THE LEGACY OF THE SWORD MASTER

chapter forty three

“I will fight him.”

The voice was cool, low, and yet it carved through the silence like steel through silk. Heads turned, slowly and in disbelief, toward the towering entrance of the chamber.

A figure stood silhouetted by the flickering torches outside, rain hissing beyond the stone archway. He stepped forward, cloak dragging wet across the floor, silver armor glinting under the low light.

It was Commander Rael.

A warrior of few words and fewer allegiances, Rael was a man who lived in shadows and fought in silence. He was not only feared by all but he was once a general under the previous king, he had vanished after the battle at Hollowmere, where legends said he’d held a broken sword against a thousand horrors until the dawn bled red. His return was like a ghost stepping out of legend.

Dareth’s lip curled. “You’re a fool to show your face here, Rael.”

“Perhaps,” Rael said, walking further in, his footsteps echoing like war drums. “But fools tend to be the only ones left standing