The Saints of the Sword Read Online Free PDF

lesser man cower. But Biagio did not cower. He locked eyes with the admiral and returned his steely gaze.
    “How dare you keep that fuel from me!” Nicabar continued. “If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t be emperor. I need that fuel for my cannons!”
    “Danar,” cautioned Biagio. “Sit down. And try to calm yourself. I have my reasons for stopping shipment of your fuel. I will tell you why in my own time and manner. But you will
sit
.”
    There was enough edge to the command to make Nicabar’s face soften. He took a deep, unsteady breath, found a chair, and collapsed into it with an angry grunt. “I didn’t come here for word games, Renato,” he said impatiently. “I want answers. Why were my shipments of fuel stopped? And don’t tell me it’s because you still want peace with those Lissen devils. I swear, if you say that I’ll scream.”
    “Hmm, then perhaps I should cover my ears.”
    “Goddamn it, no!” Nicabar made a fist and slammed it into the armrest. “You promised me!”
    “I did promise you,” Biagio admitted. “What can I say? Things change.”
    “So, you’re not as good as your word then, eh? You forget too quickly, old friend. My navy put you on the throne. And I did it for a price. You knew the bargain. I won’t let you change it. I
am
going after Liss.”
    “You cannot,” said Biagio. He took a step closer to the admiral, deciding on a softer tack. “Danar, look around. Open your eyes. Your obsession with Liss is costing us too dearly. We must have peace with them. The Empire is tearing itself apart and you’re off on some mad vendetta. I need you here in Nar. I need you to keep me strong.”
    Nicabar laughed bitterly. “My God, you do forgive easily, don’t you? It’s not just my vendetta, Renato. It’s supposed to be yours, too. The Lissens have your homeland. How can you not care?”
    “I do care,” Biagio countered. “But it was the price of winning the throne. Everyone needs to make sacrifices, Danar. Even you.”
    Nicabar shook his head. “I’m done with that. I’ve sacrificed enough of my honor already. Ten years. That’s a long bloody time to fight. Now you’re asking me to wait even more? Forget it. Jelena’s still building her forces, Renato. Have you considered that?”
    Biagio had considered it heavily. The child queen of Liss was far more resilient than he’d anticipated, and her forces were growing stronger. It was just one more of his miscalculations. But it didn’t change the equation.
    “Peace,” Biagio said. “That’s the only answer.” He went down to one knee beside the admiral’s chair. “Be my friend, Danar. Do this thing for me.”
    Nicabar turned away, suddenly uncomfortable, but Biagio seized his hand. It was deathly cold, like his own had once been.
    “Look at me,” Biagio commanded.
    Nicabar complied and Biagio gazed into his comrade’s unnaturally blue eyes, seeing the same narcotic madness that had once stared back at him from mirrors. But how could he reach him? It was nigh impossible to break the bonds of Bovadin’s elixir. That desire had to come from deep within, and Nicabar seemed not to possess it. Biagio smiled at his friend, pitying his insatiable rage.
    “We’ve been friends a long time, Danar,” he said. “I owe you a lot. I know that. But it will all be for nothing if you keep pursuing Liss. We will lose the Empire and everything we’ve fought for. You’ve seen the chaos. You know I’m right.”
    Nicabar was unreachable. “All I know is your promise to me. You said I could destroy Liss once you took the throne. Well, it’s been a year now. Will you break your pledge to me? Or will you reinstate my cannon fuel?”
    “Danar …”
    “That’s your choice, Renato. It’s bleak, but there it is.”
    “Danar, Talistan—”
    “Burn Talistan,” spat Nicabar. “Burn and blast it! Blast Dragon’s Beak and Doria and Casarhoon, too. I don’t give a damn about any of them. Liss is what I live for, Renato. I