DUTY AND HONOR by D. L. R. Frase
Although Aryk was born an Islander, he washes ashore at a young age in the
Flatland Kingdom, the only survivor of a shipwreck. King Konr raises Aryk as his own son. Years later, after a severe summer and serious drought, Islanders are detected making unannounced landings in Flatlander territory. King Konr has no knowledge of the Islander military strength and can only assume the worst by such behavior. In an effort to discourage war, he secures the betrothal of the daughter of the Highland king and an alliance he believes will be strong enough that the Islanders would not dare attack.
Aryk is given the duty of leading a party to the Highland Kingdom to escort
Konr’s betrothed to the Flatland Kingdom, using a map provided by Konr’s
couriers. As the journey becomes increasingly difficult, this map becomes more
and more suspect and the couriers who provided it are assumed to be Islander spies attempting to stop the wedding and alliance.
David Frase grew up in rural Ohio and enlisted in the US Air Force after a year at The Ohio State University. Later, he and his wife, Linda, relocated to Georgia, where he worked at Robins AFB maintaining a variety of aircraft avionics. The pair now resides in Warner Robins with their black cat, Midnight. Mr. Frase is recently-retired and now has more time to invest in various of his other interests, including: home and yard maintenance; gardening; fishing; “tinkering” in his shop with electronics, woodworking, and metalworking; and writing, of course—of which he intends to do considerably more.