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

“All right. So we’re a military family, and that explains why we’re so piss-poor at this
work. I can do some shepherding, you can apprentice yourself out to a smith. We can’t draw
attention to ourselves more than necessary. We need to fade in fast and stay out of trouble, get
into the fabric of the town quickly enough that they forget about us. That means we need to find a
place where it’s not so tight-knit that we’ll be all they talk about. And that means we need a town
of about a thousand people or more.
“Fortunately,” he said, “I made a study of the towns about a hundred miles around this
area during my official duties, and I have an idea where we can go. It’s a small town called
Kingsecret. Martyn’s heirs used it as a retreat from Terona, and then it was overrun with nobility,
and then they all abandoned it. Most of the mansions have been torn down and replaced, and
while there are a few noble bastards with the run of the place, the Imperial spies have mostly
decided that it’s not worth keeping a serious eye on it.”
Glasyin looked at the ground, thinking. “Of course, I have no true idea where the spies
are these days. But then, we take a chance everywhere we go.”
Pelagir thought for a moment and nodded. “Agreed. Another question: What shall we tell
her of her past?”
“Nothing. At least, not until she’s old enough to understand. We’ll talk about her lessons
as the time comes, but she should be well educated.”
Pelagir considered this and began to number them on his fingers. “Skill at arms.
Command, strategy, and tactics. History of the Empire. History of the Houses. History of our
foreign neighbors. Ecclesiastical studies. Economics. The great philo—”
“Enough! Perhaps we should focus on reading and writing first. Keep in mind that by the
time she is old enough to study these things, I will be even older. I may suffer dementia. I have
seen it happen to younger men. You must study as well so that you can step in to take over when I
die.”
“I cannot teach—”
Glasyin snapped, “If you cannot teach her, why did you take her? Who else will be
responsible? As much as you may admire me for my refusal to betray my friend, your admiration
will not stop the march of time. I am not a young man. Accept that.”
That night, as they sat before the campfire, Glasyin was struck by a thought. “Tell me:
Have you rid yourself of all the trackers they might use to find you?”
“I left my sword and horse in Westport before I boarded the ship.”
Colin McComb Oathbreaker, Book 1: The Knight's Tale
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