The Usurper by Rowena Cory Daniells Read Free Book Online Page A

knew there'd be sickness, claiming the few healthy warriors he had. He could have really used an abbey healer to set up a proper village.
    Mind you, with the Merofynians' policy of deliberate cruelty, he didn't know how long he could trust the Rolencian valley people to hide the camp's location. Would the threat of maiming and death succeed, where a bag of gold had failed?
    It was all very well to say his people were loyal, but what choice had little Vadik had?
    As he approached the cave, he heard Florin's laughter. Pausing in the shadows at the entrance, Byren spotted Orrade and Florin playing a children's game. Red stones and black moved in patterns on a makeshift chequerboard.
    Since Dovecote had fallen and Orrade's father, sister and brother had been killed, Byren hadn't seen Orrade let down his guard like this. Although his friend was now Lord Dovecote and Florin was the daughter of a tradepost keeper, events had stripped them of these distinctions, leading them to a cave in a hidden loyalist camp and a game of strategy.
    'There!' With a flourish, Florin cleared the board, winning most of his pieces. 'Next time don't underestimate me.'
    'Oh, I'd never underestimate you,' Orrade said, a cheeky grin on his narrow face.
    Florin pulled back. 'Are you flirting with me, Orrie? Because I'll tell you now, I don't flirt. I don't play silly games. I say what I think.'
    'I know,' Orrade said, lowering his voice. Byren edged closer. If his friend had developed an interest in Florin, it would save them both heartache. 'And that's why -'
    So fixed was he on the pair by the fire, that Byren didn't notice the bundle of spare fire wood. He brushed against it, toppling the wood and interrupting Orrade.
    Florin turned, saw him and sprang to her feet. 'You're back. I saved you some potato and leek soup.'
    Orrade put the game away in the shadows of the cave, where Leif, Florin's little brother, slept.
    'Soup sounds good,' Byren said, as though he hadn't just devoured a bowl of the same soup back at his honour guard's cave. He accepted it with thanks and they took their places by the fire.
    'When I saw young Vadik and the others...' Florin could not go on, her strong hands clenched on her knees, knuckles white with anger. 'It's cruel. It's wrong -'
    'It's war,' Orrade said. 'If you want to win, you can't afford to be soft.'
    Florin's gaze flew to Byren's face and he felt moved to protest.
    'War doesn't have to turn men into animals, Orrie.'
    'Who wins?' Orrade countered. 'The lamb or the leogryf?'
    'We're men, not animals,' Byren repeated. 'We make choices. Leaders make choices and people follow them because of those choices. Palatyne rules with fear. I won't be that kind of king.' He dunked the flat bread in the soup, tearing off a chunk and swallowing it. Last season's onions made it tasty. 'If I offered a reward for the head of every Merofynian warrior, I'd be no better than Palatyne. I might win, but I'd start my rule under a shadow of cruelty.'
    Orrade met his eyes, deliberately not pointing out that his father, King Rolen the Implacable, had been ruthless, executing the Servants of Palos who had tried to put the king's illegitimate half-brother on the throne.
    Unaware of this unspoken interchange, Florin took the empty bowl. 'See, Orrie, Byren's right.'
    'I stand corrected,' Orrade said. But there was a smile in his eyes as he met Byren's gaze.
    And Byren felt an answering smile tug at his lips. It had always been like this between them. Was he selfish to keep Orrade by him, when he knew his friend's true feelings?
    Orrade looked away first. Then he stood and stretched, yawning as he scratched his belly. Florin would see it as perfectly natural. Byren saw it for the act it was.
    'I'm for bed,' Orrade muttered. 'Coming, Byren?'
    He looked down. Since they were lads on their first spar campaign, they slept side by side, sharing the same blanket. If Byren didn't go back to that cave and stretch out next to Orrade, his honour guard would