The Gilded Chain (Tales of the King's Blades Series #1) by Dave Duncan
As unwanted and rebellious boys, they find refuge in Ironhall....Years later they emerge as the finest swordsmen in the realm A magical ritual of a sword through the heart binds each to his wardif not the king himself, then to whomever else the monarch designates with absolute loyalty. And the greatest Blade of them all was and is Sir Durendal.
But a lifelong dream of protecting his beloved liege from enemies, traitors, and monsters is dashed to bits when Durendal is bonded till death to an effete noble fop at his king's orders. Yet Destiny has many strange and inscrutable plans for the young knight for a mission, a contest, and, perhaps, a treasure await him in a faraway land. But he soon finds himself enmeshed in treason and foul intrigues, compelled to betray the king he had hoped to serve. The Blades have ways to protect their own, but death and madness haunt the path to salvation and few ever return unscathed. As unwanted and rebellious boys, they find refuge in Ironhall....Years later they emerge as the finest swordsmen in the realm A magical ritual of a sword through the heart binds each to his wardif not the king himself, then to whomever else the monarch designateswith absolute loyalty. And the greatest Blade of them all wasand isSir Durendal.
But a lifelong dream of protcting his beloved liege from enemies, traitors, and monsters is dashed to bits when Durendal is bonded till death to an effete noble fop at his king's orders. Yet Destiny has many strange and inscrutable plans for the young knightfor a mission, a contest, and, perhaps, a treasure await him in a faraway land. But he soon finds himself enmeshed in treasonand foul intrigues, compelled to betray the king he had hoped to serve. The Blades have ways to protect their own, but death and madness haunt the path to salvationand few ever return unscathed.
Author Biography:
Dave Duncan is an award-winning author whose fantasy trilogy, The Seventh Sword, is considered a sword-and-sorcery classic. His numerous novels include The Gilded Chain, Lord of the Fire Lands, and the critically-acclaimed fantasy trilogy The Great Game. He resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
SUMMARY:
On the heels of his resoundingly praised fantasy series The Great Game, author Dave Duncan returns to the form with which he originally established his reputation: the epic sword-and-sorcery adventure. The breathtaking saga of The King's Blades begins with "The Gilded Chain", the relentlessly exciting story of an unparalleled swordsman trained from early childhood to take his place among the King's elite corps of warrior/bodyguards in a dangerously uncertain fantasy realm. Audaciously taking as his own the name of the kingdom's most fabled champion of long ago, Durandel sees his lifelong dream of serving his liege dashed to bits when he is bonded for life, not to his beloved king, but to an effete noble fop. But Destiny has inscrutable plans for this able young knight in an ancient, isolated city in a land far from the blood intrigues of the perilous court. On a mission that promises glory and great treasures, grisly secrets of opulence and immortality will be revealed -- while countless betrayals and untold horrors combine to threaten a remarkable future prophesied for a warrior who could be the mightiest hero in the history of the monarchy.
Description:
The Gilded Chain (Tales of the King's Blades Series #1) by Dave Duncan
As unwanted and rebellious boys, they find refuge in Ironhall....Years later they emerge as the finest swordsmen in the realm A magical ritual of a sword through the heart binds each to his wardif not the king himself, then to whomever else the monarch designates with absolute loyalty. And the greatest Blade of them all was and is Sir Durendal.
But a lifelong dream of protecting his beloved liege from enemies, traitors, and monsters is dashed to bits when Durendal is bonded till death to an effete noble fop at his king's orders. Yet Destiny has many strange and inscrutable plans for the young knight for a mission, a contest, and, perhaps, a treasure await him in a faraway land. But he soon finds himself enmeshed in treason and foul intrigues, compelled to betray the king he had hoped to serve. The Blades have ways to protect their own, but death and madness haunt the path to salvation and few ever return unscathed. As unwanted and rebellious boys, they find refuge in Ironhall....Years later they emerge as the finest swordsmen in the realm A magical ritual of a sword through the heart binds each to his wardif not the king himself, then to whomever else the monarch designateswith absolute loyalty. And the greatest Blade of them all wasand isSir Durendal.
But a lifelong dream of protcting his beloved liege from enemies, traitors, and monsters is dashed to bits when Durendal is bonded till death to an effete noble fop at his king's orders. Yet Destiny has many strange and inscrutable plans for the young knightfor a mission, a contest, and, perhaps, a treasure await him in a faraway land. But he soon finds himself enmeshed in treasonand foul intrigues, compelled to betray the king he had hoped to serve. The Blades have ways to protect their own, but death and madness haunt the path to salvationand few ever return unscathed.
Author Biography:
Dave Duncan is an award-winning author whose fantasy trilogy, The Seventh Sword, is considered a sword-and-sorcery classic. His numerous novels include The Gilded Chain, Lord of the Fire Lands, and the critically-acclaimed fantasy trilogy The Great Game. He resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.