Silent Kingdom by Rachel L. Schade EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: Rachel L. Schade
- Language: English
- Genre: Epic Fantasy
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2.1MB
- Price: Free
I WAS THIRTEEN WHEN the truth first revealed itself to me.
It happened on a day usually set aside for celebration in Misroth, now
weighed down by the loss of our king. The air felt heavy and still under the
grey afternoon sky as I walked amidst the coronation procession. All
around me, councilmen strode silently, their cloaks swirling about their
legs, their boots thudding a steady rhythm along the cobblestone streets of
the capital. Arrayed in elaborate scarlet and blue, the King’s Guard formed
a protective barrier around the procession’s outer edges, as if they could
save my family from the pain that had already taken residence in our hearts.
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Even in the dim light, the guards’ steel armor glinted. I watched them in
awe, for I had never seen them in anything other than their everyday
chainmail and leather breastplates, and they looked ready for battle.
Before me, my mother and father walked with their heads held high.
Mother’s long, dark hair was plaited delicately and her emerald green dress
was so long it trailed along the street behind her. Father kept his grey eyes
focused on the crowds around us, nodding to citizens as we passed. He had
warned our family that we should not let this dark time steal our dignity,
and reminded us that tears were for the weak.
To my shame, my vision blurred with tears anyway. Perhaps I’ll always
disappoint Father. I blinked them away hastily and turned to my cousin
Gillen, who trudged beside me. His golden, shoulder-length hair tousled in
the wind and fell into his face when he hung his head. I knew he was trying
to hide his eyes, which were usually bright, but today were swollen and red.
I reached out and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze, wishing I could
lend the last shreds of my strength to him.
“Thank you, Lia,” he muttered for only me to hear. “This is not a day I
feel strong.”
But he had to be. One day he would be our new king. I opened my
mouth to murmur something comforting, but choked on my words. He is
healed now. We will see him again. What nonsense. The words were all
hollow and brittle, crumbling as soon as I thought them. Gillen didn’t want
to hear them, and neither did I. Frowning at my feet, I clamped my mouth
shut.
Drawing a deep breath, I dared to raise my gaze to study the rows of
citizens lining the streets. Their faces were solemn and their eyes seemed to
reflect my own fears: fear of change, fear of the pain and death we had
witnessed. This was no joyous coronation procession, not when it followed
a funeral. We had left grieving citizens and my weeping aunt at her
husband’s graveside to wind our way through the wide streets of Misroth
City, past the towering stone buildings and houses. There were no cheers or
fists raised to hearts in salute; no ribbons were waved, and no songs were
sung. Throughout the city, a heavy silence hung in the air.
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