Master of Iron (Bladesmith #2)(32)

“Drop it or I will slit your throat with your own weapon,” I say.

The sword clatters to the ground.

“Now get off me,” I command.

He stands, leaving me lying in the dirt. His eyes land on something behind me. He lets out a laugh. “You’ve lost, and now—”

The prince collapses to the ground, his chest rising and falling in deep and even breaths. I finally stand, coming up with the newly magicked sword I just flicked in Ravis’s direction.

I’m breathing heavily as I turn, sweat and blood dripping down my arm, snores sounding all around me.

“Not a step closer,” a guard says. She and half a dozen others have swords pointed at Kellyn’s chest. What feels like hundreds more are pouring out of the palace, heeding the call. But those already present have seen what the sword can do and clearly have no desire to get any closer to it, instead thinking to help their sovereign by threatening me with my weakness yet again.

That mercenary!

“I did my best,” Kellyn says. “But you’re free. Go. No one will dare stop you while you carry that thing.” He flicks his chin toward my new sword.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” the guard closest to Kellyn says. She must be the next in charge after Strax. “You’re going to drop the sword or I’m going to gut him like a fish.”

I’m still so many leagues beyond scared. Adrenaline pumps through my veins. Yet the magic of the sword keeps me feeling refreshed and alive.

There’s only one choice to make.

“Sorry, Kellyn,” I say.

I swing faster than the guards can react.

Kellyn goes down with all the men surrounding him, their weapons falling uselessly to the ground. Soldiers out of the sword’s reach charge forward, but I swing before they can get too close, until Ravis’s palace lawns are covered in sleeping bodies.

I wait a few minutes to see if anyone else will come, but with the leaders of Ravis’s ranks all sound asleep, there’s no one to give orders. Seeing the scene around me, any servants or guards left standing aren’t daring to approach me. The warning bells have long since stopped ringing.

I’m surrounded by enemies at their most vulnerable. Anyone could come up and slit their throats. If Ravis had gotten his hands on this sword, he would have used it on the front lines, taking out enemies in droves before his soldiers silenced them forever without any resistance.

My gaze snaps downward. As I stare at the prince, I’m almost overcome with anger. He tried to make me his slave. He might have cost me Temra by stealing Serutha. He’s the reason I’m parted from the rest of my friends.

And he threatened Kellyn.

Maybe it’s foolish, but I take the sheath from around the prince’s waist and slide the dagger within. Ravis took weeks of my life for himself, so I’m taking something of his.

I steal a sheath for the bastard sword off one of the guards. Once I’m outfitted, I search through the sleeping bodies for Kellyn.

He’s snoring louder than anyone else. I fight a smile at the sight of him.

It takes some maneuvering, but I manage to get the horse-drawn cart as close to Kellyn as possible without crushing anyone, then haul the sleeping mercenary over to it. I hoist him onto my back and ease him into the bed of the cart. Then, remembering Lady Killer, I find Strax among the bodies and retrieve Kellyn’s longsword. I’ve no idea where my hammers have ended up (or the war hammer I’ve magicked), and I don’t have any time to waste searching for them. I’ll have to leave with what I have.

I gather as much food as I can, searching for anything that’ll keep for a while. Bread, dried meat. I take some fruit and vegetables as well. We can eat those for the first few days.

I roll a barrel of water into the cart. Then I don a stolen cloak, make sure my face is concealed, leap atop the cart, and give the reins a good flick.

We’re off.





CHAPTER TEN


I have no clue where I’m going.

The castle is an imposing shadow at my back. My only concern was to get away from Prince Ravis’s home, but now I need to figure out how to get to Skiro. I’ve got a cart full of sleeping mercenary. Finding the right road is crucial.

I suppose as long as Kellyn sleeps, I know that Ravis and his guards are also sleeping.

But that means I can’t rely on the mercenary for anything.

It takes me a minute to search through the city square for the least intimidating figure, a young girl my age. I ask her for directions to the quickest road to take me south.

“Only road that will take you that way is the one to Briska. From there you can head south.”

I hide my grimace. Things did not go so well last time we were in Briska. We were beaten and imprisoned.

“It’s a long journey,” she warns. “Beg your pardon, but you don’t look like you have enough to get you there. Most of that food will spoil.”

I waste a few moments bartering fresh food for more hardy food. I sell Ravis’s dagger and purchase saddles, saddlebags, waterskins, bedrolls, and other supplies.

We’re not going to make it far if we don’t have everything we need to travel. The last time we tried, we were only making a week’s journey to Kellyn’s family’s farm, and he knew the land well enough for us to forage for food.

We have no such advantages now.