Eastward Dragons Read Online Free PDF Page B

of sailors.
    “You appear to be as surprised as I expected,” Berech said. He turned away from the window and, striding back towards the divan, lifted a crystal decanter from the end table and poured a golden liquid into two blown glass goblets. As he poured, he said, “That is nearly the same reaction that the guilds had when I proposed the expedition to them. Trust me, sister, this is a grand opportunity.”
    Neasa furrowed her brow and tried to decide how to react to her half-brother’s offer. She accepted the goblet and raised it to her nose to sniff the sharp, sweet scent of the mead. She took a sip and let the cloying liquid dance over her tongue for a moment before swallowing it. She raised the glass to the window and studied the play of sunbeams through the golden liquid, trying to make sense of the the king asking her to join this expedition when he possessed the unbreakable power to order her to go.
    “Is something wrong with the mead? I swear, if the servants have held over a decanter from yesterday I will…”
    “Why do you not order me, Berech?”
    The king paused, then saluted Neasa with his goblet. “You noticed.”
    “I can’t help but notice,” she spat. She reached up with her free hand and unbuttoned the collar of her jerkin, revealing the band of runes tattooed around her neck. “You know what father did to me. What is done to all slaves.”  
    “You are not a slave.”
    “Then break the sigils. Release me from my contract and let me return to the academy.
    “I will not. You knew what you were signing up for when you joined the Commonwealth Army, even if you thought you would only be assigned to guard the New Tower. It is not my fault that you had to be reassigned.”
    “Then bring me back to guard the New Tower. Or assign me to the academy.”
    “You know I can’t do that. We have a command structure for a reason.”
    “You are the king, Berech. You can do practically anything, except maybe disband the guilds.”
    “Don’t even joke about that.”
    “So you still refuse to release me?”
    “You still have three years on your contract and I will not see that violated. Just because you feel misused by your commanding officers…”
    “They lied. You were there, Berech, when that murderous bitch Ida Saltach unleashed a dream beast upon the tower. Good soldiers died bringing that monster down. You know as well as I that…”
    “Enough,” Berech said. He held up one hand and shook his head as he said, “You are a good swordsman, Neasa, and you are possibly the best wakener that I have ever met, but you are a lousy soldier.”
    “Then why are you sending me on this expedition, if I cannot be trusted? And why won’t you order me to go? You know that I cannot refuse a direct order any more than I could kill you right now.” Even as she said it, Neasa knew that she was pushing the edges of her bond. A heat began to tingle at her neck as the runes prepared to draw tight and restrain her, should she make any move to act upon her treasonous words.
    Berech saw the faint glow beneath the collar of Neasa’s jerkin as the runes reacted to her words. He shook his head and stepped forward to lay a hand on her shoulder. “You are my sister, Neasa, no matter that your mother was never acknowledged by King Tybald. I do care for you, but I will not violate a century of tradition because you are bad at following orders.”
    “Then order me to go on your cursed expedition and see it done with.”
    “I cannot. The expedition will take a year, perhaps more, and journey into lands that have not been seen by any Commonwealth citizen for nearly a century. You will certainly encounter situations that are beyond anything for which we can prepare. My runic scholars advise me that any direct orders given to one traveling so far might result in unexpected bindings. Therefore, I offer you a choice: You may volunteer to go on this mission, sworn only to uphold your vows as a soldier in the Commonwealth