(eng) Karen Azinger - Silk & Steel 02 by The Flame Priest

Author:The Flame Priest [Priest, The Flame]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

30

Liandra

Wars were not as easily ceded as chess. She’d captured the rebel leader but checkmating the enemy was not enough. The battering ram boomed through the hidden chamber, a looming threat. Liandra needed a way to proclaim victory and end the fighting. Time was against her. The battering ram’s relentless pounding proved the grim truth.

The door would not hold forever.

The queen paced the secret chamber, desperate for a strategy, her head pounding to the rhythm of the battering ram. Communication was the problem. Trapped within the tower, her enemies isolated her from both friend and foe. She needed to send a signal to prove the queen still fought. Her gaze settled on the large tapestry filling the north wall, the only sign of luxury in the otherwise spare chamber. Moth-eaten and threadbare on one corner, the tapestry depicted the coat-of-arms of house Tandroth, two white roses crossed on a shield of emerald green surmounted by a golden crown. Despite the wear of time the colors were still vibrant and the size was perfect. The queen fingered the embroidered edge, wondering if some distant ancestor had foreseen her need. Liandra smiled, the game was not yet done.

She turned and surveyed the faces of her loyal followers. Despite their wounds, many still held hope. In the face of such loyalty, Liandra refused to lose.

She strode the length of the hidden chamber, torchlight glinting off her golden gown. Infusing her voice with confidence she roused her people to action. “Come, we have one last gambit to play. We must announce our victory to friends and foe alike. We must be our own herald. Will you join us in this venture?”

Her words roused a ragged cheer.

She gave them a regal smile. “Then we have work to do.” She turned to Captain Durnheart. “We give you responsibility for guarding our prisoner. Bind the traitor tight and gag him, but he must be able to walk. If needs be, we will flaunt him from the tower rampart.” Her stare turned to the Lord Turner. “If the traitor gives you any trouble, you have our permission to bleed him. If the rebels breach the tower, we expect you to take his head.” Her voice hardened to stone. “The leader of the rebels will not outlive us.”

The Lord Turner glared, hatred in his eyes.

The captain tightened his grip on the prisoner. “It will be my pleasure.”

The queen nodded. “Good.” She turned to survey her people. Most of the soldiers were wounded but a few remained hale. “We need two stout men to carry this tapestry. Who will bear our banner of victory?”

A handful of soldiers stepped forward, vying for the honor. The queen smiled, pleased by their eagerness. “We need brawn for this task, the banner must not falter.” She chose the two with the broadest shoulders. “Remove the tapestry from the wall but keep it on the rod. Both will be needed on the roof.”

While the soldiers stepped to the task, the queen addressed the rest of her people.

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