In the Shadow of the Dragon King by J. Keller Ford

Author:J. Keller Ford [Ford, J. Keller]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: magic, fantasy, dragons, sword and sorcery, action, adventure
Publisher: Month9Books
Published: 2016-09-06T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Eric spent all day in the courtyard overseeing the clearing of debris, his mind reeling with a hundred different ways to find and team up with the paladin. Of course, each scenario devolved into one of the knights finding out and confining him to his room, or worse yet, the dungeons, so as to learn a good lesson. Sometimes he wished he could clap his hands and make them all disappear. It certainly would make his life a lot easier.

As he sat cross-legged on his bed, he pondered the box of Sestian’s personal belongings before him. A young page had dropped it off just after sunrise, along with his tearful condolences. Eric had accepted both and set the box on the chest at the foot of his bed with no real intentions of digging into memories he’d rather not visit at the moment. Sestian’s death was still too raw. Painful. But there was something about the box, something that called to him, like a warm vanilla cake swimming in drizzled rum.

He eyed the worn sole of a boot poking through the effects and touched a slice in the scuffed leather, remembering with clarity the knife once lodged there.

It had started innocently enough— a jaunt through the castle in the dark on one of Sestian’s many sleepless nights—when they came upon a fellow squire determined to have his way with an unwilling servant girl. A fight ensued, the girl’s virginity rescued, and Sestian ended up with a knife in his foot from an ill-judged kick. It was one of the few times Farnsworth didn’t punish Sestian for his roaming, believing Sestian had learned his lesson. But a knife wound to the foot was nothing to Sestian. He continued to break the rules, keeping life interesting at Gyllen.

Eric lifted a pair of suede shoes and the leather boots from the box and set them on the floor. Next, he withdrew a handful of lace handkerchiefs, no doubt mementos from pleasant moments of seduction steeped in heartbreaking promises. There were several knives, money, rocks, fencing gantlets, a few belts, coin bags, a leather flask, and a pendant the size of his palm made of spun gold with a ruby dragon eye in the center.

“Well, this is interesting, Ses.” He placed it around his neck and tucked it beneath his tunic.

The last item, a suede-covered book, piqued Eric’s curiosity. He flipped through the pages, uncertain why Sestian had it in his possession. His friend had detested books, saying they were distractions from the freakishness reality of life.

Tucked between the pages near the center of the book, Eric found a small sheet of parchment folded in half. His breath hitched at the handwritten note on the outside.

Eric—third one found. Must confront Trog!

“What in dragon’s breath is this?”

The paper crinkled as he unfolded the page. He scanned the scribbled text.

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