River of Spears (Kingdom's Forge Book 0) Read Online Free

distracting glory.
    Bix chuckled. She understood his purpose and arched an eyebrow playfully at him as she returned with the maps.
    “Any refreshments, love?” She eased a silken hand beneath Dain’s shirt, then leaned in and gave him a kiss.
    “Water, if you would. No tea tonight,” Dain replied when they broke apart. “The Major won’t be staying long. We have a small bit of business to discuss.”
    “Don’t keep my man up long, major,” Bix said, turning to Tindall with a smile. “He’s been away with you too long already, and tonight I have a small bit of business of my own with him.”
    Tindall’s blush deepened, and he began staring at the map with immense concentration while she set a vase of water down and retreated to a private, divided portion of the tent.
    Dain watched her go. She sent him a promising smile and a smoldering stare, then untied a length of cord to close the sleeping section of the tent off. Inside, an oil lamp cast her silhouette in shadow—a silhouette that proceeded to remove its blouse and slide its skirt down over a long pair of silken legs. Bix eased herself into bed before blowing the lamp out.
    A small bit of business indeed. Dain smiled and tried to force his mind back to his guest, who was still studying the map with almost comical intensity.
    Dain lifted an oil lamp to get more light onto the table.
    “Major, see here,” Dain began, “this is us, almost a hundred miles inland from the coast.” He pointed to the map. “The army has established this chain of posts every thirty or forty miles, give or take, along the river. The plan was to use them to project power outward, into Tyberon territory.”
    “Yes, their effectiveness has been noted at command. We are depriving the savages of their major means of transportation, the Tyber River itself.”
    Dain contemplated his guest across the table. What were those Esterian idiots teaching in that Monastery of theirs? Maybe it was a cultural thing. Even the best of the Esterian officers, rare though they were, refused to accept the truth. When the path grew dangerous—seditious even—they would rather run blindfolded toward the abyss than open their eyes and try to navigate the hazards. To be fair, the same could be said of most men.
    He took a deep breath.
    “The forts are a miserable failure. The Tyberons don’t use the river as transport anymore—not like back when they used to exchange goods with your people.”
    For decades before war broke out, the Esterians and Tyberons had been trading partners. The Tyberons harvested rare gemstones—Magentites—by some mysterious means and then traded them for cloth, glass beads, rum, or iron ingots. Coveted by casters everywhere, Magentites were said to hold properties that aided spellcasting. From the gemstone trade Esteria grew into a powerful seafaring empire. Until the day it stopped.
    Dain had no idea why trade had halted, nor what had then started the conflict. Neither did any Esterian he had ever asked. Or they knew and wouldn’t tell a lowly merc like me .
    Probably greed. Greed was the most common motive for anything. Coveting wealth, or power, or the affections of another. Wanting more than is your due never seems to end well for anyone , Dain thought.
    “During my training, the monks said the forts were our only chance of success,” Tindall said.
    “That may be, but they haven’t served their original purpose at all. The Tyberons navigate the grasslands around the river at will. The posts don’t project power…they don’t control anything, do you see? The only thing they do is protect the soldiers. In all these years not a single Tyberon boat has ever been seen. For that matter, not one of their villages or cities has ever been seen. Our practical knowledge of the enemy is nearly nonexistent.”
    There was a moment’s silence between the two men. Dain heard Bix stir gently in the bed behind the partition. He had no doubt that she was listening. It wasn’t