Sacred Knight of the Veil Read Online Free PDF Page B

you must travel light. It would take four wagons to haul all of this, plus what you have already packed." Chiana gestured to the pile of trunks stacked against the wall.
    "Then I shall have four wagons and five coaches for my handmaidens. I am the Queen; I cannot be expected to travel like a beggar."
    Chiana was tempted to point out that Kerra had never even seen a beggar, and so could have no idea how one travelled, but it certainly was not by coach. "Your father -"
    "Should let them kill his stupid wife! How can he care more for her than he does for me?"
    Chiana stepped back in shock. "You do not mean that. He does not care more for her, that is why he is sending you to safety."
    Kerra snorted. "From my uncle! Why would my uncle harm me?"
    "Your half-uncle, and he wants to rule your kingdom, that is why." Chiana had decided not to tell Kerra of Endor's ruse of wishing to visit her, fearing that the prospect of a handsome Cotti prince's interest might appeal to the naive, romantic girl. Instead she had told Kerra of Endor's plot to capture her, but the girl refused to believe Kerrion's suspicions. The prospect that anyone would wish her harm was too hard to bear, Chiana suspected.
    "Then you should send the army to defeat him. They will protect me." Kerra picked up a pink taffeta gown and threw it across the room.
    "We cannot, he has your stepmother."
    "Then he will threaten to kill her unless I am given to him."
    "But we cannot give you to him if we do not know where you are."
    "He will torture it from you."
    "I cannot tell him what I do not know."
    Kerra frowned. "He would really torture you?"
    "Perhaps."
    "Then you must come with me."
    Chiana smiled, glimpsing the sweet, kind-hearted girl she had once known. "I cannot. I must rule Jashimari."
    "You will not be able to do that from a dungeon."
    "He may torture me, but he cannot imprison me indefinitely without risking an uprising. The people will demand that I am freed, and he will not have sufficient reason to keep me locked up."
    Kerra sank down on the bed. "Would there not be an uprising if he imprisoned me?"
    "Certainly, but once he has you as his hostage he will control the army. Many will defect, which is why he is bringing the bulk of his army here to defend himself. Endor could declare himself Regent, or appoint another, but Jashimari has only one queen."
    Kerra glanced back at the mound of clothes. "I will have these packed into two more trunks."
    Chiana sighed. "Pack them then, but you may not be able to take them."
    At least supervising the packing kept Kerra busy, and Chiana would weather the tantrum on the day the Queen left rather than every day until then. The thought of Kerra's leaving frightened her. She dreaded that something may happen to the girl, and there was still no word of Blade. She had been unable to come up with an alternative plan, since placing Kerra in anyone else's care would invite disaster. Three tendays had passed, and Endor's arrival drew near. His entourage had been seen five days journey from Jondar. Endor, it did not surprise her to learn, was snake kin, and had a deadly sand viper as his familiar.
    Insash had suggested that, if all else failed, the Queen should be drugged and smuggled out unconscious, then kept in a somnolent state in the hope that Kerrion's wife would be found soon. Certain herbs could keep her tractable for a time, so she could not order her guards to do anything that might jeopardise her hiding place. Such herbs were not good for the Queen's health, however, and would only be used as a last resort. Every night since she had received Kerrion's letter, she had prayed that Blade would come to her aid. She longed for his reassuring presence and the deadly aura he exuded. Chiana made her way along the corridor that led to her rooms, lost in thought.

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
    Kerrion reined his black stallion to a cavorting halt and gestured to the soldiers behind him, pointing at the pale stone keep. The men dismounted