The Sworn Knight by Robert Ryan (novels to read txt) 📕

“They thought you worth it, my lord, otherwise they wouldnot have made the attempt.”

He explained then what his problem was, and how he knew theyshould take further advantage of the situation and fan the hope to life thathad sprung up throughout the city.

“Well now,” Caludreth said when he was finished. “The peopleknow that a resistance exists. Moreover, they know that it’s effective. That’sa good start.”

“Maybe so, but surely we can do more. The seventh knight isprophesied, but he cannot do everything by himself. We need to build afoundation for him. Something he can use.”

“Quite,” Caludreth answered.

The once-knight was silent for a while, and he absentlystroked his skin where his moustache used to be. Then his eyes widenedslightly.

“The people,” he said, “know that a resistance exists. Butwhat they need to know, not just hope for, is that the seventhknight is coming.”

Menendil thought about that, and he nodded slowly. It wastrue. Knowing something was different than hoping for it. If the people actuallyknew that the seventh knight was no mere story from the old days, but actuallywalked the land and would soon come to defy the king himself, then who knewwhat was possible? Their fear would be transformed to courage.

“That’s exactly what we need,” he said. “But how can weaccomplish it? I can arrange for men to spread the story you told me. How youmet the seventh knight and that a day of reckoning is coming.”

Caludreth did not answer, but looked out the window inthought.

“Perhaps that’s not such a good idea,” Menendil said. “Nomatter how careful the men were, there would always be a chance of their storybeing tracked back to them. Then the Hundred would be revealed, and many ofthem taken.”

They sat in silence a while, thinking. Then Caludreth rose andwalked to the window. It was as close as he could get to going outside, andeven here he was careful not to show his face too close to the glass in case hewas somehow seen and recognized from the street below.

The once-knight straightened by the window, and for all thathe was beaten to within an inch of his life so recently, he was a figure ofpower now. The king may have stripped him of the title of knight, but he couldnever take away from him his bearing as a man of wisdom and strength.

Caludreth turned. “I have a plan,” he said. “We needsomething bold. Something striking. Something that sends just themessage we want, and that the whole city will learn of. But to send a strongmessage, we must do something very, very dangerous. And it must be in public.”

Menendil felt a shiver of fear. But at the same time, heknew he had been right to talk to this man. There was no fear in him, nolack of courage. He was a bold leader, but could ordinary men hope to standbeside such as he, and live?

12. For Faladir

During the late reaches of the night, when the starrysky was clear and cold, Ferla called a halt to their march. It was time for arest, and she chose the crest of a rise to have it.

It was not a hill, for this part of the land was still flat.But it did offer a view, of sorts, and while Asana and Kubodin prepared a smallmeal she looked back over the lands they had traversed.

There was little to see. Despite the bright starlight, thevarious folds and rises of the countryside were shadowed. She listened as muchas she looked, but there was no sign of the enemy at all.

She should have felt relieved. But she was not. Nor did sheknow why. But she did have a sense that something was out there. Something.

There was no name for her fear. But that only made itstronger. Was it caused by the words of the dragon? Perhaps. Did the enemy seekher out? No doubt. Did the absence of Faran unsettle her? She knew that it did.

But none of these things were quite the source of heranxiety. Once, she would have dismissed such a thing. But not now. She wasolder, and she had learned to trust her instinct. Reasoning could only take youso far. Reasoning was what people did when they did not know the answer tosomething.

But she knew. She knew in her bones that she wasunder threat, and it did not matter that she could not put a name to itsorigin. It was there. It existed, and she would be ready for it when it came.

Or she would die. But what was it that the dragon warned? Thereare worse fates than death.

“Come, Ferla, eat with us,” Asana asked.

Reluctantly, she turned back to the camp.

She ate a light meal, for they were being careful with theirsupplies. Soon, she would put her bow to use and bring down a deer. Maybe evenan aurochs if the opportunity presented itself. But it was better at this stagenot to hunt. The farther and the faster they got away from Nuril Faranar thebetter their chances of never being located. And taking the time, as she did,to try to obscure their trail was already slowing them down.

“We must consider,” Asana said, “what you will do when younear Faladir. What will your strategy be? What tactics will you use to fulfillit?”

Ferla suppressed a grin at that. Her relationship with theblade master had changed. She was still very much the student, and getting herto think about these things was just another part of his training. But now heasked questions rather than gave instructions.

“I’ve been giving it thought,” she answered. “But I see noeasy way to achieve my goals. I’m one knight against a king, his knights, anarmy and the Morleth Stone.”

Asana pursed his lips. “Perhaps that is the first problem tosolve, then?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you must recruit an army. Or cause the peopleof Faladir to rise in rebellion. Just because you’re the seventh knight doesn’tmean you’re alone. You must become a leader if you are to win. And the peoplemust follow you if they are to throw off the shackles of evil.”

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