The Crown of the Usurper by Gav Thorpe Read Free Book Online

Ullsaard noticed the disappoint ment on their faces and smiled. His voice dropped a little. "Not to worry, lads, it won't be forever. I have a secret mission for the five of you."
      Gelthius leaned closer, intrigued, and the others exchanged half-knowing glances.
      "I know you have all been in some scrapes for me, and in each of you beats the heart of the Thirteenth," the king continued. "I am going to ask you to do something for me that will seem strange, and I cannot tell you exactly why."
      "Excuse me, king, but is this because of that mix-up with the crones?" said Muuril. "Only, it was a bit off-putting to hear that you'd be declared dead. Do you need us to settle the matter?"
      "In a way, sergeant, but not the way you think." The king took a deep breath, his expression soured. "All right, no secrets at all. If I can't trust you, I'm fucked anyway. Urikh has tried to take the throne from me."
      "Told you," said Loordin, folding his arms. "I fucking said so, didn't I?"
      "You said no such fucking thing," answered Gebriun. "You just said 'I bet that little bastard Urikh is mixed up in this'. You never said he was trying to be king."
      "Are you finished?" Ullsaard's growl cut through the chatter.
      "Sorry, king," said Gelthius, glaring at the others. "What do you need us to do?"
      "Urikh is going to find out that I have returned, and I need to know what the lie of the land is," the king explained. "At the moment, I need to know what Governor Asuhas is doing, and whether he is in the pocket of my son."
      Gelthius nodded, though he was not sure he understood what was required of him. Ullsaard waited and when there were no questions, continued quickly.
      "I need some good men inside Asuhas' palace to keep an eye on things. All of you were inside the walls at Magilnada, and I remember the work some of you did for me in Ersua after the city fell. It's dirty, secret work, but you can handle it."
      "Begging your pardon, king, but how are we going to get into the palace, like?" asked Gebriun. "Without giving away that we're with you, anyhow."
      "Asuhas is still recruiting heavily. Since he lost…" The king stopped, swallowed hard and looked away for a moment. His fists clenched in his lap and he straightened, jaw clenched, before carrying on. "Since the First Magilnadan were destroyed, Asuhas' legions took the brunt of the fighting against the Free Country Salphors. Asuhas is still raising a new legion as his garrison. You will be joining the recruits. Experienced men like you should have no problem."
      "One problem," said Muuril. He drew up the sleeve of his tunic to show the symbol of the Thirteenth tattooed on his arm. The other men did likewise. "How do we explain these, king?"
      Ullsaard looked at the marks, one hand rubbing the scar on his lip.
      "I'll have release papers drawn up," Ullsaard said after some thought. His smile was lopsided, eyes mischievous. "We'll date them to last year, before the march to Carantathi. Congratulations, you've all served your minimum term in the Legions. You'll be entitled to your pensions and a quiet life."
      There was a glance between Muuril and Faasil, which Gelthius did not understand but Ullsaard seemed to recognise with a knowing nod. The two of them were both nearly thirty years old and coming up to their legitimate ten-year service.
      "Yes, I'll hold true to the papers, if that's what you're thinking," said Ullsaard, eliciting nods of gratitude from the two veterans. The king looked at Gelthius, Gebriun and Faalin. "That goes for all of you."
      It took a little while, and the nudge and smiles of Gebriun, for the import of this announcement to sink in to Gelthius' brain. The king would be signing their release papers, legally guaranteeing their legion pension, allowing them to leave the legion and get on with the rest of their lives. Though they had all chosen to be members of the Thirteenth, Gelthius under a little more duress