Exile (60 page)
It was Eskarnor.
‘How did you get in here?’
Eskarnor laughed and gestured to his honour guards’ bloody weapons.
‘What are you doing here?’ Jaraile backed up.
Eskarnor kept coming, through the doors, along the balcony.
She realised he meant to take her and ran for the balustrade.
‘Oh, no, you don’t. I need you to legitimise my claim to the throne.’ He caught her around the waist, threw her over his shoulder and strode inside. ‘Once Charald and the brat are dead, you’re the closest thing to royalty this kingdom has.’
She drew her paring knife and stabbed him in back, once, twice.
‘You little bitch!’ He swung her off his shoulder. She flew through the air and landed on the dining room table. He plucked the knife from her hands, tossing it aside.
She sprang up, trying to slip past him.
He cursed and his fist slammed into her head. She felt her body fly sideways, then nothing.
S
ORNE CAUGHT UP
with Nitzane and the two military men on the wharf. By the time it was secure and the Wyrds could load what remained of their stores, it was after midnight. Nitzane left Captain Ballendin in charge of the wharf, while Commander Halargon searched the port for Eskarnor and the harbour-master.
Meanwhile, Nitzane and Sorne returned to the palace. As they walked the corridors, he filled the baron in.
‘...so I doubt the Wyrds will hand over the boy until their terms are met,’ Sorne said. ‘Jaraile is going to be disappointed.’
Nitzane tapped on the queen’s bedroom door. ‘Jaraile?’
The old woman who served as her maid opened the door. ‘The queen is waiting up for you in the dining room.’
But Sorne found the dining room empty. He took in the overturned chairs and the words carved into the mahogany table.
I have her, E.
‘Eskarnor.’ Nitzane cursed. ‘I swear, if he hurts her, I’ll...’
Sorne didn’t hear him for the rushing in his head. ‘He won’t hurt her. He needs Jaraile to legitimise his claim on the throne.’
‘I love her, Sorne. I can’t bear to think of her in his hands.’ Nitzane sank onto a chair, devastated. ‘What am I going to do? You’ve got to help me save her.’
‘The king–’
‘The king had a seizure two nights ago.’
‘Did he sign the decree appointing the five advisors to guide Prince Cedon until he comes of age?’
Nitzane shook his head. ‘He refused to discuss it. And when he learned Eskarnor had raped Jaraile, he had a fit.’
‘Is he rational?’
‘His wits come and go.’
Sorne’s mind raced. The king was not in his right mind. Nitzane wanted to save the queen, but Eskarnor wouldn’t hurt Jaraile. Sorne still had to ensure Prince Cedon was returned.
‘Poor Jaraile.’ Nitzane moaned then looked up at Sorne. ‘I’ll do anything to save her, anything. Just tell me what to do.’
To all intents and purposes, the kingdom was Sorne’s.
Epilogue
W
HEN HE WAS
seventeen, Sorne had seen a vision of King Charald hugging a small boy on the deck of a ship. Now it unfolded before his eyes.
The rest of the Wyrd fleet had already sailed through the headlands. Only the causare’s flagship remained, its sails painted by the dawn sun. The prince was lowered onto the deck of Baron Nitzane’s smaller ship in a net. He climbed out and stood there looking uncertain.
King Charald directed him to jump, then walk. Seeing his club foot was cured, the king knelt on the deck, swept Prince Cedon into his arms and declared him fit to be his heir.
Sorne knew Jaraile would have hugged him first, then marvelled over his recovery.
THE
KING ROLEN’S KIN
TRILOGY BOX SET:
The King's Bastard
,
The Uncrowned King
, and
The Usurper
Now collected in a single ebook!
Only seven minutes younger than Rolencia’s heir, Byren has never hungered for the throne; he laughs when a seer predicts that he will kill his twin. But the royal heir resents Byren’s growing popularity. Across the land the untamed magic of the gods wells up out of the earth’s heart, sending exotic creatures to stalk the wintry nights and twisting men’s minds, granting them terrible visions. Those so touched are sent to the Abbey, to learn to control their gift, or die.
At King Rolen’s court, enemies plot to take his throne, even as secrets within his own household threaten to tear his family apart.
Political intrigue and magic combine in this explosive new fantasy trilogy.
“Pacy and full of action and intrigue.”
– Trudi Canavan, author of The Black Magician trilogy.
www.solarisbooks.com
Sorne, the estranged son of a King on the verge of madness, is being raised as a weapon to wield against the mystical Wyrds. Half a continent away, his father is planning to lay siege to the Celestial City, the home of the T’En, whose wyrd blood the mundane population have come to despise. Within the City, Imoshen, the only mystic to be raised by men, is desperately trying to hold her people together. A generations-long feud between the men of the Brotherhoods and the women of the sacred Sisterhoods is about to come to a head.
With war without and war within, can an entire race survive the hatred of a nation?
Rowena Cory Daniells, the creator of the bestselling
Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
, brings you a stunning new fantasy epic, steeped in magic and forged in war.
‘Once again, readers will be delighted by Daniells’ skilful plotting.’
LEC Book Reviews
on
The Usurper
‘Royal intrigue, court politics and outlawed magic make for an exciting adventure.’
Gail Z. Martin, author of
The Chronicles of The Necromancer
, on
The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
www.solarisbooks.com
For over three hundred years, the mystics lived alongside the true-men, until King Charald laid siege to the mystic’s island city and exiled them. Imoshen, most powerful of the female mystics, was elected to lead her people into exile. She faces threats from within, from male mystics who think they would make a better leader. And her people face threats from true-men, who have confiscated their ships. they must set sail by the first day of winter. Those who are left behind will be executed.
Once they set sail, they face winter storms, hostile harbours and sea-raiders who know their ships are laden with treasure. Imoshen relies on the sea captain, ardonyx, for advice, and Sorne, the half-blood mystic, who has lived among the true-men kingdoms of the Secluded Sea. But Imoshen knows the mystics can’t run for ever. They need somewhere to call home. They need... Sanctuary.
‘Once again, readers will be delighted by Daniells’ skilful plotting.’
LEC Book Reviews
on
The Usurper
‘Royal intrigue, court politics and outlawed magic make for an exciting adventure.’
Gail Z. Martin, author of
The Chronicles of The Necromancer
, on
The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
www.solarisbooks.com