Read Online Darkened Blade: A Fallen Blade Novel by Kelly McCullough - Free Book Online
Authors: Kelly McCullough
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Malthiss. “The six of us working together.”
“Even with the goddess gone?” Faran’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Even so.”
Is that possible?
I sent to Triss.
You’ll have to ask Malthiss. I don’t know enough about it yet.
There was a long pause, then he added, rather reluctantly,
But I can’t imagine that it will be easy, especially given Faran’s . . . loyalties.
What does that mean?
Justice matters here. It has to for anything that addresses the power of the goddess. And justice is not Faran’s first loyalty, nor has it been since at least the fall of the temple.
I couldn’t argue with that.
She had to make hard choices. Without that self-reliance and self-centeredness she wouldn’t have survived.
No, she would not. But that, too, has passed.
What do you mean?
These days, her loyalty belongs to you. She is a warrior and you are her captain.
I didn’t know how to answer that, and the conversation was moving on without us, so I remained quiet.
“How soon can we try it?” asked Faran.
“That depends on our route,” replied Malthiss.
Faran frowned. “I think I missed a step in there somewhere.”
“The ritual I envision will have to be performed at a place holy to Namara, probably the grotto on her island in Lake Evinduin. It still may not work, but, from what I know of the swords, that is the only way it could.”
Faran turned to look at me now. “Aral?”
It was almost a thousand miles out of the way if our plan was to go after the Son of Heaven straightaway, which brought up another thing that needed addressing.
“Siri is senior to me.” Both Faran and Kelos had taken to treating our course as though the final authority for choosing it lay with me. “The decision belongs to her.”
Siri shook her head. “I don’t think so. Faran is your apprentice, and dealing with her needs is a choice you have to make.” I opened my mouth to demure, but Siri held up a hand. “But that’s not all. I know that you still think of me as First Blade, Aral, but that’s over. Namara is dead and the temple has fallen.”
I shook my head. “You are still my better in the skills of the Blade
and
Namara’s final choice to lead the order.”
“That was before this.” She raised her stump and formed a hand of smoke. “The injury isn’t a problem, but the Smoldering Flame is. I owe my allegiance to Namara’s ghost, but my soul is bound to another god now, one who seeks to subvert my will even in his dreams. To be tied to one of the buried gods is to be forever compromised. Without Namara to protect me from his influence I can never fully trust my judgment again, and you shouldn’t either.”
“Siri . . .” I didn’t know what to say. I had felt the handof the Smoldering Flame close around my heart, and I knew that she was right, but still . . .
“No. I’ve thought about this a lot over the last few weeks, and I have made my choice.” She swallowed hard and raised her chin. “You are all witness to my words, and I call on you to pass them along to any other members of the order as and when you see them. This is my final command, for I am rendered unfit by circumstance and hereby resign my place as First Blade.”
“I . . .” Well, fuck. Now what?
“Further,” Siri continued as though I hadn’t said anything, “I wish to point out that with Namara dead and the temple fallen, there is no structure to replace me in that role and no higher authority in what remains of the order. That being the case, I think it is only right and proper that it fall to the Blade who preceded me in that role, and I, for one, intend to act accordingly.”
Before I had time to really make sense of what she had just said, Siri knelt before me. With a lightning-quick movement, she whipped the single sword that she still carried from its place on her back and laid it on the ground at my feet.
“First Blade Aral, I am yours to command.”
Kyrissa moved up alongside Siri and bowed her
“Even with the goddess gone?” Faran’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Even so.”
Is that possible?
I sent to Triss.
You’ll have to ask Malthiss. I don’t know enough about it yet.
There was a long pause, then he added, rather reluctantly,
But I can’t imagine that it will be easy, especially given Faran’s . . . loyalties.
What does that mean?
Justice matters here. It has to for anything that addresses the power of the goddess. And justice is not Faran’s first loyalty, nor has it been since at least the fall of the temple.
I couldn’t argue with that.
She had to make hard choices. Without that self-reliance and self-centeredness she wouldn’t have survived.
No, she would not. But that, too, has passed.
What do you mean?
These days, her loyalty belongs to you. She is a warrior and you are her captain.
I didn’t know how to answer that, and the conversation was moving on without us, so I remained quiet.
“How soon can we try it?” asked Faran.
“That depends on our route,” replied Malthiss.
Faran frowned. “I think I missed a step in there somewhere.”
“The ritual I envision will have to be performed at a place holy to Namara, probably the grotto on her island in Lake Evinduin. It still may not work, but, from what I know of the swords, that is the only way it could.”
Faran turned to look at me now. “Aral?”
It was almost a thousand miles out of the way if our plan was to go after the Son of Heaven straightaway, which brought up another thing that needed addressing.
“Siri is senior to me.” Both Faran and Kelos had taken to treating our course as though the final authority for choosing it lay with me. “The decision belongs to her.”
Siri shook her head. “I don’t think so. Faran is your apprentice, and dealing with her needs is a choice you have to make.” I opened my mouth to demure, but Siri held up a hand. “But that’s not all. I know that you still think of me as First Blade, Aral, but that’s over. Namara is dead and the temple has fallen.”
I shook my head. “You are still my better in the skills of the Blade
and
Namara’s final choice to lead the order.”
“That was before this.” She raised her stump and formed a hand of smoke. “The injury isn’t a problem, but the Smoldering Flame is. I owe my allegiance to Namara’s ghost, but my soul is bound to another god now, one who seeks to subvert my will even in his dreams. To be tied to one of the buried gods is to be forever compromised. Without Namara to protect me from his influence I can never fully trust my judgment again, and you shouldn’t either.”
“Siri . . .” I didn’t know what to say. I had felt the handof the Smoldering Flame close around my heart, and I knew that she was right, but still . . .
“No. I’ve thought about this a lot over the last few weeks, and I have made my choice.” She swallowed hard and raised her chin. “You are all witness to my words, and I call on you to pass them along to any other members of the order as and when you see them. This is my final command, for I am rendered unfit by circumstance and hereby resign my place as First Blade.”
“I . . .” Well, fuck. Now what?
“Further,” Siri continued as though I hadn’t said anything, “I wish to point out that with Namara dead and the temple fallen, there is no structure to replace me in that role and no higher authority in what remains of the order. That being the case, I think it is only right and proper that it fall to the Blade who preceded me in that role, and I, for one, intend to act accordingly.”
Before I had time to really make sense of what she had just said, Siri knelt before me. With a lightning-quick movement, she whipped the single sword that she still carried from its place on her back and laid it on the ground at my feet.
“First Blade Aral, I am yours to command.”
Kyrissa moved up alongside Siri and bowed her
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