Powers of the Six

Powers of the Six Read Free Page B

Book: Powers of the Six Read Free
Author: Kristal Shaff
Ads: Link
while helping on the boat. Too much net. Not enough line. Too loud—he’d scare the fish. Too slow—they’ll get away. But at least his father hadn’t used him for sword practice. Nolan’s father probably didn’t even know how to hold a sword.
    It took several minutes for the crowd to clear, leaving Nolan standing alone in the center of the viewing area. Kardos caught Nolan’s eye and smiled, displaying a row of straight, white teeth that contrasted with his soot-covered face. He extended a friendly hand.
    “Enjoy the show, boy?” he asked.
    He gawked. Kardos didn’t want him to answer, did he? Instead of saying something he shouldn’t, Nolan crammed a scroll into the blacksmith’s outstretched palm and recited his bland, rehearsed statement. “I am here to present an important document to Alec Deverell, from Duke Ragnall.”
    The merriment fell from the blacksmith’s face. He stared and then tore open the seal, unrolling the parchment. As he read, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper into a furious scowl. Alec approached and peered over his shoulder while Kardos muttered under his breath.
    “No son of mine is going to be taken away from me. Those … I’ll show them … They think they can tell us what to do.” After Kardos finished reading it, for probably the fifth time, he crushed the document and chucked it to the ground. He opened his mouth to speak, his finger raised as if to jab Nolan’s chest.
    “I’ll be there.” Alec picked up the crumpled summons. “I’ll be there as required.”
    “No, Alec,” Kardos said. “I’ll take care of this.”
    “Father, I’m going.”
    “Shut your mouth, boy. We don’t have to put up with this.”
    “ We don’t.” Alec’s intense eyes locked on Nolan’s with a resigned look. “ I do.”
    Kardos grabbed Alec’s arm and jerked him around. “Alec, I’m your father—”
    “And this is the law. I’m fifteen now. I have to go.”
    “We can refuse.”
    “And what?” Alec said. “They arrest us? They close your shop? For Brim’s sake, Father, I’ll only be gone a month or so. I’m sure you can make do without me for that long.” Alec turned. “If you’ll excuse us, we have work to do.”
    Nolan didn’t know how to respond. But before he had to, Alec walked to the forge. Kardos glared and then followed his son. The two began to work as if he weren’t there.
    Obviously, Kardos cared for Alec—when he wasn’t slicing him to bits. He was willing to lose everything, his freedom, and his shop, to keep his son from the Rol’dan. Nolan’s own father sold him off to be a scribe for failing his Tournament of Awakening. Kardos fought to keep Alec away from the very same trials.
    Suddenly, Kardos didn’t look so bad, sword slashes and all.
    Nolan left the shop and maneuvered through the crowded streets toward the manor. The whole situation was strange. The Shay Rol’dan army had most, if not all, of their swords made at Deverell’s shop, yet the man wanted nothing to do with the tournament. One would figure that, because of his business with the army, he’d be excited about the chance of Alec becoming one of them.
    The glory and reputation of the Rol’dan blinded most people. They didn’t see their true nature. Selfish. Bitter. Cruel. In his regular dealings with the Rol’dan, Kardos Deverell most likely saw what most didn’t. The truth.
    As soon as Nolan came within sight of the manor, he stopped. His palms were slick, and he wiped them on his breeches, trying to steady himself.
    A crowd gathered at the main gate. A father held a small boy on his shoulders; the smiling youth waved a yellow flag. Several maidens huddled together in a ridiculous, giggling mass. Nolan cringed. Only one person, besides the king himself, could cause this much excitement. General Kael Trividar had arrived.
     

     

 
    Chapter Three
     
    NOLAN STOOD IN THE gold-adorned hallway near the entrance as voices echoed from inside the Great Hall. A year had passed

Similar Books

Freed

Berengaria Brown

This Side of Providence

Rachel M. Harper

Shanghaied to the Moon

Michael J. Daley

From the Dead

Mark Billingham

Healing Hearts

Margaret Daley

Corpse in Waiting

Margaret Duffy

Knitting Bones

Monica Ferris

Rival Forces

D. D. Ayres

Raising Faith

Melody Carlson