A Promise of Iron by Brandon McCoy (the reading list .txt) 📕

everything north of the Burh clear to the Jaet Mountains?”

I nodded.

Her eyes narrowed. “Okay, Mr. Historian, did you know that in 801, it was separated into two states with the Woad River separating north from south?”

I nodded again.

She frowned. “Well, clearly, you have read this book before.”

I took a sip of my coffee and grinned.

She grabbed the book again and leafed through a few pages. “What I found most interesting was they kept Tol Rohar as the southern capital even though the state was dissolved decades earlier after the Bread Rebellion ended.”

“There were politics back then, too,” I said. “The Rukish Empire needed to protect their trade routes to Emerand, and Tol Rohar was still an important trade hub on the Old Illyrian road. When the rebellion ended, the Council of Elders invited the nobles that now governed the city to send three to join them in Tol Rukar, becoming the Council of Nine.”

“Really? It doesn’t say any of that in this book.”

I shook my head. “History depends on the hand that writes it.”

“Wasn’t Sul Rukish? Why would he leave out something as important as that to the…”

“Sul was Rukish, but Sul didn’t write that copy,” I explained. “Ada picked it up a few years ago from a book store in Gent. The owner claimed it was an original, but he was about as Cyllian as…” I trailed off. “Well, you get what I mean.”

She furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand.”

“The Imperials confiscated a lot more than grain and metal during the occupation. Ruks aren’t overly fond of keeping written records, but what was written down was mostly lost when Tol Rukar fell, and the Old Library burned. What did survive ended up in Imperial hands, mostly.” I took a sip of my coffee as I tried to find the most delicate way of approaching the topic. “They had a habit of altering these histories and disseminating them back amongst the populace.”

She shook her head. “That makes no sense.”

“Doesn’t it? How better to control a conquered people than to remove any record of…?”

“No, not that. I get that; it is perfectly Cyllian,” she said. “I mean, why bother to alter something as trivial as that? What does it matter?”

I shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe they didn’t like the idea of a successful rebellion? Or maybe they didn’t like the idea of Rohar turning to Rukland for help?”

She put her finger to her nose. “I bet the latter is more like it. Leave it to a Cyllian to alter history to protect their superiority complex.”

I chuckled. “Sometimes, I forget who I am talking to. You are about as Cyllian as I am.”

She smiled. “I suppose I should take that as a compliment?”

I looked at the fire. “So are we going to talk all day of yesterdays, or is there time to discuss tomorrows?”

She folded her hands in her lap. “I was planning on ignoring tomorrow, for as long as I could anyway.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“What’s there to tell? Father got word about us from one of those that had left before the battle. He sent a letter at first light. It was pretty direct.”

“What did it say?”

“It said ‘Return my daughter, immediately.’ ”

“That’s it?”

“What more did he need to say? He had no idea I was going; he was supposed to be away on business last night, but he canceled his trip last minute due to the fell moon.” She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “At first, I was embarrassed, then I was angry. I’m not a child, but he treats me as if…never mind. It’s done now.”

I placed my hand on her knee. “When I found you…”

“I’m fine…. He didn’t hurt me.”

“Are you sure?” I brushed her cheek with my hand. “I know he’s hit you before.”

She looked down as if ashamed. “No, he didn’t hit me. He just...We argued. He yelled. I screamed. He took me here to confront you. When you weren’t home, he decided to lock me upstairs and wait.”

“Why?”

“He wanted me to hear you.”

“Hear me?”

“He expected you to take his coin; he expected you to fill your pocket and never look back—and he wanted me to hear that.”

“Why didn’t you say something? Call out to me?”

“I suppose a part of me wanted to hear it, too.” She placed her hand on my face. “He doesn’t know you as I do.”

I put my hand over hers. “So what’s next? Do you think he will calm down in a few weeks and apolo—”

She laughed. “Clearly, you know him as well as he knows you. There is no calm down…. There is no going back. It—it’s done.”

“What do you mean?”

She looked away. “Let’s talk about this later. No sense in ruining a perfectly good day, plenty of time for that tomorrow.”

I put on my best smile. “Alright, what would you like to do then?”

She frowned. “I probably should get to the House and see if I still have a job.”

“You think they would release you over something like this?”

She shrugged. “Father has influence and a temper. No telling what the fallout is. But I had better get that piece sorted before we get any further down the road.”

“I have a few errands to run myself.” I stood and offered her my hand. “Come on; let’s get it over with.”

As she stood, her silhouette caught the light from the western windows. I saw her shape, the line of her hips and breasts. My heart raced.

“Uh, perhaps it’s best if you change back into your dress.”

She watched my eyes, then looked down. She giggled. “Good idea.”

The streets of Forhd felt empty. At first, I thought it was the hot, humid air after last night’s rain that had the streets empty. I was wrong.

“Golmere attack,” the boy at the messenger stand called out. “Dozens dead.”

Lira turned to me. “Two attacks in two nights?”

“Where at?” I asked the boy. “Was it Windshear?”

“Nah, it was out near the logging camps at Wintrewold. Scouts say