THE Knights of emerald , livre ebook

THE KNIGHTS OF EMERALD, BOOK 4 : A REBELLIOUS PRINCESS
by Anne Robillard © Wellan Inc. 2016
Illustrations © Wellan Inc. 2016


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ISBN: 978-2-924442-51-7



Ebook produced by
ANNE ROBILLARD



The K nights of E merald




Book 4

A R EBELLIOUS P RINCESS






DIGITAL
C ROSS OF THE O RDER OF
THE K NIGHTS OF E MERALD
M AP OF E NKIDIEV
T HE O RDER of the
K nights of E merald



F irst G eneration



Knight Wellan of Emerald
Squires Bailey and Volpel
W
Knight Bergeau of Emerald
Squires Arca and Kumitz

Knight Chloe of Emerald
Squires Jana and Maïwen

Knight Dempsey of Emerald
Squires Atall and Kowal

Knight Falcon of Emerald
Squires Offman and Yann

Knight Jasson of Emerald
Squires Lornan and Zerrouk

Knight Santo of Emerald
Squires Chesley and Herrior







S econd G eneration



Knight Bridgess of Emerald
Squires Gabrelle and Yamina

Knight Buchanan of Emerald
Squires Bianchi and Hiall

Knight Kerns of Emerald
Squires Madier and Sherman

Knight Kevin of Emerald
Squires Curri and Romald

Knight Nogait of Emerald
Squires Botti and Fossell

Knight Wanda of Emerald
Squires Joslove and Ursa

Knight Wimme of Emerald
Squires Amax and Callaan







T hird G eneration



K night Ariane of Emerald
Squires Winks and Kisilin

Knight Brennan of Emerald
Squires Drewry and Salmo

Knight Colville of Emerald
Squires Silvess and Prorok

Knight Corbin of Emerald
Squires Brannock and Randan

Knight Curtis of Emerald
Squires Davis and Dienelt

Knight Derek of Emerald
Squires Daiklan and Kruse

Knight Hettrick of Emerald
Squires Candiell and Izzly

Knight Kagan of Emerald
Squires Fallon and Sheehy

Knight Kira of Emerald

Knight Milos of Emerald
Squires Carlo and Fabrice

Knight Morgan of Emerald
Squires Heilder and Zane

Knight Murray of Emerald
Squires Dyksta and Reiser

Knight Pencer of Emerald
Squires Akers and Alisen

Knight Sage of Emerald

Knight Swan of Emerald
Squires Dillawn and Robyn
1

A N EW K NIGHT

F our years had gone by since Sage of Esperita had arrived among the Knights of Emerald. He was the only man in all of Enkidiev who had ever been granted Knighthood based on the Exception Procedure and he had quickly proved his worth in numerous raids that the insect-soldiers had carried out along the coasts of the continent. His powerful sword strokes and his strategic mind always amazed his brothers-in-arms. Wellan, the undisputed leader of the Knights, made it a point not to show any preference for any of his men, but he could not deny the great affection that he felt for this warrior who fought just like him. The only fault that Wellan could find with him was that he loved Kira. Since both of them were hybrids, there was a chance that one day they might give birth to monsters that the insect-soldiers could easily identify. However, as long as they did not talk about marriage, Wellan kept out of it.
The Black Emperor’s brain worked slower than a human one, but he was tenacious. He sent one raiding party after another to try and breach the defenses of Enkidiev. After each battle, Wellan would leave his brothers and go off by himself. He would jot down the details of the battle on a piece of paper and try in vain to understand the enemy’s strategy. Amecareth seemed to deploy his troops at random and, strangely, he never sent more than a hundred warriors at a time. Why?
In the Castle of Emerald library, a sunbeam shining in through a window wrapped itself around Wellan. He was wearing a simple green tunic and his blue eyes were locked on a map where small crosses dotted the coast of Enkidiev, marking the site of every battle that had taken place since the invasion attempts had begun.
Sage stopped between two rows of books and looked at the leader of the Knights. Wellan reminded him of King Hadrian of Silver. Hadrian was just as imposing as Wellan, but was long dead. What the people who lived in the castle did not know was that an ancient ghost was hiding in the body of the young warrior from Esperita and that the young man they commonly called Sage was none other than Knight Onyx of Emerald. Having waited for more than five hundred years in the cold metal of his sword, hidden away at the back of a cave, he had finally come back to the kingdom where the Wizard of Crystal had nearly taken his life. And he had the firm intention of making him pay for his cruelty. Wellan had come close to unmasking Onyx during the first days of his new incarnation in Emerald, but Onyx had lulled his suspicions to sleep by adopting a model behavior both in the castle and on the battlefield. He acted just like the son that the great Knight had always dreamed of having. Only Jasson still had doubts about him, but nobody listened to him. Not for now, anyway.
Sage walked past the wooden tables and stopped near Wellan, stealing a glance at the parchment that fascinated him.
“It looks as if the insect-men have no idea what they’re doing,” said the young warrior, even if he knew the creatures better than anyone else.
“That’s not what I think,” replied Wellan as he looked up with a friendly expression on his face.
Wellan liked this soldier with the shining eyes. His hair was black as midnight and ever since he had arrived in Emerald he had refused to have it cut. It flowed down to the small of his back and the only time he tied it back was when he went to war. Unlike Wellan, Sage was in full dress uniform. He sat down on the bench facing his chief and put on the face of an eager student.
“So, what’s your opinion?” he asked.
“The insect-men’s minds are different than ours, so I can’t expect that they would draw up a strategy like I would,” explained Wellan.
“But the marks on your map seem to indicate that the emperor is tossing his soldiers around like marbles.”
“That’s the conclusion you come to when you look at it with human eyes.”
“Don’t tell me that you’re going to trade in your eyes for a pair of insect eyes!” said Sage, making fun of him.
Wellan chuckled and his laugh echoed around the large room. Having Sage in his life was really refreshing.
“You should probably go and get ready for the Knighthood ceremony,” suggested the young man.
All of a sudden Wellan remembered that the king had refused to wait until the Squires were all old enough to become Knights before knighting Kira. Very soon he would be forced to tell Queen Fan, the mother of the young mauve girl, that he could no longer protect her nineteen-year-old daughter.
“Why don’t you want her to become a Knight?” asked Sage bowing his head slightly.
“Because,” sighed Wellan, who suddenly felt terribly tired, “she’s so headstrong.”
“But she has a very pretty head,” said Sage laughing.
“She’s also the one who has to protect the light-bearer. Don’t ever forget that, Sage. If she stupidly gets herself killed by the enemy, we’ll all die.”
“In that case, you’re getting all worked up about nothing. Kira is able to defend Enkidiev all by herself,” replied Sage with a wry smile.
Wellan knew all about the hybrid princess’s strength and her incredible magic powers, but he also knew full well that she had the terrible temper of a spoiled brat, and that she did not control it. However, if Emerald I had decided to dub her Knight, he certainly could not go against his will. He rolled up the parchment and tied it with a leather thong, while his protégé looked on with his shining eyes.
“You’re right,” admitted Wellan. “I’ll go and get ready.”
He stood up and Sage put an arm around his shoulders to accompany him to the Knights’ wing. As they walked along the sumptuous hallway, he glanced outside at the courtyard and saw that a crowd was already beginning to gather. This was certainly going to be an interesting evening.
The young warrior left Wellan at his bedroom door and used his magic powers to find the girl who had made it so easy for him to be accepted into the Order. Sage may have been in love with this strange mauve-skinned creature, but Onyx wanted to use her to get to the place he had been coveting for five hundred years: the throne of Emerald. Kira was the king’s ward, but she showed no interest in reigning over the kingdom after his death, even if it would be hers by right. By continuing to court her, Sage could marry her and become king by marriage.
He located Kira