The King's Name Read Online Free PDF

armigers. They did not give the battle cry of our ala, "Galba!" but rather called "Magor!" to let each other know where they were. I worked out after a while they must be Au-rien's household guards got up on greathorses. Garian seemed to be doing particularly well against them.
    He was the only hale and trained armiger there. I saw him take down two of them, and then Beauty jumped a stream and we were in Der-wen.
    It was like falling into dark water. The land came over me like a wave. It was not just the sense of being home, known and knowing. There is a sea tide and a land tide, and it was the land tide that drew me down to where the trees and I are brothers and the slow shifting of the rock on the world's skin makes a song I can hear. I did not ask for strength or reach for strength.
    What charms could there be against poison? But the land knew me and recognized me. There was a moment of deep belonging there, and for the instant between the drifting of a dandelion seed and the growth of an oak tree I sat straight on Apple's back in deep forest in the first glimmer of spring dawn and knew the land as the land knew me. There was a great disturbance along the borders of Magor, and distant rumblings of disturbance mixed with a new song from the waterwheels grinding at Nant Gefalion. Still, all grew as it should and the land was well. As for me, something was choking me. I hawked and spat, and all the poison that had been running through my veins fell from my mouth in one sour, twisted lump. A tingling pain ran through my body, followed by agonizing cramps as I sat up. Poor Beauty stopped as I did so. He was sweating and trembling and his ears were flat against his head. I felt more thirsty than I have ever been in my life. My strength was back, and I thanked the land spirits of Derwen with all the words I knew.
    The sounds of pursuit had fallen behind. I spoke to Beauty reassuringly and reached down for my waterskin. I
    drained it in one draft. The sky was graying in the east but it was still very dark under the trees. I untied my legs from the saddle. Then I turned Beauty's head and let him walk back slowly to where we had last seen the others. I did not know what good we could do. He was almost at the end of his strength and I had no
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    sword.
    I found Conal first. He was lying at the brook, filling a helmet with water. His eyes widened when he saw me sitting up in the saddle. "You made it into Derwen, I see," he said. "Then this expedition was not entirely futile."
    "You saved my life," I said directly. Beauty forded the little stream and halted beside him.
    "Thank you."
    "It was only polite," he said, and smiled. "I should have done it rather better had I known what I was getting into. Whatever have you done to anger your sister so much that she is poisoning you and sending armed men after you?"
    "I don't know," I said. "I don't understand this at all."
    "What a shame," Conal said. "It would have been nice to know what was going on. I'm very sorry to tell you that ap Gaius is dead. He and I were fighting the last of them."
    "Turth's tusks!" I swore. Garian had been a good armiger. "You've killed them all?"
    "None of them will be going back to tell tales," Conal said. "Do you think you could take this water to Emer?
    She's a little way down the track back there." He gestured a little with the helmet, spilling some of the water.
    "Of course," I said, dismounting. My legs felt very wobbly. I wanted to drink more water myself.
    Beauty put his head down to drink as soon as I was down. "But why don't you take it yourself?"
    Then I saw that his other arm, the one not holding the helmet, was barely attached to his shoulder. "Oh, Fishface, you idiot!" I said.
    "You've got yourself killed! Where's the weapon that did it?"
    Conal snorted. "I am dying with a woman who despises me," he said. "That is about what my father and my uncle always thought I would deserve. The weapon is back there near Emer. I already sang all the charms