The King (The Dark Elf of Syron, #3): The Dark Elf of Syron, #3

By Laura Lond

King Gelleran is facing a dilemma. The dangerous dark elf he holds captive and uses as his protection from the neighboring country of Kerbia has drawn the attention of Welmar, a kingdom even more powerful. The Welmarians have offered a generous sum for the prisoner; refusing the offer could mean war.

As the king tries to find a way to handle this, he learns a devastating news: things are not as they appeared, and the prisoner he thought securely jailed is playing a game of his own, threatening vengeance if it's not played by his rules.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Lond
• Release date: Sep 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301906611

Laura Lond

Laura Lond is an internationally published author of several novels and a collection of short stories. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Having worked for 2 years at a literary museum, Laura entered the world of business, working for large international corporations like Xerox Ltd. and Fluor Daniel. After moving from Europe to the United States, she has been self-employed as a freelancer.

Book preview

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The King

Book 3 of The Dark Elf of Syron series

Laura Lond

Copyright 2012 Laura Lond

Edited by Mikaela Pederson (A Step Up Editing)

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 1

[Back to Table of Contents]

King Gelleran could barely keep himself from nervously pacing around as he waited for Sir Fredric, his best knight, to arrive for the requested audience. There were too many questions, too many happenings of late that the king couldn’t understand; too many dangers to deal with. Gelleran was not easily intimidated, but with all the mounting pressure, he felt like the world was about to collapse. He hoped Fredric and this elven friend of his at least had some answers. The very fact that Fredric was still alive offered hope.

Are you there, Klemm? the king asked, walking up to a large painting on the southern wall.

Yes, Your Majesty, came the muffled voice of his most trusted advisor hidden in the secret room.

It was supposed to be a private audience, but the king preferred to have an extra pair of ears listening. It wasn’t that he mistrusted Fredric; he just wanted to have Klemm’s counsel readily available, without needing to retell him everything.

It had all started shortly after Fredric captured the formidable creature known as the Dark Elf of Syron. The elf of mysterious origins and extraordinary powers had been roaming the wastelands, holding three bordering countries in fear. Sormaria, Gelleran’s kingdom, was one of them. Gelleran had no idea why he’d chosen Fredric to go after the elf. The men who had tried before him, and died, were just as good, just as brave and loyal. Perhaps it was instinct; Gelleran prided himself for his intuition. Something told him Fredric could do it, and Fredric did. Not only had he defeated the elf, but he’d brought him back shackled.

Gelleran couldn’t believe his luck. Capturing such a mighty enemy had sent a strong message to other rulers. Treol, the proud northern neighbor, quickly agreed to the alliance Gelleran had been seeking for months. The powerful kingdom of Kerbia stopped viewing Sormaria as a possible target and even sent an envoy. Their king wanted to confirm that the dark elf had been indeed captured and that he was being held securely. Gelleran gathered that as long as he had the elf, Kerbia was not going to attack. They feared he’d set the creature loose on their border. For the first time in years, the weight of the Kerbian threat seemed to be off Gelleran’s shoulders.

He had Fredric to thank for that, and he’d shown his generosity by knighting him and appointing his brother, Malgrid, the governor of the Terestian region. Malgrid wasn’t exactly best suited for the position, but Gelleran felt knighthood alone wasn’t enough. Two of his advisors had openly asked why Gelleran hadn’t appointed Fredric himself to the position. Both had lost their job for that question. The answer was obvious: Gelleran needed Fredric in the army. If they couldn’t see it, he didn’t need such advisors.

Fredric had become quite an asset. His fame as the defeater of the dark elf went before him, adding weight to everything he did or said. Whenever Gelleran wanted to ensure successful negotiations, he could send the knight and not worry about it. Whatever minor threat he was dealing with, putting Fredric in charge of the mission was often enough to end the trouble before the knight would even get there.

Things started getting shaky when the king of Welmar sent a messenger with an offer to buy the captured dark elf. He promised to pay very generously in gold, and the messenger indicated the amount could be increased. The offer had come as a shock. Welmar was a kingdom unlike any other, a force of its own, and a force to be reckoned with. Welmarians needed no help to defend their vast borders, so they entered no alliances and never attended international war councils. They didn’t seem to care for any rules other nations had agreed to follow. Their warriors were fierce, their customs harsh. To top it off, Welmar was known for its ties with dark wizards. It was the kind of kingdom that you left alone, and hoped they would leave you alone as well.

Rejecting or ignoring the offer was out of the question. No one would risk displeasing Welmar. Accepting it? As much as Gelleran loved the offered sum, he