[Bridge of D'Arnath 02] - Guardians Of The Keep by Carol Berg

Author:Carol Berg
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-02-08T21:42:02.171000+00:00

“With my hands did I heal and restore life where it was damaged beforetime, and so in the days of my first life, I built a house of honor for my child.”

“Yes, it is my seed that called him from nothingness into the Light.”

“He is my son.”

“The bond of the spirit is proved,” said Exeget. “And, as you see, the bond of the flesh is also true, though the flesh was not that which our Prince wears on this day. Law and custom mandate that the bonds of flesh and spirit are the true witness of lineage, and who dares gainsay what Vasrin Shaper has provided?

My judgment asserts that this child is the next Heir of D’Arnath. How say you all?”

One by one, the Preceptors agreed—only Madyalar hesitating. “I believe we should wait. Let the Prince recover from his ordeals. Place him in isolation for a while. He may yet father children with this flesh—

D’Natheil’s flesh. Then there would be no question. Or perhaps—”

“No!” Karon roared, bursting from his seat. “Enough! You cannot make me endure this longer.” Reaching across the table, he thrust his shaking hands into Madyalar’s face. “There is no recovery from death. Ten breaths more and I will be unable to stop screaming. I am dead. I can do nothing for you. Care for my son.

Protect him . . . please. Send for his mother to love and nurture him and teach him the savoring of life. Do not entrust Exeget with his mentoring . . . nor this Darzid who stands in the guise of an Exile, but is responsible for the extermination of a thousand Exiles.”

The Preceptors recoiled in horror. The old ones gaped; Gar’Dena, Y’Dan, and Madyalar jumped from their seats, their dismay not aimed at the cursed Darzid, but at Karon, who writhed and twisted, wrestling to loose Exeget’s hands that had grasped his shoulders to pull him away from the table. Then, Karon broke free and backed away from Exeget, a knife in his hand. Breathing hard, his skin gray and stretched, he held the unsteady weapon between himself and the Preceptor.

“My lord Prince, calm yourself,” said Exeget. “Your mind has been savaged by Dassine’s enchantments. Let us help you. I know of many things—”

“Stay away from me!” said Karon, brandishing the knife. “When I can no longer hold, you’ll not want to be within striking distance of this weapon.”

“Gerick . . . Your name was going to be Connor . . .Connor Martin Gervaise.” Though his gaze remained affixed to Exeget and the other Preceptors, Karon spoke to our son with an urgency, intensity, and tenderness that wrenched the heart. “I wanted to tell you about my friend Connor. I wanted to tell you so many things, but there was no time. That was the worst part of dying ... to believe I would never see you.

And now beyond all wonder, we are together, but again . . . there is no time.”

Gerick spat at his feet. “Murderer! I’ve sworn a blood oath to destroy you for what you’ve done.

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.