REALM OF DRAGONS by Morgan Rice

Author:Morgan Rice [Rice, Morgan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

Devin watched as Rodry checked the saddle on his horse, tying in place the last of his equipment for the journey. He couldn’t believe that he was being included in a journey like this; couldn’t believe that he was out of the dungeon.

“You need to cinch your saddle tighter,” Sir Twell said, showing Devin how it should be done. Devin nodded, even though he’d only rarely had a chance to ride a horse before. He was too busy trying to decide what he would do, now that both the king and Prince Rodry wanted him to make the sword for them. He didn’t know what he was going to do. For now, maybe it was better to focus on the act of simply getting the metal.

Three Knights of the Spur were going with them: Lars of the two swords, Twell the planner, Halfin the swift. Given the stories about them, they were probably worth about fifty normal soldiers.

A couple of Rodry’s siblings had come down to see them off, and Devin hung back at the sight of Vars. The prince looked disheveled and hung over. Princess Lenore stood tall and almost impossibly beautiful, coming over and hugging Rodry.

“What is so important that you have to leave like this, Rodry?” she asked. “You’re not going to miss my wedding, are you?”

Devin saw Rodry flinch. “There shouldn’t be a wedding, Lenore. You must have heard what people are saying about Finnal.”

“Don’t,” Lenore said, and there was a hardness to her voice as she said it. Her tone softened then, and Devin felt bad for listening. “Please don’t, Rodry. I’ve heard the things that people are saying, but they aren’t true, they can’t be. I love Finnal, and I’m going to marry him, and that’s an end of it.”

“I just want to be sure that when you’re marrying for love, he is too,” Rodry said.

“He is,” Lenore insisted. “I’m sure of it. He is pure, and noble, and good.”

Rodry started to reply to that, but Lenore held up a hand.

“Please, Rodry,” she said.

“In that case,” he said, “I will go and find you a wedding present no one else could get you.” He glanced over to Devin, and Devin felt the weight of the prince’s expectation on him. “Something for you.”

“Thank you,” Lenore said.

“What about you, brother?” Rodry joked, turning to Vars. “Come to join us on our dangerous mission?”

“I’m sure you’re capable of hitting things stupidly with a sword by yourself,” Vars replied.

“At least I’m willing to walk into danger when it’s needed,” Rodry shot back. “Whereas you just walk to the next wine bottle or woman.”

His brother ignored him with a sneer, turning back toward the castle’s interior. Lenore caught Rodry’s arm.

“Do you have to be cruel to Vars?” she asked. “Maybe if you were kinder to him, he would do better.”

Rodry shook his head. “He’s… he’s a coward, Lenore. If someone poked me like that, I’d be goaded into action. Instead, he slinks away.”

“And maybe he wouldn’t if you just encouraged him,” Lenore suggested.

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