Read Online The King of Forever (Scarlet and the White Wolf, #4) by Kirby Crow - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kirby Crow
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every male. Was it Queen Nadiushka who spared the young boys and allowed the animals to take root and flourish in our midst, or was it you, sire?”
Liall looked down on him. The man had a sharp face and a reddish tint to the thin, pointed beard he sported. Liall fancied he had the look of a young Baron Ressanda. “Who are you, ser?”
“Jarad Hallin, of Tebet.”
Hallin meant drover . It was a new name, not claimed by any of the noble houses of Rshan. From the look of Hallin, he had Morturii blood somewhere in his ancestry. No few did these days, especially in Tebet.
“ Ser Hallin,” Liall said with an edge of mockery in his voice. There were scattered titters throughout the room, and for once the customary prejudice of his people was something he could make use of. Few nobles would want to be seen allying with the political views of a peasant. “It is true that Jarek pardoned the youths who joined their fathers in revolt, so long as they swore an oath never to take up arms against the crown again. Those who would not swear—and there were no few—were beheaded.”
“Their word ,” Hallin sneered. “And what good is the word of a fatherless rebel bastard?”
“Almost as good as the word of a cow-herder,” Liall replied.
Hallin’s expression turned sullen as chuckles scurried through the hall like a nasty rumor, and Liall knew he had won. A distasteful victory, but he would take it.
“The men of Magur have paid,” he said, raising his voice one more. “When the battle was lost, the Ava Thule fled like the cowards they, but not to the Tribelands. They are still here.”
While the crowd erupted into shouts and calls, Alexyin moved quickly to join him on the dais. Alexyin shot a look at the lacquered chest, only now seeming to notice the brilliant blue of the varnish, and the royal badge of stars set in diamond on the lid. Liall saw that Alexyin knew what it meant, and that he was not pleased.
“Sire,” Alexyin said into Liall’s ear, “you will lose the advantage if you reveal everything now.”
“I don’t agree,” Liall answered, keeping his head down and his face turned into Alexyin’s shoulder in case there were lip-readers in the chamber. He chooses this moment to have an opinion? he thought. His mentor had been painfully distant on the matter of the proposed war, close-mouthed to the point of insolence at times. Now Alexyin wanted to be heard. Why now?
“This information would be useful as bait,” Alexyin argued.
“Some secrets are more damaging if they’re kept, and ultimately a member of my family is responsible for this invasion,” Liall said. “Dead or not, it makes no difference. I am Camira-Druz and the blame will fall to me.”
“I could watch to see who lets this secret slip. How else would they know unless they were allied with them? The death of your enemies is better than the goodwill of your friends.”
An astute observation, but one that led to a ruthless path. Liall shook his head. “I will not be that kind of ruler. We’ll need more than friends to drive the Ava Thule out of our lands for good. We’ll need the whole kingdom.”
“I don’t agree.”
“It’s not your decision.”
Alexyin pursed his mouth crossly and rapped his fist on the table. The noise died down. “The king shall speak!”
Liall scanned the faces of the crowd, meeting an attentive eye here, a dagger-look there. He had many friends, he saw, but there were many more he could not read. Currents ran around him like the rushing of a stream. It will become a river soon enough, and much will be swept away. Time for the king’s famous speech, where he stirs the soldiers to courage before the battle, except this is a Rshani battle, and nothing ever goes like in the stories.
He was not looking forward to that part.
“On my lady mother’s command, soldiers under Khatai Jarek were sent to garrison Magur after the battle, but the soldiers will not remain there. They will be recalled to
Liall looked down on him. The man had a sharp face and a reddish tint to the thin, pointed beard he sported. Liall fancied he had the look of a young Baron Ressanda. “Who are you, ser?”
“Jarad Hallin, of Tebet.”
Hallin meant drover . It was a new name, not claimed by any of the noble houses of Rshan. From the look of Hallin, he had Morturii blood somewhere in his ancestry. No few did these days, especially in Tebet.
“ Ser Hallin,” Liall said with an edge of mockery in his voice. There were scattered titters throughout the room, and for once the customary prejudice of his people was something he could make use of. Few nobles would want to be seen allying with the political views of a peasant. “It is true that Jarek pardoned the youths who joined their fathers in revolt, so long as they swore an oath never to take up arms against the crown again. Those who would not swear—and there were no few—were beheaded.”
“Their word ,” Hallin sneered. “And what good is the word of a fatherless rebel bastard?”
“Almost as good as the word of a cow-herder,” Liall replied.
Hallin’s expression turned sullen as chuckles scurried through the hall like a nasty rumor, and Liall knew he had won. A distasteful victory, but he would take it.
“The men of Magur have paid,” he said, raising his voice one more. “When the battle was lost, the Ava Thule fled like the cowards they, but not to the Tribelands. They are still here.”
While the crowd erupted into shouts and calls, Alexyin moved quickly to join him on the dais. Alexyin shot a look at the lacquered chest, only now seeming to notice the brilliant blue of the varnish, and the royal badge of stars set in diamond on the lid. Liall saw that Alexyin knew what it meant, and that he was not pleased.
“Sire,” Alexyin said into Liall’s ear, “you will lose the advantage if you reveal everything now.”
“I don’t agree,” Liall answered, keeping his head down and his face turned into Alexyin’s shoulder in case there were lip-readers in the chamber. He chooses this moment to have an opinion? he thought. His mentor had been painfully distant on the matter of the proposed war, close-mouthed to the point of insolence at times. Now Alexyin wanted to be heard. Why now?
“This information would be useful as bait,” Alexyin argued.
“Some secrets are more damaging if they’re kept, and ultimately a member of my family is responsible for this invasion,” Liall said. “Dead or not, it makes no difference. I am Camira-Druz and the blame will fall to me.”
“I could watch to see who lets this secret slip. How else would they know unless they were allied with them? The death of your enemies is better than the goodwill of your friends.”
An astute observation, but one that led to a ruthless path. Liall shook his head. “I will not be that kind of ruler. We’ll need more than friends to drive the Ava Thule out of our lands for good. We’ll need the whole kingdom.”
“I don’t agree.”
“It’s not your decision.”
Alexyin pursed his mouth crossly and rapped his fist on the table. The noise died down. “The king shall speak!”
Liall scanned the faces of the crowd, meeting an attentive eye here, a dagger-look there. He had many friends, he saw, but there were many more he could not read. Currents ran around him like the rushing of a stream. It will become a river soon enough, and much will be swept away. Time for the king’s famous speech, where he stirs the soldiers to courage before the battle, except this is a Rshani battle, and nothing ever goes like in the stories.
He was not looking forward to that part.
“On my lady mother’s command, soldiers under Khatai Jarek were sent to garrison Magur after the battle, but the soldiers will not remain there. They will be recalled to
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