Shield of the Throne by Ron C. Nieto EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: Ron C. Nieto
- Language: English
- Genre: Military Fantasy
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- Size: 2 MB
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Winter should be a quiet season, a time for huddling around the fire,
reflecting on the past, and making plans for the upcoming warmth. Up in
the mountains, be it Dracourt Castle where Oren had fostered, or Berviel
Keep, where he had tested the mettle of the man he’d grown to be, life
quietened, gathering itself before surging anew when the cold let up. But
the Iron Castle never stopped, the whirlwind of the Court dragging the
entire city of Montfer to hold its pace.
And what a pace it was. The dirt had barely settled over the corpse of the
late king. The crown prince, groomed to take the burden of the throne, had
followed him to the grave mere hours later. They had brought their
murderer to justice a scant sennight prior.
As for Oren?
He still hadn’t been able to catch a breath.
“Your Majesty,” said the Lord Chiaisy, High Steward of Westmere, “the
amount of concerns currently on your shoulders is precisely the reason we
must address this situation at once.”
A line in the sand
“I have addressed the situation.” Oren bit back the need to curse the man
and took another turn, weaving a path through the service corridors that
surrounded the inner courtyard. A fugitive in his own castle.
“Not satisfactorily, Your Majesty.”
Stopping in his tracks, Oren whirled on his chief councilor. He was an
ally, but even an ally had to respect certain limits.
“Enough. The embers of a coup smolder still, the possibility of war come
spring grows no more remote as we argue, and I have one border territory
without its lord. I’m running out of patience. If you wish to speak of
something relevant to the kingdom, address any of those topics and bring
me solutions.”
“Two, Your Majesty.” At Oren’s look of incomprehension, the High
Steward clarified, “Two territories with no lord. Your Majesty surely means
both Calmarch and Sharnet, as both are border territories left unattended.
Lady Annabelle Faure and her daughter might remain at Dracourt Castle,
which I’m given to understand they will do for the foreseeable future, but
Your Majesty must find a supporter to take control of Calmarch. And while
Sharnet’s mines are undoubtedly an asset to the Crown, Your Majesty
should bestow the land on a loyal subject to reinforce the benefits for the
kingdom and the strength of Your Majesty’s alliances.”
Yes, of course Oren needed an ally in Calmarch. And he already knew
the man he’d appoint to the task. A poisoned gift if there was any, an
undeserved burden for a staunch supporter… but that was the problem,
wasn’t it? He needed someone he could trust to hold the gate to Westmere,
especially with the ghost of war held at bay by nothing but winter’s cold
gusts.
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