The Twins Read Online Free Page A

him that there would be a time and place for that conversation, and that he would have to remain patient, but alas, she died of the fever that swept the city when he was only two tiels and three without ever having had the opportunity to impart that information to her son.
    Orphaned at a young age, he was taken under the wing of the city’s Lord, Breamar of Ashton, and raised as if he was his own kin. His talents as a statesman were always evident, even as a child, and he readily assumed duties that heretofore were reserved for older, more experienced individuals. When Breamar died without an heir to succeed him, Baladar was chosen to assume the exalted role, and he was installed in the office of Lord of the city as if he was of the blood. The people of Pardatha gratefully accepted his leadership, as he had performed in a civic capacity almost his entire adult life to date and he was well respected, and more important, thoroughly trusted.
    Ever since he assumed the role of leader and protector, he had managed to maintain a civil society that prospered and remained fair and generous to all of its citizens. That was no simple feat in a world that was constantly degenerating, with reports coming in to him and his advisors from everywhere of ensuing darkness, depression and disintegration. Yet, his kingdom of Pardatha was a shining jewel in a sea of dull and lifeless objects. In fact, he feared that his domain was becoming too obvious in its success, and that the wrong eyes would stumble upon this aberrant example amidst the mundane landscape of accelerating decay.
    His efforts to conceal from the rest of the world his land’s prosperity and relative contentment were painstaking and a constant strain upon his powers. But he remained ever vigilant, never letting his guard down. He fortified the city over the years by painstakingly constructing an exterior wall of the strongest stone, quarried nearby, and an inner wall surrounding the castle that was twenty feet thick, and able to withstand even the fiercest of assaults.
    Unlike most cities, the gates of Pardatha were hewn from the Elfin tree, the Noban, the wood of which was given to the city as a gift from Lormarion, the kingdom of the Southern Elves, some fifty tiels ago. The timber of this tree was harder than stone and had to be carved with special tools by skilled craftsmen. The great planks were preserved by Baladar’s predecessors and only utilized when the outer walls to the city were completed, sealing it with a magnificent gateway that when closed, was virtually impenetrable. The inner wall, too, was secured by the sculpted Noban, carved with Elfin runes and characters from Lormarion’s glorious past, its awesome strength disguised by its sheer beauty and delicate gracefulness.
    Even in these times of relative peace and prosperity, the battlements were manned and kept in the best of repair. Baladar’s armies were well trained and equipped, regardless of the apparent safety that prevailed throughout his land, for every time a Lalas died, the people of Pardatha were sorrowfully and painfully reminded of the creeping danger. And, Baladar would never forget the ultimate price that his wife paid for being intimately connected to the changes occurring all around them.
    He made certain that there was room inside the outer wall for most of the city folk to gather in times of trouble. The storerooms and cellars were always prepared and well stocked, for Baladar would not leave a single person or even a helpless animal outside of his circle of protection if circumstances required it. The city could endure a siege of many months, and its battlements could withstand the onslaught of a formidable army.
    The Thorndars protected Pardatha against a direct attack from the south, and the city abutted the very base of one of the tallest peaks in the massive range. The outermost wall itself was built right into the mountain, and thereby provided Pardatha with one perfectly secure