Read Online Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor by Simon R. Green - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Simon R. Green
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means . . . and so on, and so on. However, at times like these, when there's no King on the throne, things can get pretty hairy at Castle Midnight. Without the King to maintain the balance, the Unreal starts trying to break loose and run free. All kinds of insanity take shape and form and come to life. Ghosts and monsters are only the half of it. And this, of course, is where the Steward really comes into her own. Her job is to hold things together as best she can with her sorcery, until a new King takes the throne, and restores the balance.'
'You make it sound as though the Unreal is ... alive,' said Jordan slowly.
Gawaine shrugged. 'No one knows for sure what the Unreal is. Ask ten different people, and they'll give you ten different answers. You'll see for yourself, when we get to the Castle.'
'Wait a minute,' said Jordan. 'I think I'm missing something here. If there's that much power just waiting to be grabbed, why haven't Lewis or Dominic simply declared themselves King, and taken the throne by force? From what I've heard about those two, it ought to be the first thing they'd think of.'
'As I keep pointing out, inheritance isn't quite that simple at Castle Midnight,' said Count Roderik.
Jordan looked round sharply. Roderik and Argent stepped forward and warmed their hands at the fire.
Jordan wondered if he ought to say something cutting, given their earlier slights, but decided against it.
For better or worse, he had to learn to work with these people. And they were, after all, the ones who
were paying him. Fifty thousand ducats, he thought grimly. And I'm earning every bloody penny of it. He realised Roderik was still talking, and paid attention to him.
'In order to inherit the Kingship,' said Roderik patiently, 'the claimant has to produce both the King's crown and his seal of office, and present them to the Stone in the correct ceremony. The Stone then grants the King power over the Unreal. Without that power, no King can rule in Redhart.'
'Don't tell me,' said Jordan. 'The crown and the seal have both gone missing, right?'
'I said you were starting to think like a Prince,' said Gawaine. 'Viktor and his two brothers have been turning the Castle upside down since Malcolm died, but there's no trace anywhere of crown or seal.'
'Wait a minute,' said Jordan, frowning thoughtfully. 'If Lewis or Dominic had killed King Malcolm, that would mean they'd have to have the crown and seal. Since they obviously haven't got them, that proves neither Lewis nor Dominic could have been the murderer! I mean, they wouldn't have been stupid enough to kill the King without being sure where the crown and seal were first. Would they?'
'The best-laid plans can go adrift,' said Roderik. 'Or perhaps there was a third party involved that we don't know about . . . There's a great deal concerning the King's death that remains unclear. What is clear is that if it becomes known at Court that Prince Viktor is ill, and therefore vulnerable, he'll lose all hope of support. That's why we need you, Jordan. We need you to be the Prince in public, so that our people can carry on the search behind the scenes.'
The four of them stood silently around the fire for a while, each man considering the complications of the situation, and his own part in it. Gawaine roused himself first, and set about preparing a frugal breakfast.
Argent went to make sure each of the horses had a nosebag. Roderik pulled a folded map from one of his panniers, and busied himself plotting the quickest route back to Castle Midnight. Once again Jordan found himself rather left out of things, and decided to go for a little walk, to see what there was to see.
Besides, the exercise might warm him up. He blew on his hands and wished, not for the first time, that he hadn't bet his gloves on that last roll of the dice two towns back. He never had been lucky with dice, unless they were his own. He had been given a pair of Viktor's gloves, but they were light, flimsy things meant
'You make it sound as though the Unreal is ... alive,' said Jordan slowly.
Gawaine shrugged. 'No one knows for sure what the Unreal is. Ask ten different people, and they'll give you ten different answers. You'll see for yourself, when we get to the Castle.'
'Wait a minute,' said Jordan. 'I think I'm missing something here. If there's that much power just waiting to be grabbed, why haven't Lewis or Dominic simply declared themselves King, and taken the throne by force? From what I've heard about those two, it ought to be the first thing they'd think of.'
'As I keep pointing out, inheritance isn't quite that simple at Castle Midnight,' said Count Roderik.
Jordan looked round sharply. Roderik and Argent stepped forward and warmed their hands at the fire.
Jordan wondered if he ought to say something cutting, given their earlier slights, but decided against it.
For better or worse, he had to learn to work with these people. And they were, after all, the ones who
were paying him. Fifty thousand ducats, he thought grimly. And I'm earning every bloody penny of it. He realised Roderik was still talking, and paid attention to him.
'In order to inherit the Kingship,' said Roderik patiently, 'the claimant has to produce both the King's crown and his seal of office, and present them to the Stone in the correct ceremony. The Stone then grants the King power over the Unreal. Without that power, no King can rule in Redhart.'
'Don't tell me,' said Jordan. 'The crown and the seal have both gone missing, right?'
'I said you were starting to think like a Prince,' said Gawaine. 'Viktor and his two brothers have been turning the Castle upside down since Malcolm died, but there's no trace anywhere of crown or seal.'
'Wait a minute,' said Jordan, frowning thoughtfully. 'If Lewis or Dominic had killed King Malcolm, that would mean they'd have to have the crown and seal. Since they obviously haven't got them, that proves neither Lewis nor Dominic could have been the murderer! I mean, they wouldn't have been stupid enough to kill the King without being sure where the crown and seal were first. Would they?'
'The best-laid plans can go adrift,' said Roderik. 'Or perhaps there was a third party involved that we don't know about . . . There's a great deal concerning the King's death that remains unclear. What is clear is that if it becomes known at Court that Prince Viktor is ill, and therefore vulnerable, he'll lose all hope of support. That's why we need you, Jordan. We need you to be the Prince in public, so that our people can carry on the search behind the scenes.'
The four of them stood silently around the fire for a while, each man considering the complications of the situation, and his own part in it. Gawaine roused himself first, and set about preparing a frugal breakfast.
Argent went to make sure each of the horses had a nosebag. Roderik pulled a folded map from one of his panniers, and busied himself plotting the quickest route back to Castle Midnight. Once again Jordan found himself rather left out of things, and decided to go for a little walk, to see what there was to see.
Besides, the exercise might warm him up. He blew on his hands and wished, not for the first time, that he hadn't bet his gloves on that last roll of the dice two towns back. He never had been lucky with dice, unless they were his own. He had been given a pair of Viktor's gloves, but they were light, flimsy things meant
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