Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm

Chapter 100

Matilda turned to Pane. But instead of handing her the plain-as-porridge sword she usually wielded in practice, he drew his own blade. The eagle-shaped pommel glinted in the midday sun. “Here,” he said.

She blinked at the blade, and slowly raised her face to look at him. She found the rolling earthen hills of the north in his eyes. It was a sense of loyalty to his country that went beyond the man seated at the table. Far inside of her, she found a golden chain that bound them together.

“Take it,” he said.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She lifted a hand to grab the blade, but someone touched her elbow.

“If I may,” Nehemia said in Eyllwe, “I’d like to offer this to you instead.” The princess held out her beautifully carved iron-tipped staff. Matilda glanced between Pane’s sword and her friend’s weapon. The sword, obviously, was the wiser choice—and for Pane to offer his own weapon made her feel strangely lightheaded—but the staff . . .

Nehemia leaned in to whisper in Matilda’s ea