Oathbreaker, Book 1: The Knight's Tale - Colin McComb

“Without reserve. He has been cruelly used by those who had his trust, and furthermore,
he has held my life in his hands and gave it back to me. He had the courage to do what I could
not, acting against the conspirators when none else would. Pelagir, tell him what happened.”
The young man spoke: “Duke Athedon—the man who has now taken the throne—
approached me, and spoke to me of honor and duty. He spoke to me of gratitude, and bade me
listen to the king and his advisors, and how they appreciate the mortal service their subjects
tender them. Not three days later, as I stood guard outside His Majesty’s chamber, I heard him
speak to the queen about our lack of ambition, our willingness to be slaughtered for his whim,
and he laughed. He laughed at our sacrifice, and I thought then that he was unworthy of our
devotion. I sought out the duke and asked him what he planned.”
“Was the queen a part of the plot?”
“Absolutely not,” said Pelagir. “Would she have willingly removed herself from power?
She would not have been able to secure an alliance with the Cronen, and no matter her personal
faults, she would not have seen her children murdered for her gain.”
“Very well. What did the duke say when you questioned him about this?” I asked.
“He said that he wished to restore honor to the Empire and to the knighthood, to bring
back the glory that had been squandered under Fannon and his family. He told me that he scoffed
at us for the queen's sake, so that she would consider us beneath her notice, and I believed him.
Even then I trusted him. He drew me into his confidence, just enough that I would feel myself to
be an integral part of his plot, and so I was. I was to be the scapegoat. It was early spring, months
after the general fled because he could do nothing to stop this betrayal.” He nodded respectfully
at Toren, who interjected.
“I tried, dammit! Not one of my compatriots proved worthy of my trust!”
Pelagir held up a placatory hand. “Nothing could have changed the course of events, sir.
The duke approached you as a formality. You were a piece of the puzzle, but not integral. As long
as he could take the army, he did not need you except as a figurehead.”
Toren nodded, half-mollified.
Pelagir continued his story. “I followed one of the duke’s compatriots, a duchess, one
night to a meeting I was to attend later. I listened as he and she spoke of their allies in the
knighthood, and their dupe who would take the blame. And it was then that I discovered that
Duke Athedon intended not to glorify the knights, but eliminate us altogether and form a new
force that would be entirely loyal to him and his family, rather than to the Empire.”
Colin McComb Oathbreaker, Book 1: The Knight's Tale
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