The Exiled Queen by Roxana Arama

Author:Roxana Arama [Roxana Arama]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dhawosia Publishing
Published: 2024-02-20T00:00:00+00:00

The Valdavian Chronicle

The gates of the king’s house opened before Nicetas. As he strode past the new watchtower with its beacon, he wondered if the message waiting for him was from Zyraxes. He hadn’t heard any complaints from his brother about the queen’s Petition Days. Maybe for once Zyraxes knew not to pick a fight he couldn’t win.

At the well in the center of the courtyard, a servant raised the sweep and held out a cup of fresh water. Nicetas drank to erase the bitter taste on his tongue after seeing all those slacked jaws watching Una dance.

In the work chamber, the scribe Kosingas was waiting with the newest codex in The Valdavian Chronicle for Nicetas’s approval, a volume recounting the years since the Night Attack. He had also brought a letter from Legate Lucius Flavius Magius, announcing the completion of the Temple of Iuppiter in Tomis, in the Roman province of Moesia. Payment for the defense of the empire’s northern border had arrived on time, which meant Emperor Vespasianus had not yet learned of the disruption caused by the withdrawal of the Kertan troops.

Kosingas handed over a letter from Cothelas the Bald. Nobody had permission to read the Kertan king’s letters. Nicetas broke the wax seal marked with a wolf head and read the short message by the window. No soldiers would return to Valdavia until Cothelas’s gods-damned heir was sent to Sehuldava. Nicetas threw the parchment into the hearth and asked Kosingas what else was there.

“A scroll from Emissary Oroles.”

“I hope it’s not a ransom note.”

“No, my king, it is not.” Kosingas had no sense of humor.

“Read it.”

“To the king of Valdavia, from the emissary to Steppewynd, may Beleizis—”

“Yes, yes, what’s he saying?”

Kosingas’s eyes scanned the scroll. “King Scorilus is open to creating something called the Dhawosian Alliance…With Steppewynder laborers returning to Valdavia, we should have more soldiers to send to the Roman border…And Emissary Oroles asks for permission to sell the knowledge of the Roman waterwheel to Steppewynd.”

“Read that part.”

Kosingas cleared his throat and began. “King Scorilus wishes to bring a new era of prosperity upon his lands by building waterwheels and aqueducts from the Tyras River to new hill terraces where the soil is still as fertile as before the days of Queen Seba.”

“Oroles is clever…unless Scorilus is playing him for a fool. Go on.”

“Since my arrival at the White Fortress, I came to understand that King Scorilus is not as much a warrior as a wise statesman.”

Nicetas’s hand found the scar on his side. “Fancy words from our humble Oroles’s mouth. Unless he had help writing them.”

“Princess Meda, who admires our vision for peace, has joined our journey through Steppewynd. She is now a keen supporter of the Dhawosian Alliance in hopes that our corner of the world remains safe from the Roman menace that has engulfed much of the known world—”

“Unless Scorilus uses his new crops to grow his armies. But as long as Princess Meda agrees with Oroles’s bright vision of world peace…” The irony seemed lost on Kosingas.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.