The Queen Read Online Free PDF Page B

of anyone in the Kingdom—”
    “What?” Cadman shouted. “You’ll have them
bring me back and lock me up? Throw away the key?”
    “No, my dear brother,” Ashmur said. “What I
was going to say was, if you should so much as cause one of my
people to stub their toe, I will have my men string you up along
the shores of Rivermouth to show Kardell what awaits them.”

Chapter Seven

    Luana had never seen Baylin more on edge.
After Lord Cadman’s visit to Grasmere, the Prince wore a constant
frown. With the threat of Mirstone and Kardell attacking at any
given moment, the entire Kingdom was preparing for the worst.
    The evening after Cadman’s departure, Luana
sat in silence as Baylin picked at the food on his dinner plate.
She could see the burden of the Kingdom weighing heavily on
him.
    “You’ve hardly eaten in a week,” she
murmured.
    He looked up, blinking, as though he had
only just realized she was at the table. “I’m sorry, my dear. I
know I’ve not been very good company as of late.”
    “I understand,” Luana said. “You worry for
your people.”
    Baylin’s gaze fell and he smiled, but it did
not reach his eyes. “I worry for you.”
    “For me?”
    “Yes, Cadman sees you as a way to hurt me,”
Baylin said, his face flushing with anger. “He knows that I will
worry about your well-being, so he will try to come for you as soon
as possible.”
    Let him try. Luana hated the man just
as much, if not more, than Baylin did. After Cadman attempted to
force himself on her and take away her dignity and virtue in one
motion, she was unable to hear his name without the taste of bile
rising in her throat. A shiver fell over her at the thought of the
man. She didn’t believe in killing, yet she would not mourn his
passing.
    Baylin’s eyes were heavy on her, as though
he could read her thoughts. She did not want to give him reason to
worry. “Don’t burden yourself with such things. I’m sure I have
nothing to be uneasy about.”
    “Still,” Baylin continued. “It would give me
peace to know you were more prepared.”
    “I’ve taken down wolves before,” Luana said,
referring to her times as a goat herder.
    “Yes, but a snake can be much more
dangerous.” Baylin sneered at the thought of his uncle. “Allow me
to train you. We can start tonight.”
    “Tonight? Train me to what?” Luana
asked.
    “Train you to kill,” Baylin said.
     
    *****
     
    Baylin took Luana to a small field outside
the castle gates, near the forest edge. The sun had begun to set,
and the moon was already beginning to rise in the sky.
    “This is much different than the games we
played with wooden swords, Luana,” Baylin said, handing her a heavy
metal sword. “I want you to learn how to use one and be prepared to
take a life, should you need to.”
    Luana held the hardened steel in her hands.
The sword felt awkward—foreign to her. Even on her goat farm, she
never used large weapons to defend her herd. She only ever carried
a small knife and relied mainly on her cunning and the element of
surprise to scare off the beasts that hunted her flock. She avoided
bringing death to any living creature, even one as loathsome as
Lord Cadman. Yet now she was being told her only option to defend
herself and her child was to kill.
    Baylin faced Luana, placing his hands on her
shoulders. “I know you are apprehensive, but it is vital you learn
how to defend yourself. Women of the Keld are raised carrying a
sword, even if they never use it, they know how. She may appear
prim and proper, but you can rest assured that Isla was taught by
the sword.”
    A cool breeze blew through the air, lifting
Luana’s silvery blonde hair around her face. She closed her eyes
and took a deep breath in through her nose, releasing it slowly
through her mouth. She opened her eyes and looked down at the sword
in her hands. It has a beauty to it. Its long, silver blade
gleamed in the moonlight. Just like Princess Isla, this sword is
beautiful on the