By the Sword - By Sara Flower Page 0,31
was not going to back down and let the Malinorian Empire take Sanctus’ land. Even though she still prayed that something would happen to prevent the battle, she believed that God would bless her army if war was unavoidable.
After over an hour of riding, they reached the outskirts of Sanctus City.
General Edandir rode up to greet them, bringing a second horse with him. He had probably been watching for her since daybreak and saw her approach on an unfamiliar mount with a second rider. It was good to see him.
“Good day, General,” said Roselyn.
Uittan jumped down off the mule right away.
“I am pleased to have you back safe and well, Ma’am,” Edandir said.
He met her gaze.
“I am happy to be back, General.”
“What happened to your mare?” he asked, concern softening his gaze.
Roselyn clenched her teeth and looked away. She couldn’t talk about it. Not yet.
“I am sorry,” said Edandir.
Roselyn blinked and cleared her throat.
“General Edandir, I would like you to meet Uittan. He is a prophet of the Lord.”
The general smiled and got down from his horse to shake his hand.
“I have heard great things about you from the city pastors. It is an honor to finally meet you,” he said.
“He saved me from a pack of wolves just before it was too late,” said Roselyn.
“No, child. God did,” corrected Uittan with a soft smile.
“Yes. God most certainly did,” Roselyn agreed.
Edandir’s smile faded.
“I knew that I should have gone with you, or at least secured an escort.”
I wish I had brought a full quiver and a bow with me. Opal would still be alive. What a fool I had been to be so unprepared.
The prophet cleared his throat, and they both gave him their attention.
“There is much for Sanctus to do in preparation for this battle. I will leave you two to discuss what needs to be done,” said Uittan.
“I must speak with a young knight of yours, General.”
“Of course. Thank you, Uittan. For everything,” said Edandir.
They watched him walk toward the training field for a moment.
Roselyn felt Edandir staring at her as she mounted the horse he had brought with him.
“I have a feeling that your friends will like what I have decided,” she said, lightly kicking her horse’s sides.
They rode side by side.
“I knew that you would choose the right thing for Sanctus. You are a good ruler,” he replied.
“If it weren’t for God leading me to the prophet, I’m sorry to say that I would have had everyone boarding on ships right now. I was so afraid.”
Edandir looked deep into her eyes.
“You must remember that I vowed to protect you with my life. I would never suggest war against the empire without being confident that we would win.”
“Yes, of course I remember. How could I forget?”
“I found something out about you I didn’t know.”
“What is that?”
“While you are very elegant, you do also have some adventure in you.”
Edandir smiled at her.
Roselyn never really knew what to say to him when the conversation strayed from business.
“I must return to the barracks,” he said.
She studied him as he redirected his horse.
“Thank you, General,” she said.
“Good day, my queen.”
*****
The loud cheers of Sanctus’ soldiers, knights, and commanders echoed throughout the great ballroom. Queen Roselyn had just announced that they were going to war against the Malinorian Empire in three days. General Edandir came to her side as she held up a hand to silence the crowd.
Almost instantly, the room quieted.
“We will march far out of the way of our former ally nations toward Malinor and then bring Ittonifer’s empire to an end!” he shouted.
The hollering crowd jumped up and down. Talya leaned against the wall, enjoying the energy in the room. She decided to save her energy for battle practice. With the fight at Cardamon under her belt and several hours of training besides, she would be an even better fighter this time.
The noise went down a level when servants entered the room carrying platters of delicacies. Everyone returned to their seats.
“Sit with us, Talya,” called Atalsa.
Talya smiled and nodded. The dark-haired girl wore an extravagant bell-sleeved gown. Most of the female soldiers and knights had dressed up for the occasion, while the majority of the men wore freshly shined armor. Talya just wore a slightly fancier tunic, with her hair tied back into a ponytail. She never wore gowns for any reason, and she thought it was ridiculous to wear battle attire to a banquet.
Talya sat down across from Atalsa and Tasar. The two knights had grown on her