Read Online The Sword Of Erren-dar (Book 2) by R.J. Grieve - Free Book Online Page B

empty. The two velvet cushions were in their usual place – they even bore
the imprint of the sword, but of the sword itself there was nothing to be seen.
Even the scabbard was gone. At first I couldn’t believe my eyes. I looked under
the table, I searched the stairs and the other rooms in the tower, I even
checked the doors for sign that they had been forced, but I found nothing. Even
the dust in the room seemed undisturbed. It was as if it had simply vanished
into thin air.”
     “When did you last see the sword?” Prince Enrick asked.
     “Er….several months ago,” replied Bethro looking sheepish.
     “Several months !”
     “Well, I mean, there is no reason to go to the tower more
often,” Bethro prevaricated. “I have the only key and as long as I do, no one
can get near the sword. Also, anyone wishing to reach the tower has to pass the
guards at the palace walls. They are not, I believe, in the habit of permitting
access to strangers.”
     “You still have the key?” Vesarion asked.
     “Yes,” nodded Bethro. “Look.” He withdrew the beautiful and
ancient object from his pocket still attached by its silver chain to his belt.
“As you see, it has never left me.”
     “What did the guards at the palace gates have to say? Have
they noticed anything unusual lately?”
     “I …I don’t know. I didn’t ask them. All I could think of
was that I must report my findings immediately to the King. You see, the sword
must not leave Eskendria. Its importance cannot be over-estimated, for it is
our talisman, our shield. As long as the sword stays within this kingdom, our
borders will never again be invaded by a hostile force.”
     The Prince flung away from him. “Ha! Stories! Fairy tales!
Little better than nonsense.”
     “Not quite,” Vesarion amended dryly. “The people believe it,
and that is what is important. It matters not whether there is any truth in the
legend. If the people believe that the presence of the sword keeps them safe,
then knowledge of its absence could be catastrophic, and as we know, there may
be those who would profit from such a situation.” He turned once more to the
librarian and asked Bethro the one question he had been dreading. “Why did you
go to look at the sword today?”
     “I thought…I…er…” The few disjointed words soon fizzled out
under the accusing stare of the three most powerful men in the Kingdom. As the
strained silence began to stretch a little, the King took pity on his afflicted
servant. “I think you had better tell us everything, Bethro.”
     “I… er…. promised to show it to someone later today. I was
going to make sure it was polished and looking its best.”
     The Prince’s eyes narrowed. “You are not permitted to show
it to anyone without the King’s permission.”
     Bethro hung his head. “I know,” he mumbled. “I have never
done anything like this before. It was just that he had come such a long way
and seemed so disappointed at the thought that he would never get to see it.”
     Vesarion frowned. “Who?”
     “The boy…the one from Kelendore. He knew all the old
legends – indeed better than most Eskendrians – and had come all this way to
see it.”
     “What boy? What are you talking about?”
     Slowly and painfully, like pulling teeth, they extracted
the story of how Bethro had met the boy the previous evening at the Moat Inn.
     “He seemed such a pleasant young lad,” he concluded lamely.
“He had travelled all the way from the Isles just to see the sword and hear the
story of Erren-dar from the foremost expert on the subject. I was to meet him
at noon today.”
     Enrick and Vesarion exchanged significant glances, the
matter explained to them in an instant.
     “Did you show him the key?” inquired the King.
     “Well…er…yes.”
     “You didn’t let him handle it, I trust,” exclaimed Vesarion
in some alarm.
     “Just briefly – and it remained on its chain attached to my
belt the whole