her guests.
    “ I thought I heard
visitors,” she said.
    “ It is a pleasure to
meet you,” Cathy said. “I’m Lady Sandra Middleton of Davalin. Thank
you for welcoming us into your lovely home.”
    “ The pleasure is
mine,” Mary replied, flustered from the compliment.
    “ Does Lady Middleton
seem odd to you...Andy?” Bill whispered to me.
    I smirked. “Like you said when we first
met, she’s nice when she wants something.”
    “ True, but she just
seems more...genuinely pleasant,” Bill continued. “More than you
would think from someone who has gone through what she has gone
through.”
    I nodded slowly and
tried to think up something quickly. “We should keep an eye on her.
She could just be over-compensating for depression. When we get the
chance, I’ll talk with her.”
    “ Same here,” Bill
said. “A lot rides on her. We can’t have her battling with inner
demons.”
    I forced myself not to smirk at his
reference. “Agreed.”
    “ Of course, we’ll
help you,” Mary said to Cathy. “We’ll do what we can.”
    I snapped back to the conversation. “I
greatly appreciate this, Mrs. Reed.”
    “ I told you to please
call me Mary,” she said to me.
    I smiled. “I know.”
    She turned back to Cathy and Bill.
“Allow me to show you the house.”
    “ I would love to see
it,” Cathy answered politely.
    “ I trust you still
remember where everything is, Andy?” Mary asked me.
    “ He has a fancy new
name now,” Aaron stated with a smirk. “He’s ‘Kairu’
now.”
    “ That’s a stupid
name,” Clare (I thought) said.
    “ Bethany!” her mother
exclaimed.
    Bethany’s eyes went wide at being
scolded and I quickly looked for something that was different about
her from Clare. I found a dirt stain on her sleeve and grinned at
her.
    “ Got you now,
Bethany,” I said quietly. “I won the game.”
    She made a face at me. “That doesn’t
count. Mom helped you.”
    “ Way to go,” Clare
said, nudging her.
    “ I’ve got to head
back out,” Aaron said to me as Cathy and Bill followed Mary to the
next room. “You should come with. I should tell Dad you