Read Online Oracle: The House War: Book Six by Michelle West - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michelle West
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Practical, smart people were generally predictable if one understand the paradigm in which they worked: they took calculated risks, not stupid ones.
Was Ludgar involved?
He had certainly paid court to Finch—in her role as House Council member—when things appeared to be up in the air; he had kept an otherwise respectful distance since then. Very few people were afraid of Finch; very few were not wary of Lucille, and Lucille had practically posted signs on Finch’s forehead warning people off.
Ludgar, however, knew how to charm Lucille. She didn’t trust him, but liked him in spite of herself. He was capable of subtlety when he chose it; he didn’t choose it all that often.
Then again, he was a giant of a man in almost all ways. It was rumored that he hoped for a position equal to Lucille’s or Jarven’s, and Jester admitted it was a possibility—but he privately thought the man would go mad within the month trapped as Jarven was. Jarven was canny, competent, and seemed to care less for his personal dignity—or authority—than the much more voluble Lucille.
Jester didn’t believe it.
Chapter Two
L UDGAR LIVED ON THE Isle. Had he chosen to forgo the more prestigious address, he might have commanded a large manse with equally impressive grounds; on the Isle, all the money in the world couldn’t buy that. Birth might, or marriage—but most of the land was owned by older and wealthier merchant families. Ludgar was not among them, which was perhaps a second reason to admire him. He made no bones about his mean birth; on the contrary, he treated it as a matter of pride.
Pride did not, in any way, make him kinder; it made him more like Haerrad. Were it not for Haerrad’s actions against Teller, Jester would have remained largely neutral toward him; he considered Haerrad to be dangerous, but he was a full-frontal danger. He never pretended to be anything other than he was: ruthless, brutal, domineering. Ludgar was not Haerrad, but he had built a reputation among the Terafin merchants that was similar; Haerrad had the birth and breeding to assume a seat on the House Council. Ludgar did not.
Neither did Teller or Finch—yet they, unlike Ludgar, had been granted that status within Terafin.
The thought made him uneasy today. Jester had accepted The Terafin’s decision—and command—as the act of desperation it was; The Terafin had not offered either Finch or Teller a choice. She had made clear that she wanted Jay as Terafin, and installing both Finch and Teller on the Council was meant to shore up Jay’s claim if The Terafin herself was dead. But he was aware that no other ambitious ATerafin was likely to accept it as easily.
He glanced at the sealed message he carried. Finch seldom chose to correspond with Ludgar, although Ludgar offered her a diffident respect he seldom offered any other member of the House Council. Indeed, he offered the same respect to Lucille and Jarven, and no others that Jester was aware of; he had not been witness to any of the private meetings between The Terafin and Ludgar. Jay hadn’t summoned him to an audience since she’d taken the chair—she’d held three formal audiences in all, and Ellerson had been pinched and oh-so-correct for three days on either side of each.
He grimaced, shying away from thoughts of the domicis when he saw where his thoughts were leading him. Ellerson was Jay’s problem, if he was now a problem that could be solved.
Ludgar, however, was not.
Jester didn’t play politics. He hadn’t lied to Haval, although he had no qualms about doing so; he was lazy, and liked to remain free of entanglements. He kept an eye out for the den, inasmuch as he felt it could be done. Carver had taken the lead there; no one knew as much about the inner workings of a great house than its staff of servants. Not all of the servants cared for Carver’s presence, but all of them accepted it, even the dour and humorless Master of the Household Staff.
But Carver was
Was Ludgar involved?
He had certainly paid court to Finch—in her role as House Council member—when things appeared to be up in the air; he had kept an otherwise respectful distance since then. Very few people were afraid of Finch; very few were not wary of Lucille, and Lucille had practically posted signs on Finch’s forehead warning people off.
Ludgar, however, knew how to charm Lucille. She didn’t trust him, but liked him in spite of herself. He was capable of subtlety when he chose it; he didn’t choose it all that often.
Then again, he was a giant of a man in almost all ways. It was rumored that he hoped for a position equal to Lucille’s or Jarven’s, and Jester admitted it was a possibility—but he privately thought the man would go mad within the month trapped as Jarven was. Jarven was canny, competent, and seemed to care less for his personal dignity—or authority—than the much more voluble Lucille.
Jester didn’t believe it.
Chapter Two
L UDGAR LIVED ON THE Isle. Had he chosen to forgo the more prestigious address, he might have commanded a large manse with equally impressive grounds; on the Isle, all the money in the world couldn’t buy that. Birth might, or marriage—but most of the land was owned by older and wealthier merchant families. Ludgar was not among them, which was perhaps a second reason to admire him. He made no bones about his mean birth; on the contrary, he treated it as a matter of pride.
Pride did not, in any way, make him kinder; it made him more like Haerrad. Were it not for Haerrad’s actions against Teller, Jester would have remained largely neutral toward him; he considered Haerrad to be dangerous, but he was a full-frontal danger. He never pretended to be anything other than he was: ruthless, brutal, domineering. Ludgar was not Haerrad, but he had built a reputation among the Terafin merchants that was similar; Haerrad had the birth and breeding to assume a seat on the House Council. Ludgar did not.
Neither did Teller or Finch—yet they, unlike Ludgar, had been granted that status within Terafin.
The thought made him uneasy today. Jester had accepted The Terafin’s decision—and command—as the act of desperation it was; The Terafin had not offered either Finch or Teller a choice. She had made clear that she wanted Jay as Terafin, and installing both Finch and Teller on the Council was meant to shore up Jay’s claim if The Terafin herself was dead. But he was aware that no other ambitious ATerafin was likely to accept it as easily.
He glanced at the sealed message he carried. Finch seldom chose to correspond with Ludgar, although Ludgar offered her a diffident respect he seldom offered any other member of the House Council. Indeed, he offered the same respect to Lucille and Jarven, and no others that Jester was aware of; he had not been witness to any of the private meetings between The Terafin and Ludgar. Jay hadn’t summoned him to an audience since she’d taken the chair—she’d held three formal audiences in all, and Ellerson had been pinched and oh-so-correct for three days on either side of each.
He grimaced, shying away from thoughts of the domicis when he saw where his thoughts were leading him. Ellerson was Jay’s problem, if he was now a problem that could be solved.
Ludgar, however, was not.
Jester didn’t play politics. He hadn’t lied to Haval, although he had no qualms about doing so; he was lazy, and liked to remain free of entanglements. He kept an eye out for the den, inasmuch as he felt it could be done. Carver had taken the lead there; no one knew as much about the inner workings of a great house than its staff of servants. Not all of the servants cared for Carver’s presence, but all of them accepted it, even the dour and humorless Master of the Household Staff.
But Carver was
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