The Traitor (The Covenant of Steel #3)

by Anthony Ryan

“The sum of what I’ve learned about lords, ladies, and all others who claim nobility in this realm: it’s all shit, and they know it. Titles mean nothing. Blood and kinship mean nothing. There are three things that matter in this realm: coin, land, and the ability to summon soldiers to fight those who would seek to take the first two from you.

“Words have power,” I agreed with a shrug. “Especially when you write them down. As for lies, I learned long ago that you can only really sell them to a willingly gulled audience.”

“Some secrets can’t be kept. They’re just too big.” I slumped in the saddle, the storm in my head subsiding into a bitter weariness. “I know,” I muttered. “Still, I’ll ask you to keep this one. For now, at least.” “I will. But—” she wagged a finger at me “—no more talk of sending me away.”

A crime committed in one place is a virtuous act in another. A villainous cur becomes a hero depending on who he steals from or murders. I consider myself neither villain nor hero. I have met many of both and found little worth in either. I merely watch and report to those who pay me. If anything, I am just a spectator to the games of more earnest souls.