Eclipsing the Darkness (The Dragon Chronicles Book 5) Read Online Free Page B

each other as if they had been friends their whole lives. It was a sight that gave hope to all who entered.
    “Cannuck!” the King of Thyre shouted.
    Cannuck stood when he saw Tregar return with his new friends.
    Eamon looked upon him for the first time with awe. He was a giant of a man; big as an ox, built like a barrel, and as rough as any man he had ever seen. The stories he had heard of Cannuck, the High Jarl of the Northlands, had done him no justice. He was truly a god amongst men.
    Ulrich approached him first, kneeling in respect as the High Jarl placed his hand on his head.
    “Ulrich, my brother,” Cannuck greeted him. “Stand now, Jarl of my wayward tribe.”
    Ulrich stood, and the two men knocked heads, bursting out into roars of laughter. Wrothgaar followed Eamon, eager to meet Cannuck for the first time as well. He unknowingly began to kneel as his father did, but Cannuck caught him up by grasping his upper arm.
    “Stand up, boy,” Cannuck growled. “The Onyx Dragon is your king now. You disrespect him.”
    Ulrich smacked Wrothgaar on the back of the head, prompting both Jarls to burst into laughter again. Wrothgaar chuckled, red-faced and slightly confused.
    “King Eamon,” Cannuck, grasping Eamon’s hand with a fist that was twice as meaty as his own. “You have the look of your grandfather. A great man he was.”
    “Yes, he was,” Eamon replied. “I wish he were here to join the battle.”
    “I am sorry to hear about your mother,” the Jarl continued. “She was a great Queen from what my men say.”
    “She was my inspiration. I strive to be as good a ruler as she was.”
    “Eamon is a fine king,” Ulrich complimented him. “Just as strong and tenacious as Siobhan ever was.”
    “Well then,” Cannuck said. “Let’s fetch these boys some ale!”
     
    The allied kings sat together at a large wooden table a short ways away from the roaring fire. A cloth canopy was set up above them, and squires and pages served them ale and freshly cooked meat. The Knights of the Dragon remained among the other warriors, sharing tales of valor and forging new friendships. Of particular interest to the army was Brianna, who spoke as one of them, and whose tales were just as heroic and bloody as the rest. Even the female fighters of the north were eager to make her acquaintance.
    “I see your lady knight is making friends,” Cannuck said. “She is impressive. She is much like the women of my lands.”
    “She is a formidable swordsman,” Eamon replied. “And a renowned archer, as well.”
    “She is from Eirenoch?”
    “The daughter of Lord Galen of the former Southern Kingdom,” Eamon replied.
    “Ah! A noblewoman with a blade and a bow,” Cannuck exclaimed. “Now that is impressive. How did you come to choose her as a knight?”
    Eamon finished chewing a mouthful of meat, then washed it down with a swig of ale. “Her father’s estate was under attack by a force of Jindala that they had lured out of a nearby city. We charged in to help them, and that is when I saw her battle prowess. I was impressed with the savagery she displayed in battle. She was every bit as brutal as any man I had ever seen. I wouldn’t fight her myself.”
    Cannuck chuckled. “That is good,” he said. “She will fit in well with my Valkyries.”
    “You are in command of divine warriors?” Eamon asked.
    “Kronos gave me their swords when he appeared to us in battle,” Cannuck replied. “I will call upon them when they are needed.”
    Eamon nodded. He looked forward to seeing them, if the need arose. “I hear Kronos has also named you as his son.”
    “Odin,” Cannuck replied. “That is what he called me.”
    “I hadn’t noticed before,” Ulrich said. “But where is your son, Thorgil?”
    “Thorgil fell in battle,” Cannuck said. “He lives in Valhalla now.”
    Ulrich grunted. “No doubt he took many enemies with him.”
    “The worst of them. A creature of darkness that drew the life from everything