The Silent Enemy Read Online Free

already supposed to be preparing the papers for the journey.”
    “You will be riding alone?”
    “Yes, and with my armor carried by a packhorse. A lone but fully clad Black Dragon riding through the countryside would attract as much attention as any armed party.”
    This did not sit well with the patriarch of House Klandes. “You’ll be entirely unprotected? I wasn’t aware of that .”
    Nermesa grinned. “No, my breastplate will be hidden under my tunic.” He patted the sword sheathed at his side. “And I’ll have this with me.”
    The blade had been given to him as a reward from the king for past services. It was jewel-encrusted on the hilt and also had the king’s symbol, the lion—also, coincidentally, House Klandes’ symbol—embossed there. Over the course of his time serving Conan, the shiny, keen-edged blade had saved Nermesa’s life several times over. Yet it still looked as if it had been forged only yesterday.
    His father took some heart from Nermesa’s words. “Well, may Mitra still watch over you. Of course, since you are traveling to Poitain, there shouldn’t be that much to fear. Other than Tarantia and Attalus in the southeast, it’s likely the safest, most civilized place in all Aquilonia . . . perhaps even safer.”
    Even though he himself had never been to the province, Nermesa could not agree more. He had heard tales of sun-drenched Poitain and its almost idyllic landscape. Of course, the reason that the province was so safe was the tremendous fighting abilities of its people. That Poitain was now so quiet was due to its very bloody past.
    “I won’t be able to wait for Mother, I’m afraid. Will you bid her farewell for me?” Nermesa asked.
    Bolontes’ brow arched. “Haven’t I done so each time you’ve missed her?”
    Nermesa gave his father a brief but strong hug. They returned outside, where a servitor held the reins of the knight’s horse. Taking them and remounting, Nermesa nodded to his father.
    “I’ll be back soon.”
    “And you are certain that this is the last mission before you can finally marry Telaria?”
    “The king swears to it.” The new baron grinned. “More to the point, Queen Zenobia’s made him swear to it.”
    The elder Klandes chuckled. “That will guarantee it, then. A swift and smooth journey to you, son.”
    Nermesa saluted his father and rode back to the palace. There, he at last confronted Telaria.
    The auburn-haired lady-in-waiting met him in the cavernous halls of the gigantic, towered structure. Telaria’s pace before she saw him coming from the opposite direction indicated that she had clearly been in the midst of some task for the queen. However, the moment that Nermesa’s presence registered with her, she raised the rounded skirt of her emerald gown and rushed to meet him.
    Their lips touched almost the instant the two lovers reached one another. Nermesa marveled again how a mousy slip of a girl could have transformed in the matter of a few scant years into such a beauty. While her features were very much akin to her blond sister’s—slim nose, full lips, and cheekbones worthy of a sculptor’s tool—Telaria’s had a softness to them that could never have been found in Orena. Her emerald eyes, the same color as those of her sibling, radiated warmth, understanding, and, of course, love. From Baroness Sibelio’s, Nermesa had never seen anything but cold, calculating ambition.
    “Nermesa . . .” she breathed, when at last they separated.
    He saw it in her eyes. “You know.”
    This brought an impish smile to her lips. “The queen, naturally.”
    “You understand I still have to perform this one last task for his majesty?”
    “Queen Zenobia explained it all very well.” Telaria’s smile reversed itself. “It will be simple, won’t it?”
    “Poitain? Of course! Count Trocero is well-beloved of his people, and you’ve met Sir Prospero! There’s nothing to fear in Poitain, nothing at all!”
    Her fears vanished. The smile