Dark Blade by Steve Feasey

Author:Steve Feasey
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781408873403
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2019-03-22T16:00:00+00:00

19

‘What madness possessed you to offer yourself up to fight that monster?’

They were sitting in a room off the great hall waiting for the queen. Fleya was more furious than Lann had ever seen before. He stared stubbornly back at her.

‘Nobody else would.’

‘What kind of answer is that?’

‘We came here to Stromgard to speak with Erik. We can’t do that if he’s dead.’

‘And if you’re dead too? How does that help!?’

‘I don’t intend to die.’

‘You are not a fighter, Lann. That creature Oknhammer is a ruthless killer, a man who has lived his entire life with a sword in his hand.’

‘I have a sword too.’

‘But you have had no training. No combat experience. He will cut you down like a dog.’

‘The black blade won’t allow that to happen.’

Lann watched Fleya throw her hands up in despair at his response. He wondered if her anger and fear were a result of her not seeing this outcome to her plan, the Art, for once, letting her down in her moment of need. His own emotions were harder for him to identify. Gone was the dread he’d felt when he had first offered to take part in the trial. In its place was a modicum of … calm? Not confidence – he was in no way confident at having to face Frindr Oknhammer, but he was no longer terrified. He leaned forward to speak.

‘I never told you what happened on board the Ra’magulsha. You were gone, seeking out that thing from the depths. An arrow was fired at me by a pirate archer. It was a true shot. A deadly shot. But the arrow was not allowed to hurt me. I …’ He paused, and placed his hand on the dark scabbard at his side ‘The Dreadblade deflected it from its path. The blade is sworn to protect me, just as I am sworn to protect it.’

Fleya sat back, small lines creasing her forehead as she took this in.

‘Does it talk to you now? The blade?’

‘Yes.’

‘And what does it say?’

‘I don’t understand all the words. Not yet. But … it’s looking forward to the battle. Oknhammer has done terrible things. Horrific things. The Dreadblade was forged to defeat monsters.’

‘Frindr Oknhammer is a man,’ Fleya pointed out.

‘Not all monsters are from the Void, Aunt. Some are men with souls so black that even Lorgukk would not be able to tell them apart from his own minions.’

They turned at the sound of the door opening, standing together as Queen Astrid entered the room. And as her eyes met Lann’s, he had no difficulty reading her thoughts.

‘Great,’ Lann mumbled under his breath. ‘Somebody else who thinks I’m mincemeat.’

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