A Knight's Path (The Path of Cinder Book 1)
Page 29
The common people were taxed at whatever rate the King decided was best and not given much say in the matter. The Lords were supposed to keep this in check but the King had all of them under his thumb as well. The Conscription still existed, forcing people into a lifetime of service, even though it paid well, even though there was no need for that massive of a standing army. The King himself struck Alden as disconnected and more focused on his own affairs then the affairs of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Cinder was not a great place. It was okay he supposed. People managed to keep food on the table and had work but people should be able to get ahead by the strength of their own arms and the power of their mind even if the King hadn’t given them a permit. So long as you didn’t hurt your neighbor doing it there was no reason why people shouldn’t be allowed to build and trade and prosper with whoever they wanted using the product of their labor.
That meant the only thing left was whether or not he could leave Elise and Warren. The big man, Alden wasn’t too worried about. Losing his best friend would be hard, especially with everything that had already happened, but Alden knew he would make it. And Warren would be busy with training and odds are Skorri would be his new partner. The two would be a good match, a pair of titans on the battlefield.
The blond woman on the other hand. If he left she would be hurt but she would eventually move on. Elise didn’t really need him after all, she was strong and brave and stubborn and smart and she didn’t need Alden. He needed her. That was the simple truth of the matter. The young man stared at Solace as a realization dawned on him. The Inquisitor was alone. If he killed Solace, he wouldn’t need to leave and he could work with Lorelei as a spy. So the question became not if he could leave, but could he kill Solace? The man who had saved his life just a few days ago. Or, could he sell a story that he was giving up and seen the error of his ways and have her slip away? No, that wouldn’t work. Could Alden break her out once she was arrested? Even if he did Solace would immediately be keeping an eye on him. So that left kill Solace or give up the whole idea, even if it felt like the right one.
Alden and Solace stared at each other, rage smouldering in the young man’s eyes as he drew his sword. The Inquisitor drew his blade and swallowed, “Alden, one last chance. Stop this madness and do the right thing.”
The young man’s eyes flared red, “I am.”
Solace raised his blade to meet Alden’s but the young man redirected the lunging stab and cut a gash across the older Knight’s thigh. The Inquisitor hissed and stumbled back, swinging his sword in an arc to hold the young Knight at bay. Alden darted in again and the crossguard of his sword locked with Solace’s and the Inquisitor hissed, “You’re really going to abandon your friends?”
Alden turned the Knight and pushed him further back into the alley, “You came alone didn’t you?”
The Inquisitor froze for a split second and Alden’s sword darted forward again. Solace batted it aside with a sloppy parry and Alden lurched forward, his open palm slapping against Solace’s leather armor and a hissing erupted. The Inquisitor jumped back, surprised and then jerked as his face paled. Lorelei pulled her stiletto out of the Knight’s back and Solace fell to the ground.
Bile rose in Alden’s throat at the sight of the dead man. Lorelei approached him, “Are you okay?”
Alden swallowed and nodded, “Yeah, just. He was a friend.”
Lorelei sighed, “It’ll be okay, alright?”
The young man nodded again, “I know what I did is right. The Crown, it’s corrupt. I should be going. What are you going to do with-”
Lorelei held up a hand, “Don’t worry about it. You’ll come back from homel and everything will be the same as you left it.”
The green eyed teen let out a breath, “Alright, how does this work?”
She shrugged, “You go about your business, I go about mine. We meet once a month around the 15th. You tell me what you found out and I’ll take it back to the boss.”
Alden turned and walked out of the alley, unable to handle the sight of Solace, “Who is the boss?”
She smiled, “The Arch-Mage of the Republic.”
The young man left the alley and mounted Renegade, fighting the urge to vomit, “See you in a month.”
She nodded and Alden set off for the city gates and home. Hopefully, the image of Solace’s pale face would fade with time. A mile out of the city Alden stopped and vomited. It was going to be a long ride home.
About The Author
N.A.Grafton is currently a student of West Liberty University and is expecting to graduate in the spring of 2019 with a Bachelor of the Sciences degree. He currently lives near Pleasant Hill.