The Ghosts of Broken Blades Read Online Free Page A

heard when he was young—a terrible place where the mortal realm intersected an otherworldly realm of demonkind.
    “This is where the temple lies?” Roubris asked Serth.
    “Yes. It is still a day’s travel north.”
    “That’s going to take us close, I think. Close to the Worldwound.”
    Roubris’s half of the conversation attracted Karatha’s attention. It was the only half she could hear, but it was enough.
    “Yes,” Serth said.
    “Who builds a temple there?”
    “Worshipers of Deskari,” the spirit replied.
    “Who or what is Deskari?”
    “What?” Karatha said. “Deskari the demon lord?”
    This gave Roubris a start. Demon lord? He had forgotten he was speaking to the sword out loud.
    “Roubris, where is the sword leading us?” Karatha seemed equal parts angry and terrified.
    “All he told me originally was that he would lead me to an old, abandoned temple. And that it wasn’t dedicated to a good god.”
    “And you never asked which temple? Or where it lay, exactly? Or which cult built it to which god? I asked you to get that information before we left. I don’t know if I would have come had I known we were going to such a place.”
    “It never occurred to me. I thought…” His voice trailed off.
    “You thought what?”
    “I thought all temples were the same.”
    Karatha scowled. Then her expression changed to one of disappointment. Roubris disliked the latter even more than the former. She looked away.
    Serth spoke again. “Don’t worry about whose temple it is. It doesn’t matter. The place should be deserted. You’re very close now, Roubris. Just convince her to keep going. Or better yet, send her back home.”
    The spirit’s words made Roubris more uncomfortable than ever. Karatha’s friendship was important to him, and he wasn’t going to let her go home without him. Besides, he was afraid, and Karatha’s skill with her sword as well as her Iomedae-granted magic made her very useful. She was also quite wise. Serth worried him. What if the spirit was leading him into a trap? Not only could she help him in such a situation, but she might see it coming.
    “Karatha, I’m sorry,” Roubris said. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m an idiot. Please forgive me.”
    Karatha spun. “We should go back to Vigil. This land is dangerous, and we’ve no business in a temple to Deskari.”
    “But the spirit assures me that the temple is abandoned. There’s just a treasure hoard left behind there.”
    Karatha scowled again. At least it was better than the look of quiet disappointment.
    “We could destroy it,” Roubris said suddenly. “We could destroy this evil temple after we’ve looted it. Wouldn’t that be the will of Iomedae? Wouldn’t that be justice? Wouldn’t that bring honor to those wronged by the cult’s evil?”
    Karatha stared. Finally, she gave a soft smile. “You’ve been listening,” she said.
    Roubris returned her smile with the most charming one in his arsenal. “Of course.”
    She kept smiling, so he asked her, “Does that mean you’ll go with me?”
    “Treasure hoard, eh?”
    He nodded.
    “My church could use a hefty donation.”
    He smiled and nodded again.
    ∗ ∗ ∗
    Serth led the pair up a rocky slope. A cold wind blew steadily through the region of bare gray stone. The landscape was twisted into odd spires and irregular gullies. A few plants struggled to live, but appeared the worse for their efforts.
    When the slope became particularly steep, Roubris saw that crude stone steps had been carved into the rock, slick with moisture from a chilling rain that had fallen within the last hour. Although the sky remained dark, it would get much darker in an hour or so when twilight came. Roubris didn’t relish the idea of spending a night here. He urged them forward. The two of them dismounted and left their horses at the base of the staircase. Serth assured him that the temple lay very close, despite the fact that it was still out of sight.
    Roubris was