The Bird and the Sword (The Bird and the Sword Chronicles, #1)

by Amy Harmon

Names had power and I didn’t want him to have hers.

“Swallow Daughter, pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside your soul, hide them ‘til they’ve time to grow. Close your mouth upon the power, curse not, cure not, ‘til the hour. You won’t speak and you won’t tell, you won’t call on heav’n or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, daughter. Stay alive.”

Often-times, grass was more useful than gold. Man was more desirable than a beast. Chance was more seductive than knowledge, and eternal life was completely meaningless without love.

But the voices of fear and discontent are always loudest, and one by one, the Tellers, the Healers, the Changers, and the Spinners were destroyed.

My mother made words. She was a Teller, and her words were magic. She spoke and the words became life. Reality. Truth. My father knew it, and he was afraid. Words can be terrible when the truth is unwelcome.

I didn’t hear people’s thoughts the way they came out of their mouths. I heard single words, the dominant word. The way I heard the governing words of every living thing. The dominant word from Boojohni was always love, and I could endure his chastisement knowing that.

I had that effect on people. Silence was a close cousin to invisibility.

“Kjell is right. You are a dangerous little bird. But I think I will keep you.”

“What could a lark teach an eagle?”

Suddenly yearning had a flavor. It tasted like a king, a beautiful, frightening, infuriating man who flew into my life and began to free my words.

Don’t worry, Kjell. I will keep your secret. His brow lowered and his mouth tightened. “And what secret would that be, Milady? My paternity is known by most.” It has come to my attention that I can only communicate with the Gifted . . . and animals. So you are either one or the other. You know my opinion on which it is.

“I returned three days ago,” he addressed me directly, though those present had not heard my question. “I visited the outposts and spent time on patrol. It had to be done.” Three days? My face and chest stung like I’d been slapped repeatedly.

And you just found put shes pregnant!?!

You chose me because I am of use. But I chose you because I wanted you. All I ever wanted was for you to love me in return.

“I am more like my father than I thought. He wronged you, and I have wronged you. I have taken you from your home. I have used your gifts. I have taken your will and spent myself in your body. I have given you worry and fear and responsibility. I have taken. Endlessly. And you have given endlessly. I only wanted to save my country. I told myself, ‘I’m doing it for Jeru.’ That’s what my father always said when he did something terrible.”

Yeah we would be fighting

“I have loved you every moment of every day, and I will love you until I cease to be. Bird, man, or king, I love you, and I will always love you.”

Ok forgiven

Crown that sits beside my bed, find your way onto my head. Within seconds the crown I rarely wore winged its way through the balcony doors of my chamber, over the courtyard, and through the library window. It hovered above me and descended with careful precision over my coiled braids. It was the only response I could think of that didn’t require a single word. My father cursed and stepped back.

“So what are you going to be? It’s up to you,” I said softly, kissing the fingers that still hovered near my mouth. “I want to be a good man. A just king. I want to be your husband, Kjell’s brother, and our child’s father. Beyond that, I will be whatever you want me to be,” Tiras promised, and his voice echoed with sincerity. “Then I think I will keep you,” I whispered.