Oathbreakers

Author

Mercedes Lackey

Publication date

3 January 1989

Published by

DAW

Book sources

978-0886774547

Sub-series

Vows and Honor

Volume

2

Chronological Order
Preceded by	Followed by
The Oathbound	Oathblood

Publication Order
Preceded by	Followed by
The Oathbound	Magic's Pawn

This article is for the novel. For other uses, see Oathbreakers (disambiguation).

When Idra, leader of the crack mercenaries known as the Sunhawks, failed to return from a journey to her home kingdom of Rethwellan, Tarma and Kethry, warrior and mage, set out in search of their vanished leader. Sisters of sword and spell, their fates bound together by a Goddess-sworn oath, they were eternally pledged to fight the forces of evil.

And evil had indeed cast its shadow over Rethwellan. Idra, so they were told, had left long ago on a search for a legendary magical sword which could reveal which of her two brothers was meant to become the new king. With the princess gone, her younger brother had been branded an outlaw and her older brother had claimed the throne. Both instinct and mage lore told Kethry and Tarma that all was not as it seemed, that both Idra and her people were in terrible jeopardy. Yet would their Goddess-given powers, aided by those of a Herald of Valdemar, proves strong enough to break the dark enchantment possessing this land?

Synopsis[]

The book begins with the last stages of the Jkathan civil war. Tarma and Kethry were members of the mercenary company, Idra's Sunhawks, fighting for Queen Sursha. The rebellious Lord Kelcrag's forces were making their last stand, entrenched in the mountains with the autumn rains pouring down. Prying them out was beginning to look impossible when Kyra, one of the Sunhawks' scouts mentioned the local rumors about a wild pony path. Tarma and her scouts found the path, and Captain Idra lead the Sunhawks through the mountains to launch a surprise attack on the army's unguarded rear, ending the war.

After the company returned to their quarters in Hawksnest, Idra rode out for her native Rethwellan. Her father, King Destillion had died, and the Court was divided on which of her brothers should inherit the throne. Idra was sent for to cast a vote and break the deadlock.

When the Idra's letters to her second-in-command, Sewen, suddenly ceased and he was unable to reach her, he dispatched Tarma and Kethry to investigate. They traveled to Petras, the capital of Rethwellan, disguised as a noblewoman and her Shin'a'in friend come to sell horses. The quality of the horses earned them an invitation to stay at the Palace. They learned that Idra had come and gone, after crowning her younger brother Raschar. But something wasn't right, especially Raschar. After cornering Idra's friend Jadrek, the Court Archivist, they learned that Idra's leaving had been mysterious at best, and that she had intended to ride north in search of her elder, exiled brother, Stefansen, determined to undo her mistake and put Stefansen on the throne.

When this conversation was immediately followed by an assassination attempt, Tarma, Kethry, Jadrek and Warrl escaped the city and journeyed north through the Comb in search of Idra. They eventually passed out of Rethwellan entirely, entering southern Valdemar, where they encountered Prince Roald, who lead them to Prince Stefansen and his family who were hiding in Roald's hunting lodge.

While traveling through the Comb, the group had found the legendary stolen Sword That Sings, which promptly chose Stefansen as the rightful king of Rethwellan. After wintering in Valdemar, where they laid careful plans, the group returned to Petras, in a different set of disguises. This time Tarma was the freesword Arton, with his girlfriend Janna, played by Kethry. Kethry and Jadrek, also traveling under a new name, were installed in adjoining rooms at the Pig and Potion Tavern, while Tarma challenged the champion of the King's Guard, taking his place at Raschar's side. Which was how they learned Idra's fate.

With the help of numerous merchants and nobles (some of whom were blackmailed by Jadrek), the Sunhawks, both current and former, infiltrated Petras and were supplied with weaponry. Kethry developed a new spell, the magical mirror-egg, to use against Raschar's mages. Once everything was in place, Stefansen and his family snuck back into the capital, and the Sunhawks launched the coup.

With Kethry's spell keeping the mages locked down, the quickly took the palace, only to learn that Raschar had escaped through a secret tunnel to the Temple of Ursa on the outskirts of the city. Having prepared for this possibility, a large group jumped on waiting horses and sped through the city to the temple. They caught up with Raschar on the road outside. In her guise as Arton, Tara ordered the rest of his guards back to the city. Once they were out of sight, Kethry dropped the illusions and Raschar was captured.

The Sunhawks took Raschar back to the temple, where Tarma and Kethry completed the Oathbreaker ritual, opening a gate to the land of the dead. Idra rode through, come to seek justice form her brother. After dawn, the Sunhawks dumped Raschar's remains on the palace steps at Stefansen's feet.

Stefansen was crowned king, and he and Roald conspired to deal with Leslac once and for all. Stefansen then rewarded Tarma and Kethry with a large estate in the south of Rethwellan, perfect for the school they had long dreamed of opening.