Secrets of the Stonechaser (The Law of Eight Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

needed time.”
    “Not time enough to take the city before winter,” Nerris disagreed.
    Qabala allowed herself a smile. Even a mighty Thrillseeker could be trapped by convention, it would seem. But she was far from a conventional woman. “Refugees have been flooding Palehorse from the north for months now,” she said. “Like the idiot he was, Lahnen took them in. What he did not know was that these men and women are loyal to me. By now I suspect they outnumber the remainder of Lahnen’s city guard. At the appointed time, they will ensure the gates open for me.”
    “And who is going to coordinate these refugees?”
    “Our informant,” she told him. “Lukas Kord.”
    Nerris let out his breath, and she knew she had impressed him. Lukas Kord was a member of a minor house from the Mount Zoko area who had worked his way up to a high rank in Palehorse’s city watch. He had also been taking bribes from her spies for the past year.
    “You have a far reach, my lady,” Nerris said, “but you should always keep your strategies secret. Lover or no, I’m still... how does Falares put it? A foreign goat, I think he calls me. Which never made much sense to me, given that my own house’s sigil is a golden eagle. And when goats are kicked, they cringe and run away. I’m more like to kick back.”
    Qabala giggled and kissed him on the cheek. “You are no goat, Nerris. Of that I am sure. You’re correct, I should only place this kind of trust in my own officers. That’s why I mean to change your status.”
    “Come again?”
    “I want you to lead the force I send against Prince Lahnel,” she said. “The greater part of King Lahnen’s army was routed and scattered at the Battle of the North Moor, and the king’s death has left the rest of his loyalists disoriented. Prince Lahnel may still be a considerable threat if allowed to link up with his forces under Dume Rhonor at Lesta. If you delay him long enough, I can dispose of Rhonor’s army before Lahnel even arrives. Once that happens, your men will disperse and allow Lahnel to proceed. You will then reform at his flank and we will hammer him between our two forces, and he will have nowhere to retreat. With that, the war will be ours.”
    “Surely Lahnel would not be that stupid,” Nerris said.
    “He is King Lahnen’s son,” Qabala insisted.
    Nerris shrugged. “If you’re right, you’ll be the undisputed leader of Yagolhan. But the men will never follow a foreign mercenary.”
    “They will follow a Thrillseeker,” Qabala said. “Every young man in this horde has grown up on the tales of the Thrillseekers, and their elders respect your prowess as well. Revealing who you are will be one more blow to Lahnen’s regime. Half my followers already believe I’m Yala reincarnated, and producing you will inspire them all the more.”
    Nerris tensed. “I never want it known who I really am.”
    “They will find out eventually,” Qabala said. “From what I hear, some of them already know. Besides, we haven’t even gotten to your true reward yet. What will you do when the fighting is done, Nerris? Sweat your flesh away fighting tribal wars down in Egkari? You’ll find no other battles in Tormalia at the moment. I implore you, stay here. You will not only have me, but I will make you part of the Aeternal Council. How does Dume Nerris sound to you?”
    “Only a member of the Yagol nobility can be on the Council.”
    “I mean to change that,” Qabala said. “For too long have my people been crushed under the monsters of the major houses.”
    “You would make new monsters, then?”
    Qabala frowned. She had envisioned this going much smoother. “Stay with me,” she repeated, “and not only will you be a Dume-General, but my consort. We will make strong sons to rule after us until the end of days.”
    Nerris laughed, which made Qabala’s ire rise. She was giving him everything a normal man would want. What else would it take to keep him at her side?
    Nerris