Oathbreaker: The Knight's Tale by Colin McComb Read Free Book Online Page B

yes.”
    “I congratulate you on your show, sir. All your puppets have performed nicely. I wasn’t aware that you had strings attached to the king as well, though.”
    “I hope you will forgive me for that, Glasyin. I needed someone whose weaknesses I could control—a man whose nature I know well. I hope you will recognize this as a compliment to you. It’s a poor strategist who commits himself without knowing the strength of all forces. I do not have your measure, but I respect you tremendously. I simply couldn’t risk it.”
    “My thanks, Athedon, but the time for flattery has passed.”
    “The time for flattery should never have existed, General. So let me ask directly: Do you know what is coming?”
    “I believe,” I replied, “that you are planning a coup, probably before winter ends, or perhaps shortly thereafter. I have seen the positions in the palace changing. I have seen the king bow to political expediency in the name of national security. And knowing full well my loyalty to the Empire, you have removed me from the position from which I might oppose this coup.”
    His expression didn’t move, but a smile came to his eyes. “Glasyin, I am glad to know that I did not underestimate you. I know that you are shocked and surprised to find my… our… plans so far along. I believe you to be an honorable man, and a good man, and your opinion matters more than you know. May I tell you how all this came to happen?”
    I nodded, and wondered where his assassins were. He wouldn’t be telling me this unless he knew perfectly well that no others could hear his treachery.
    He said, “I am a student of history. I have read all the great historians of our age and the last, as well as the more obscure theoreticians and the writers of historical fiction. I have studied the ebb and flow of power from one country to the next over hundreds of years, and I have come to the inescapable conclusion that unless something dramatic happens with this land, we will lose ourselves in the mists of history. I am not talking about eventually , I am talking about the next generation. If we wait even another decade, it may be too late.
    “Our king has sired his children in the winter of his life. He is old. He is infirm. His mind is not what it was. He is, in short, dying. His new wife is a scheming, power-mad shrew who cannot be trusted, and who focuses on trivial slights. He married her to strengthen his position with the High Houses. He does not trust her, and because she is a Bhumar, neither do the others. In fact, none will accept her as regent, and the civil war that will result in her ascension will tear our provinces apart.”
    It was true what he said. It was an open secret that Bhumar was heavily invested in the underworld, and if they did not break Imperial law daily, they surely danced upon the line. Yet they brought money to the treasury and helped the Empire pay its bills, and the House spies and informants would have surely proven useful. Yet here I sat, next to the man who had made all those spies useless, and I could not help but agree with his assessment.
    “I love this land, Glasyin. I love what we have become. But unless we receive fresh blood and new leadership, all that we have worked for and all that our forefathers achieved will be lost to time. I am not yet willing to let that go. Are you?”
    “You’re asking me to choose between my oldest friend and the land I love.”
    “Yes, I am. I am aware of what I’m asking, and I realize that it is a horrible choice.”
    “The betrayal of my friendship or the betrayal of my duty.”
    “Yes. But keep in mind that your friend has betrayed you, sacrificing you to ease strain on himself.”
    “A betrayal you engineered.”
    “It was a test for him as well, Glasyin. Had he stood fast, you and I would not be having this discussion. I do not think I have misjudged you. I think that you recognize the necessity of sacrifice. Your entire career has hinged around the