Serpent's Bane (Snakesblood Saga Book 3) by Beth Alvarez

Author:Beth Alvarez [Alvarez, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sacred Tree Press
Published: 2020-08-28T16:00:00+00:00

“Well, that's what you get for thinking you stood a chance against Captain Kaith. Even the men you bested in the arena were afraid of him. They would have dropped their swords at his feet. King Vicamros chose him for a reason, you know.” Redoram pulled his bag of runestones from the table drawer and gave it a shake. “Time for a game?”

“The sword is mine by right. He has no business keeping it from me.” Rune shook his head angrily, pacing between the couch and bookshelves like a caged animal. He felt like one, trapped within the Royal City, bound by agreements he shouldn't have had to make.

“Speak a language I can understand,” Sera interrupted from her place across the table from the old man. “Else I'll have Garam throw both of you back in prison for conspiracy.”

Redoram cleared his throat and slipped back into his own tongue. “Regardless, breaking into his office to take it back was foolish. I'm surprised you even tried. I heard them speaking about your sword when you were arrested, and if it really is a kingsword, Kaith is not unreasonable in assuming it came to you through illegitimate means.”

Rune glared at him, irritated by both his words and the language he spoke them in. It was harder for him to speak the local dialect when he was angry, and stopping to translate in his head only made his mood worse. “I am not a thief,” he snapped.

“And yet you were arrested for stealing,” Redoram said, amused.

“Because my only other choice was to starve!”

“What is a kingsword, Councilor?” Sera asked, sliding gold bangles up and down her arm. She still wore her green and gold finery, though a member of Redoram's staff had scurried off to find something else for her to wear to bed.

Rune clenched his jaw. He shook his head and returned to pacing.

Redoram put his runestones back into their drawer. “An unusual weapon, named such because the only known kingswords were given to rulers across the globe. Gifts from a king of the ancient Aldaanan to his peers. There weren't many, fewer than fifteen.”

“And he had one of them?” She jerked her head in Rune's direction.

“So it would seem,” Redoram murmured. “To my understanding, there were only five accounted for before he arrived in the Royal City, most stashed away in treasuries or mounted above some wealthy king's throne. A pity, really. It seems a waste of a good weapon and an unusual artifact.”

Sera leaned back and caught Rune by the sleeve, forcing him to stop. “Quit pacing, you're making me nervous. So what makes these swords so special? I'd think a king would rather have something gilded and crusted in gems to show his power.”

“They are strong,” Rune said. Both Redoram and Sera turned toward him as he spoke. “They cannot be broken.”

Redoram nodded. “Precisely. The Aldaanan don't share their smithing secrets, but you know their fondness for spinning magic into everything they do. The kingswords were made to be the only weapon the kings would ever need.

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.