The Burden of Choice (Second Son Chronicles Book 9) by Pamela Taylor

Author:Pamela Taylor [Taylor, Pamela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2023-07-05T16:00:00+00:00

When we wake the following morning, Gwen says nothing about my restlessness during the night, though she can hardly have failed to notice it. My morning ride does nothing to clear my head, and I find it hard to concentrate on my work, which includes several affirmations of sentences that haven’t been reviewed by Rainard, so I need to read each one thoroughly. When I reach the end of the third one, I realize I have no idea what it was about – if the sentence even fits the crime – so I have to start over from the beginning. My mind seems unwilling to concentrate, wandering from the pages in front of me to the battlefield with Jasper – which takes me to an unsettling combination of anticipation and dread for his next dispatch. Even if he’s succeeded in finally clearing out the Teuton encampment, his report will include the loss of many more men – ours and those of our allies.

And what of Samuel and Edward? Have they arrived safely in Brandr’s court? Or have they been waylaid – or, God forfend, harmed in some way – on the journey? I’ve no idea, even, how long the journey should take, since no one’s ever attempted it before.

Then there’s Cedric’s mission. Can he get the archers to their destination in time for them to make a difference? Maybe it is a hare-brained scheme. Something as ordinary as a summer rainstorm at sea could mean they’d have to turn back and wait for the weather to clear. Are the Teutons patrolling those waters? Cedric hasn’t reported seeing ships on any of his crossings, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there. And if they are, how long will Fortuna smile on us?

I’ve not told Geoffrey the news from across the sea. I no longer worry about his ability to keep secrets – after all, I’ve trusted him with the greatest secret of all. But he has enough on his mind thinking about the fight in the east, and I see it weigh on him every time he reads one of Jasper’s dispatches. His young mind is tortured by the burden of sending men to their deaths in battle while desperately hoping for a faster victory here so we can rush to the aid of his friend. From time to time, I torture myself with the knowledge that it would be easier for him to bear if his brother were here.

With all the lords away on their estates, even ordinary footsteps echo in the emptiness of the rooms and corridors, the sound rebounding from floor to wall to wall much like the thoughts bouncing around in my head.

Oh, how I’d like to talk with Samuel! His words always seem to bring clarity to my thoughts. Of course, I’ve no one but myself to blame for his absence. And his mission is crucial. Brandr’s actions could turn the tide of this entire conflict.

So could your own, I remind myself. But would it be wrong?

The draught of brandy I pour for myself after supper is twice as large as usual.

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