The Double Blade, Rebekah Povey [ebook reader with highlighter TXT] 📗

now, his body was skeletal.
“I’m here, my father,” She said loudly, doing her best to hide the sadness in her tone. “How do you fare?”
“Not as well as you, my daughter,” The old king smiled in her direction. “Closer, my little one, so I may feel your face and ‘see you’,”
Lachandra did as she was asked and knelt by the side of the king’s bed. “I’m here, my father,”
His hands, though she could feel the bones, were soft as they travelled about her face. First he followed the heart shape of her face, following her hair line and her chin. They giggled together when he tickled her ears. He felt the shape of her nose, her eyebrows and the shape of her eyes.
“What colour are your eyes?” He rasped.
“Deep blue,” She smiled, he felt her cheeks rise and smiled too. “Like mother’s,”
“And your hair colour, my daughter,”
“Auburn,” Lachandra caught her reflection in her father’s golden shield hanging on the wall. “Like the redwood bark,”
“Just like mine when I was young,” He became sad and moved his hands away from his daughter’s face.
“Father, you haven’t done all that bad for a man who has reached the age of a hundred and ten, and been through twelve wars,”
“Might as well have been twelve thousand wars,” Her father snapped for a moment then turned sad again. “They never leave me alone. I could still wield a sword and shield even though I’m blind. My body will never forget the dynamics of fighting. My mind will never forget the horrors of killing,” The King suddenly started coughing. Loud, harsh hacks. Every one cut deeper into Lachandra’s heart, it was she could do was grip her frail father’s hand and pat his bony back. When the coughing finally calmed down, he spoke again. This time very quietly. “And before you are my age you will have seen wars too,”
“I’m not scared, my father,” Lachandra became very red in the face, probably from fighting tears, and gripped her father’s hand again.
“I know,” He sighed. He patted her neck and cheek. “Now go now please, my daughter, I maybe blind, despite it raining, but I can still sense where the suns are. Its time for your lessons.”
“Yes, my father,” She kissed him gently on the forehead before getting up to leave. “Fare well.” She said as she left the chambers.

“Where’d you disappear to last night?” A massive, muscular black man, with bronze armlets and dark brown leather trousers, came up beside Silentfang, who was punching a punch bag.
“Got bored,” Silentfang coolly replied, not missing a hit he glanced at the man’s back. “You got lucky?” His back was covered in scratches.
“Yeah,” He grinned, flexing as he picked up a pair of dumbbells. “Who could resist Jelani?”
“Anyone with taste,” Silentfang bantered with a devilish grin.
Jelani nearly dropped a dumbbell but then chuckled and shook his head. “Careful, wild elf,” Jelani mocked seriousness. “I may ask you to spar me,”
“Bring it,” Silentfang laughed heartily. “You need to lose a few pounds, you almost look like a 6 foot pig goblin,”
“Oh you asked for it now, Silver,” He chuckled, unsheathing his curved blade. Silentfang gave another one of his grins and unsheathed his own broadsword.
They stood there in their stances, sometimes feigning movement and making each other flinch. Jelani stood in a back stance with his sword high above his head. Silentfang stood feet apart with his sword out in front of him. Suddenly Jelani gave out a loud war cry and leapt forward at Silentfang. Silentfang dodged and blocked the attack.
They fought for a while. Countering and blocking blows. They swore, snickered and taunted each other. Silentfang finished it gracefully. Leaping high into the air he round house kicked Jelani in the face, landing softly on the sandy ground next to his stunned friend.
“I swear to the twin suns,” Jelani gasped as he sat up. “What’s the scoring now?”
“Fourteen to me, ten to you and about five draws,” Silentfang chortled.
“Fighting liopards are easier than fighting you,”
“I get a better fight from a fully grown troll,”
“I’d get you for that but I’m fucking knackered now,” The pair of them laughed, and started to leave the training arena. “Let’s go and get something to eat.”

Imprint

Text: Rebekah Povey
Publication Date: 05-10-2012

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
To my little boy, Love you forever xxx