The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles by E J Gilmour Read Free Book Online Page B

Cassiel,’ said Eben. ‘He was at the meeting. He’s a
wizard. Cassiel, I would like you to meet my friends, Red and
Stella’
    Red and Stella
stared at Cassiel. It was extremely rare to meet a wizard in
Ortaria.
    ‘ You seem far too young to be a wizard,’ said Red, still upset
that he had been restrained by Cassiel’s spell.
    ‘ I’m an outcast. I never finished my training,’ said Cassiel,
unperturbed.
    ‘ That explains it then; you’re a dropout,’ said Red. Stella
gave Red a disapproving look.
    ‘ Yes, that’s true, but under the circumstances I’m happy to be
a dropout,’ said Cassiel with a confident smile.
    ‘ Would you like a drink?’ asked Stella politely.
    ‘ Indeed I would,’ replied Cassiel as he casually took off his
coat and hung it on a hook beside the door. They all walked back
over to the warmth of the fire.
    ‘ I was worried about you, Eben. I thought that you were killed
in the battle,’ said Cassiel. Stella pulled up a seat for the young
wizard.
    ‘ He arrived back here in a terrible state two nights ago,’
said Stella as she went to grab a pitcher of ale from the
bar.
    ‘ What happened to the others?’ asked Eben.
    ‘ Everyone who escaped through the back door was captured by
waiting guardsmen. It was a trap. Torg and the others were taken to
the palace dungeons. I expect that they all met a terrible
fate.’
    ‘ And Torela?’
    ‘ I’m not sure if she made it out or not before the building
collapsed. I managed to escape along the rooftops. I returned the
next day to have a look around. The city guard were still searching
the area, so I had to move on. I spent all yesterday and today
looking for Torela to no avail.’
    ‘ How did you know where I was staying?’ asked Eben.
    ‘ I had spoken about you at length with Torela earlier on the
day of the meeting. She held you in high regard. She thought that
you could help us in our struggle against the Zyranian Order. I
think she thought you were special in some way.’
    Red laughed
and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back in his
chair. ‘You should be careful, Eben. It looks like he wants you to
join his rebel army.’
    Cassiel
frowned and took a sip of his ale. ‘There is no army, just me,’ he
said coolly. ‘Everyone in Ancora who wanted to help was captured
two nights ago. So if something is going to be done it is up to me
to do it.’
    ‘ So you’re going to free King Ignis yourself?’ asked
Red.
    Cassiel stared
at Red for a long moment. He then glanced across at Stella. ‘I
assume you and Stella both know what’s going on with King Ignis?’
Red nodded curtly. ‘Good. Eben trusts you. The enemy would kill you
if they knew you were aware of the King’s imprisonment.’ Red was
taken aback and scratched his chin nervously. ‘You are right, Red.
I do need help. I’m working on a plan to free King Ignis, and I
can’t do it alone. The enemy may have had an infiltrator at our
meeting. They may also know some of my plan. If we’re going to free
King Ignis then we should do it as soon as possible.’
    ‘ We! Don’t include me in your plan,’ said Red
sharply.
    ‘ I’ll help,’ said Stella.
    ‘ Stella! Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t get involved; it’s too
risky,’ protested Red.
    ‘ King Ignis is my king, Red. You’re Silvorian, so it doesn’t
matter all that much to you. I want Ortaria to return to how it was
years ago.’
    ‘ I’m definitely in too,’ said Eben.
    ‘ Good,’ said Cassiel. ‘I’m very grateful for any
assistance.’
    Red stood up
and heavily sighed. ‘If Stella goes I’ll have to go too.’ Cassiel
smiled at hearing Red’s words.
    **
    Later that
evening they were all sitting around a table in the kitchen.
Cassiel placed a large piece of parchment on the table top. A few
candles were lit and provided a soft light. It was a map of the
Citadel of Zyran, which included details of the main gate, diagrams
of the academy, and the location of the Dungeons of