My Royal Pain Quest (The Lakeland Knight series, #2) by Laura Lond Read Free Book Online

are ready to do so much damage to others?”
    “I don’t know what you are talking about. I am not going to do any damage, I’m just returning this apple to its rightful owner.”
    “But the apple belongs to us.”
    “Yeah, and I’m Faradin, king of spirits. Tell your stories to someone else.”
    She regarded me with a slightly surprised, wondering expression.
    “You have passed up jewels bigger than this one, so obviously you know its worth. But you seem to be misinformed about its origin. Has someone sent you here claiming that the apple is theirs? Who do you call its rightful owner?”
    Well, Triar had warned me that they would try to lie their way out of it. I was curious to see how.
    “Triar the hermit,” I answered. “You stole it from him.”
    The queen shook her head.
    “We didn’t. The apple has always been ours. It gives special power to the water of this stream. We water our garden with it, and grow saveberries up in the valley—you humans call them sourberries. Saveberries help us to defend ourselves, and these trees produce fruits through which our children are born. So if you—or Triar—break the emerald apple, you will get your wish, but the garden will stop bringing fruit, and saveberries will lose their power. We will have no children and no defense. We will soon disappear.”
    “Wow, that’s quite a tale… Wait a minute, are you telling me that the apple can make a wish come true?”
    She looked even more surprised.
    “You didn’t know that? What did Triar tell you the apple can do?”
    “He said it gives information. Answers specific questions, truthfully and accurately.”
    The queen looked at the other Swirgs, as if asking them whether they ever heard such nonsense.
    “But it’s not true! The apple does no such thing. It does contain great power, and if a human breaks it, that power will grant them one wish—any wish—at the cost of destroying our nation. That’s why those who know this secret are after it. That’s why we tried to protect it as best as we could.”
    That sounded convincing. So convincing that I was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
    I gave her a slight bow.
    “Madam, I have to say, you are a masterful liar.”
    She appeared to be thinking. Then her gaze stopped on my sword.
    “The blade you carry is no ordinary blade. Come closer and draw it out.”
    I did not know what this new trick was about, but I did as she asked.
    “May this sword sing if I have spoken the truth,” the queen said, “or punish me if I have lied.”
    With these words, she reached out her hand and touched the sword. The sword turned in my hand and produced a soft, melodic ding .
    I felt a little lightheaded. Jarvi had mentioned that his sword could help separate truth from falsehood; he never said how, but now I saw it demonstrated. The queen didn’t lie to me; Triar did. I wasn’t rescuing a stolen gem; I was attempting to steal it from those who owned it. And I used Jarvi’s sword for it. And I shed blood.
    Triar, you scheming dog, you will answer me for this!
    Swirgs came a bit closer and stood around me, waiting, looking up at me with their big yellow eyes. Cassandra came up to the pond as well.
    I handed the emerald apple to the queen.
    “Here. Take it.”
    Her eyes widened.
    “You are returning it?!”
    “Well, it is yours. I’m certainly not taking it to Triar.”
    She sighed, accepting the apple.
    “Such an incredibly noble gesture… so terribly wasted.”
    “Why wasted?”
    “You have killed our guard. We are not warriors, we can’t defend the apple. Now anyone can walk in and take it. Our destruction is only a matter of time.”
    “You’ve got other defenses—rats and bats over there, and then other gems to distract intruders.”
    The queen shook her head.
    “They did not stop you, and many others before you.”
    “What about saveberries?”
    “They only help us to hide or escape from our enemies.”
    So I ruined them anyway. My giving up the apple did little