Curse of Kings (The Trials of Oland Born, Book 1) by Alex Barclay Read Free Book Online Page A

help.
    â€œI found a letter from King Micah,” he said, turning to Jerome.
    â€œA letter? From King Micah?” said Jerome. “To whom?”
    Oland hesitated. “To me.”
    â€œWhat did it say?”
    â€œIt said that I am to restore the Kingdom of Decresian.”
    Jerome’s eyes were wide.
    â€œI know it sounds foolish,” said Oland. “It sounds foolish even to me.”
    â€œWell, not to me,” said Jerome. “This is good news.”
    â€œI don’t understand it,” said Oland. “I don’t know how, when King Micah never knew me, when he had never met me, when I was only born on the night he died, that a letter from him could come to me all these years later. And with such an extraordinary task. It must be a mistake.”
    â€œI knew King Micah,” said Jerome, “and he was not a man to err.”
    Oland shrugged. “So I have heard, but… I don’t know where to even start.”
    â€œWell,” said Jerome, “at the very least, answer me this. To ensure that there was even a chance of restoring Decresian… what would you need to bring about?”
    Without hesitation, Oland had the answer. “The downfall of Villius Ren.”

EROME AND O LAND SAT IN SILENCE FOR SOME TIME.
    â€œOland…” said Jerome eventually. “If you are to bring about the downfall of Villius Ren, I think I should tell you about a man called Chancey the Gold.”
    â€œI’ve seen his name!” said Oland, his eyes bright. “In The Sporting Heroes of Envar .” He paused. “Well, in the index. It said ‘athlete, outstanding swimmer, named for all the gold medals he won in championships all over Envar…’”
    â€œTo watch Chancey the Gold swim was an extraordinary sight,” said Jerome. “He moved through the water like a spinning ball through the barrel of an arquebus.”
    â€œI wanted to find out more about him,” said Oland, “but, when I turned to the page, the entry was missing.”
    Jerome gave a wry smile. “Ripped out by Villius Ren, no doubt… it’s probably the only book he’s ever opened.”
    â€œWhy would he do that?” said Oland.
    â€œTwenty years ago,” said Jerome, “Villius Ren visited the Scryer of Gort to have his fortune told, and she told him that his downfall would be at the hands of Chancey the Gold.”
    Oland was dubious about the gifts of the scryer. All he knew was that she was imprisoned in a cave in Gort, and warriors and merchants from the surrounding lands would come to her to hear their future failings or fortune in battle or business. She asked each visitor to bring her water and, using a flame above the bowl, she saw visions reflected on its surface.
    â€œWithin a year of the scryer’s prophecy,” said Jerome, “Chancey the Gold put his name down for the Mican Games and Villius saw it as the beginning of the prophecy coming to fruition. Villius knew, because of Chancey the Gold’s reputation, that he would be a formidable opponent, and he became fixated on defeating him. It was an unsettling obsession that yielded nothing; when it came to The Games, Chancey made it through the first eight events with little effort. It came to the second-to-last round, Aquatics, and, of course, Chancey won, breaking every record that was ever set. Villius came a distant second, but it still meant that they came face to face in the final round: Acuity. And, of course, in Acuity, Chancey the Gold beat Villius, as any man would.
    â€œVillius was incensed. He believed that an athlete like Chancey the Gold, three years his junior, was no match for the warrior he considered himself to be. I’m guessing that what you did at The Games today reminded him of that defeat. It is more likely that Malachy Graham was meant to die in that arena, but that Villius Ren himself was to slay the beasts, then on to solo glory he would