Read Brave Men Die: Part 2 for Free Online

approaching enemy. They will engage and fall back as necessary.’
    The earl was pacing while Figur talked, running through the tactics they would employ and resources they had at their disposal to use. Dathe could see him mentally taking note of everything that was being said. He was calm, calculating, brooding. The complete opposite to Cygnus. There was anger building inside the son, rage contorted his face.
    ‘We need to strike back,’ Cygnus snarled. Slamming his fist into his open hand, he moved to face his father. ‘We need to take every armed man and retake the pass. Fuck those bastards that killed Thol. The Kyzantines need to pay.’
    ‘They fucking will,’ the earl snapped, before taking a deep breath and controlling his own anger. ‘Calm down, Cygnus.’
    Cygnus bit his tongue, clenched his hands into fists and released them, over and over again. Finally he turned his back on the earl and kept his mouth shut.
    ‘Captain Marsh, please marshal every company at once, we leave for the pass in an hour.’
    The captain nodded and left, every set of eyes in the room on his back as his footsteps echoed on the stone floor.
    ‘Cygnus, you are to take the Howlers to Black Claw. Buckthorne will need the numbers, they would have split their forces between Black Claw and the Gorgon Pass and won’t have enough to hold it if they are coming at them in the same numbers we’ve seen at Musea.’
    ‘Father! I should be leading the army to avenge Thol. Fuck the rest of it, it’s a matter of honour!’ Spittle flew from his mouth.
    The rest of the hall was silent. The remaining captains averted their eyes. The councillors were staring at their feet.
    ‘You will lead the Howlers to Black Claw. You are my son and you will do as you are told. I will be leading the men to the Musea Pass personally.’
    The two men were standing an inch apart again, their cold blue grey eyes held, chests breathing hard. Dathe was worried that the men were close to reaching for their weapons by their sides.
    ‘Cygnus.’ Lacey’s voice cut through the hall. ‘Do as father says.’
    He slowly turned to look at her, contempt in his eyes. Dathe could feel the hate radiating from Cygnus, and standing next to Lacey he felt it was also directed at him. He felt his hand slide toward the hilt of his weapon, unsure whether he should defend Lacey if Cygnus felt like taking it out on her or if the earl would be fast enough to intervene.
    Dathe was aware of Cygnus’ temper; he was an emotional man and let his feelings get the better of him. Bouting against him was like fighting a stone wall: unmoving and hard. But then he attacked recklessly, dangerously, randomly. Cygnus angrily launched himself at his opponents, always pressing, unrelenting and attacking with the force of a sledgehammer.
    ‘Just go Cygnus, you’ll bring shame on us all if you don’t.’ Lacey was staring him down. Her voice was steady as she stepped forward to challenge him further.
    The look on Arryn Dunn’s face was a signal for his daughter not to press it, not to complicate matters further. Dathe held his breath, knowing full well that Lacey couldn’t help herself. The tension in the room was on knife's edge. The hard set of her jaw was an indication that something had changed about her, that she wouldn’t back down on this, that Thol’s death and now Cygnus’ insubordination unsettled her.
    ‘Lead the Howlers or I will,’ Lacey snapped. She was purposely shaming her brother into doing what he needed to do. ‘Dathe, you will accompany me.’
    Dathe felt everyone in the room turn to him, like he was aware of Lacey’s plan from the beginning. He was pinned between looking the fool and not knowing, or holding his ground and standing beside the young, proud woman. He exhaled and stepped forward.
    ‘Lacey, you go too far,’ Arryn said, noting Dathe’s allegiance.
    ‘Father, you want your child to lead the Howlers to Black Claw. I’m your child, and I’m happy to do it.