Read Online Veilspeaker (Pharim War Book 2) by Gama Ray Martinez - Free Book Online

orders.”
    “That is utterly ridiculous.”
    “We are here on Lord Varin’s orders to take him into
custody.”
    “Well, I am giving you new orders. Put down your
weapons.”
    The guards exchanged glances. The pressure of the
sword at Jez’s throat lessened slightly, but the guard didn’t lower it. Jez
looked down without moving his head. He glanced at Villia and took a step back.
The guard didn’t follow. After another second, he lowered his weapon. Jez
touched his neck looking for blood, but his fingers came away dry.
    “You will convey us to the king.” Once again, Villia’s
voice took on that strange resonance that made it seem like it was coming from
everywhere at once.
    The captain eyed Jez. “But Mage Villia...”
    Villia raised a hand and the corridor dimmed. She
stood up straight, and somehow, she’d gained two feet of height. Her eyes
glowed an angry violet, and the guards backed away. One man’s hand was shaking
so violently he dropped his sword. Villia’s voice seemed to come from the
stones themselves. The air hummed with power.
    “I am a master mage in the service of King Haziel
himself. My commands supersede those of any lordling. You will do as I say, or
you will suffer the consequences.”
    The last word seemed to hang in the air for several
seconds. As it faded, the lights returned. Villia was back to normal size,
though Jez hadn’t seen her change. The guard who’d dropped his weapon scooped
up his sword and shoved it in its sheath as if afraid for Villia to see him
with a weapon drawn. The captain nodded.
    “Please,” he said in a shaky voice. “Follow me.”
    The other guards fell into step behind him. Jez and
Villia followed a few steps behind.
    “That wasn’t exactly subtle,” Jez said, pitching his
voice low.
    She smiled. “When you have weapons pointed at you, the
time for subtly has passed. I may not like to work overtly, but I can if I have
to.”
    Jez’s heart was pounding as they made their way
through the keep. Some of the servants and nobles whispered as they passed,
though no one tried to stop them. Whenever Jez tried to meet anyone’s eyes,
they turned away. The guards led them to the same dining room Osmund had
originally been arrested in. They walked in, and Jez froze.
    There, on the floor with chains around his legs and
wrists, was Osmund. A brown robed woman with a blue sash stood near him,
holding her arm toward him. Power flowed out and held Osmund’s power in check.
A guard held a sword to his back. For a second, Jez just stared. It was only
when someone pushed past him that he blinked and gathered his thoughts. Varin
and Lina, who had come in after Jez, walked to the other side of the room and
stood next to the king. Lina refused to look at either Osmund or Jez, but
Varin’s face was twisted in a scowl.
    “I ordered the Jezreel taken.”
    Villia stepped forward. “And I ordered them to bring
him here.” She narrowed her eyes. “And it is Baron Jezreel, Lord Varin, not
simply Jezreel. You are not so highly regarded that you can ignore the rules of
the court, and you don’t have the authority to order the arrest of a baron.”
    A cold grin formed on Varin’s face. “Well, it seems
the boy has managed to form an alliance after all. Too bad it’s too late.” He
turned to the king who had been impassively observing the conversation. “Your
Majesty, the evidence is clear. The boy’s bodyguard attacked and killed my men,
almost certainly under his instruction. Once he is arrested, the threat to your
throne will be ended.”
    Almost immediately, the gathered nobles went silent. A
few stared at Varin, and Jez resisted the urge to smile. Varin had made a
mistake. If he could order the guards to arrest him, he could do the same to
any noble in the room, and they knew it. Haziel wouldn’t be able to allow this.
From the grin on Varin’s face, he hadn’t realized his blunder. The king raised
a hand and those few who were still speaking quieted.
    “No,”