The Exile and the Sorcerer Read Online Free Page A

defence. Unfortunately, Laff was equally well aware of this. They traded a few easily blocked punches. Then Laff connected with a hard kick to the knee. Tevi did not see the unexpected low strike coming. She never did. The first she knew was pain exploding in her leg. She crumpled forward, straight into another vicious punch to the stomach that sent her crashing to the ground.
    Laff stood over her fallen sister. “You should have been a man. Even our brothers can fight better. You’re—”
    “What do you think you’re doing?” Blaze pushed her way through the spectators.
    “Tevi and I had a disagreement.”
    “This isn’t the time to pick fights with her.”
    “Tevi started it.”
    “Then she’s a bigger fool than I thought. And you’re no better.” Blaze’s voice was low but biting. “Supposing the women from Rathshorn had seen this.”
    “So what if they had?”
    Blaze pulled Laff around and glared into her eyes. “We all know Tevi is as much use to the war band as a straw dummy—in fact, slightly less. We could burn the dummy to cook our dinner over. But she’s your mother’s eldest daughter, and she has to lead us. How would they react in Rathshorn if they learnt the truth? Have you considered the boost it would give them? Because when you’re as old as me, you’ll know how confidence can win a battle against the odds.” Blaze paused while the defiance faded from Laff’s face. “Try to act like adults, at least until the envoy leaves.”
    Blaze stalked away. Laff gave a last angry glare at her sister and followed. The crowd dispersed. Tevi managed to haul herself to her feet, flexing her knee.
    “You should have let me tackle Laff. I was only half a second behind you,” Brec said.
    “I lost my temper.”
    “I don’t blame you. I don’t know what gets into Laff sometimes. She can have a nasty mind. What made her say that?”
    Tevi kept her eyes fixed on her knee. Brec was a good friend, but Tevi wondered how she could be so naive. Not that Tevi would complain. Of all the women on Storenseg, Brec was the only one Tevi could rely on for support, the only one she could talk to. But even so, there was no way she could admit to Brec that Laff’s accusation was true.

    *

    The Queen’s sleeping area had its own hearth, though the fire was unlit on the warm spring morning. A bed of straw took up a third of the space. Two low stools were the only furniture. The Queen sat on one; her chief adviser, Lizard, on the other. Their heads were close as they spoke in low voices, discussing the envoy’s message.
    War had taken both of the Queen’s sisters long ago, depriving her of close family support. Lizard had filled the gap. Together, the two women had dominated island politics for decades. The current situation was the latest in a series of crises they had averted or overcome.
    Lizard was scathing in her appraisal of the Queen of Rathshorn. “Silly young fool.”
    “She’ll learn—if she lives long enough.”
    “Do you think she’ll attack Storenseg?”
    “I think she’d like to. Control of the two biggest islands is a logical first step in conquering all the Western Isles.” The Queen sighed. “She won’t be able to take Storenseg, but a lot of women will die while she finds that out.”
    “The traditional claims to rule all the islands create a lot of wild dreams.”
    “I know. I’d drop my own claim if I could do it without losing face. I worry about Red trying once I’m gone.”
    “She won’t,” Lizard said confidently.
    “Can you be sure?”
    “I agree she lacks political sense, but she knows enough about war to spot a lost cause.”
    “And Fearless doesn’t,” the Queen said firmly. “We need her to learn, and quickly. If I read things right, she’s heading for war but can’t make her mind up on the target. We need Fearless to go for Argenseg. She’ll take it—it’s a lot smaller than Storenseg, but she’ll still lose a fifth of her war band in the fighting.