Conflict by Pedro Urvi Read Free Book Online Page B

his power and its connection with the Ilenian medallion. He decided to keep the secret for the moment.
    “Our Order, the Custodial Brotherhood, has proof of the existence of such objects in the private archive of our fortress.”
    “Private archive?” said Lindaro gleefully, rubbing his hands in anticipation. “Fascinating! I’d love to visit it, it would be fantastic. Has any information been compiled about the objects?”
    “We have descriptions and even sketches of several weapons of power. Unfortunately most of them disappeared mysteriously in ancient times. But they existed, and some have been recovered by our Order. The main function of the Brotherhood, following the designs of Zuline, the Custodian Lady, Patroness of the Order and founder, is to watch that these objects don’t fall into the wrong hands, so that the balance between good and evil doesn’t tilt towards the dark side. Zuline was the first person to find an Object of Power, by accident. It was a ring with an unknown gem which had the power to heal non-lethal illnesses and injuries. That jewel and the good she could do with it impressed her greatly. So much so that she decided to devote her life to finding other objects with similar blessings. Over time other people joined her with the same aim, and she founded the Custodial Brotherhood.”
    “Did they discover many benign objects of power?” Lindaro asked.
    “Not really… Unfortunately, in all the long life she dedicated to the search they only managed to find a few objects, which turned out to be weapons of destruction, of evil. To be exact, they found two: the Midnight Dagger and Torgreson’s Axe, both with the power to bring about death. The danger these weapons contained within them strengthened the Brotherhood’s determination, and from that moment, more than two hundred years ago, our Order has searched for objects of power all over Tremia. But they are very scarce. It’s practically a miracle to come across one. When a reference is found the Brotherhood studies it and follows up the lead, and if it finally leads to the discovery of one of these precious objects, then we take it back for study. If it turns out to be a destructive one, it’s then hidden in a secret place so that it doesn’t fall into the hands of evil.”
    “Your order has an interesting point of view…” said Lindaro, fixing his eyes on the redhead. “I don’t think it’s entirely correct, but it’s interesting… I had no knowledge of its existence, although since you’re from far-away lands it’s not really so surprising. How many Objects of Power has your Order found, if you’re free to tell us?”
    “Very few. It’s extremely difficult to find them. Most of the hints we follow lead us to a dead end, or else are elaborate legends or myths. In all the years of existence of the Brotherhood only half a dozen objects have been found in all Tremia, most of them deadly.”
    “I see. It’s a dedicated life, that of your Brotherhood, with very little reward. Is it possible that those objects might be originally Ilenian? Like the sword Hartz carries?”
    “It’s possible. To my knowledge I can confirm that the hypothesis has been taken into consideration by our scholars, but it’s never been verified. The truth is, we don’t know where those objects originated.”
    “Well, well, I see your tongue is finally loosening up, huh?” said Hartz. He looked at her ironically, and she returned his gaze with fury.
    Kayti took a couple of steps forward. She breathed deeply, then let the air out as if with it she was getting rid of her anger.
    “That sword is a weapon of power and therefore of interest to my Order, that’s why I mentioned it. It mustn’t fall into the hands of evil. I’m also not sure that it’ll be completely safe in your hands,” she told Hartz defiantly.
    “In my hands is where it’ll stay, safe or not. And you can keep any idea of taking the sword away from me and carrying it to your