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.She looked up to find Matteo staring at her."What?""The good of the king, the fragile peace." He shook his head."You did not ponder such things before."She shrugged and ran her fingers through her short, tousled, brown hair to tame it somewhat."I've never had an audience with the king before, either." She caught the hem of Matteo's tunic as he turned toward the throne."Does he know about me? That I'm the queen's daughter?"Matteo hesitated."He learned this not long ago, yes.""Will he let me walk out of here? Halruaa's laws don't exactly embrace people like me.""Zalathorm is a lawful king, but he is also a powerful diviner.If he acted upon everything he knew about his subjects, he would soon have no kingdom to rule.""Cynical, but probably true." She blew out a long breath and tried not to dwell upon the things Matteo was so obviously not telling her.The man had no talent for lying-he couldn't even hold something back without looking pained.That was one of the reasons she trusted him and why she followed him into the throne room of Halruaa's king.Zalathorm's gaze flicked toward the newcomers, then slid to his seneschal.The blue-robed man immediately strode over to the guards, who ushered out the still-angry wizards with promises of a swift resolution.He followed them out and shut the chamber doors, leaving the two young people alone with the king.Matteo dipped into a low bow, which Tzigone imitated deftly and precisely.It occurred to her, too late, that a jordain's bow and an apprentice wizard's were two very different things.The king didn't seem to notice, but Matteo's expression-quickly mastered-couldn't have been more horrified if Tzigone had drop-kicked the king's favorite hunting dog.The jordain hastily cleared his throat."Your majesty, this is Tzigone, apprentice to Lord Basel."Zalathorm rose from the throne and took her hand."Welcome, child.How can I serve the hero of Akhlaur's Swamp?""Tell me about my mother," she blurted out.From the corner of her eyes, she saw Matteo blanch at this egregious broach of protocol.Most likely, a string of fancy phrases was required before getting to the point.To her surprise, the king merely nodded.He led the way to an alcove with several chairs and waited until all were settled."Where would you like to begin?""Did you know her before she left the city, her tower?""No," the king said."I had heard her name, of course, for Keturah was considered a master of evocation and a wizard likely to ascend to the Council of Elders at a remarkably young age.But in the years preceding Queen Fiordella's death, I had become something of a recluse.""How did you meet?""A chance meeting during her exile.She presented herself as a wizard tired of magic's demands and in need of solitude.""That's it?" Tzigone said incredulously."You had no idea who she was? What she was accused of doing?"Zalathorm hesitated."I could discern that she possessed a good heart.I did not inquire into her name and past."Tzigone leaned back and folded her arms."And years later, you married her."The king looked to Matteo with lifted brows."I did not tell her, my lord," the jordain said hastily."I didn't think you had.So the queen's secret is known.""How widely, I cannot say," Matteo admitted, "but it seems likely that this and more will be brought to light in Beatrix's trial."Zalathorm merely nodded and turned back to Tzigone."Yes, I married your mother in a public ceremony years after our first meeting.She came to Halarahh in the most extraordinary of circumstances-the lone survivor of a brutal Crinti raid, her beauty and her memory lost beyond recall.The council was so delighted by my decision to wed and so charmed by Beatrix herself that they were remarkably accepting.The history provided by the magehound Kiva was considered enough.Even I accepted this as truth, not having reason to suspect otherwise.""That seems incredibly careless for a monarch.""I agree," he said evenly, "and while I offer no excuses, consider this.When I met your mother, I had been king for nearly fifty years.Queen Fiordella had recently passed away.She was the fourth queen to share my throne.All were political marriages, of course, for how many people in Halruaa marry to please themselves?""Enough was enough," Tzigone concluded.Zalathorm smiled faintly."My thoughts precisely.The Council of Elders did not agree.After Fiordella's death, there was considerable discussion concerning whom I should wed next.Some of our more 'modern' wizards were even clamoring for a hereditary monarchy, such as those in the northern kingdoms.You can imagine the furor this notion inspired."Tzigone nodded sagely."Every female wizard in Halruaa went strutting around with her wizardly bloodlines tattooed across her cleavage, hoping to catch your eye."Matteo put a hand over his eyes and groaned.The king, however, chuckled at this image."Their methods were slightly more subtle but not by much." He quickly sobered."The issue of marriage was only one of many.I had reigned long and lived far longer.Too long, in fact."Life is a priceless blessing," continued the king, "but three hundred years weighs heavily upon a man.The years bring the same cycles, repeated with minor and predictable variations.Generation follows generation, each asking the same questions and making the same mistakes.After centuries devoted to Halruaa and her magic-especially to the art of divination-it seemed to me that nothing could ever surprise or delight me again.""Then you met my mother," Tzigone concluded."Yes." He met the girl's eyes squarely."She was worth a kingdom then.She is worth it still.Don't fear any harm the truth might do to me or my reign.I suspect the truth will be kind to Beatrix-and to Keturah, as well.""It might not be so kind to you," she said bluntly."Beatrix was married before.""Dhamari Exchelsor-""I'm not talking about him," Tzigone broke in."She had a real marriage, to some young man who fell off a griffin.I can see into the past," she explained, noting the king's dumbfounded expression.The king collected himself and glanced at a water clock, a tall glass cylinder filled with many-colored floating balls.He grimaced and rose."We will speak more of this at first opportunity.Lord Basel's hearing will begin shortly."The two young people rose with the king."But he was released!" protested Tzigone."Yes, in the matter of Sinestra Belajoon's death.Another wizard is dead.Uriah Belajoon died just last night, in Basel's garden.It appears that his heart gave out, but since this is the third death to occur in Basel's tower this moon, the council wishes to inquire more closely.Tzigone, if you know anything that might help Basel, I want you to present it."A look of uncertainty crossed Tzigone's face."You are said to be a talented performer," the king said."It might ease your mind to speak as if you were playing a part [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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