[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
simply refusing them.
I have cleaner prisons than any nation on the
continent, Isavor disputed.
177
Spychild
I know, it s rather ridiculous, Sire. But just tell them
that, then, and refuse to do anything further. Better to
clean up the dirty villages of innocents than the dirty
cells of criminals.
Who is complaining? asked the king.
I have a list here, your Majesty, Hemlin informed
him, handing over a scroll.
Does it name specific complaints?
Not really.
I want specific complaints before I decide anything.
And suggestions to go along with them.
I ll see if I can compile such a list, promised
Hemlin, and bowed out of the room.
The rest of you are dismissed, Isavor announced,
unrolling the list that his chief councilman had brought.
Wait where s Crow?
Lord Mosscrow is about his own devices, Highness,
said one of the councilmen. Something to do with
commending those stone pets of his.
He s been following me around all morning,
Despiris countered. And most of yesterday as well.
Isavor shook his head. Paranoid toad, he
murmured. Never mind.
Could I be of any help in his place? Lady Verrikose
asked. My grandfather was imprisoned when I was
young, and I remember a number of his complaints
about the prison.
No need, king Isavor assured her. You are all
dismissed.
Everyone obediently turned to leave.
Everyone except you, Despiris, Isavor revised, and
Despiris stopped. It was impossible not to notice Lady
Verrikose pausing, too, and both women looked at the
178
Spychild
king. Despiris has been imprisoned herself, he
explained to both of them. She would know firsthand
exactly what I m looking for.
Despiris was aware of a bit of tension in the air, albeit
well-disguised tension that she could not really
distinguish for its exact quality. Was it jealousy?
Frustration?
Overall it was only a subtle awareness, though, and
Despiris did not have time to study it. It passed before
she could really be certain if she had felt it or imagined
it, and then she was awkwardly returning to the table
while Lady Verrikose was grudgingly leaving the room.
Despiris placed herself across from the king,
wondering how she had managed to land this position.
Imagine, the Master of the Shadows at court, in the
king s favor. It was the last place she had ever expected
to find herself. The king had seemed to be the one least
interested in the hunt for the Shadowmaster, yet now
that she was before him, he seemed to be finding that he
was deeply intrigued by the creature in his midst.
Despiris couldn t help but notice that although he made
casual inquiries about her comfort and asked practical
questions regarding the issues she could help him with,
there was an undercurrent of rapt curiosity, and she
found him looking at her with more than interest. There
was something like fascination behind his eyes,
searching her, measuring her, and Despiris wondered if
he would end up just as hopelessly captivated as all of
the rest of them.
179
Spychild
21: A Face in the Crowd
He can show up in the least likely of places, when you least
expect it. Words regarding the Spylord, spoken from one of
many stranger s mouths, and oh how true they were.
Weeks passed. Despiris lived in the palace as a guest,
learning the cares and actions of a ruler and the ways of
a lady. She paid attention to the things the king did, the
decisions he made and how he handled things, learning
his heart. She became well in tuned with matters of
diplomacy and politics, making herself familiar with the
law and the justice system. She was present when the
king held court, and often went on walks with him
through the garden just to talk. There was rarely a time
when she was not standing quietly in the back corner of
a room watching, and hardly a word was exchanged in
the palace that she wasn t discreetly listening in on.
180
Spychild
With permission and guidance from the king and
appointed staff, charities were raised with Despiris as
the driving backbone. Using funds that she acquired
doing this and that, she worked to provide for the
unfortunate souls who lived off the city slums. It wasn t
much, considering how busy she was learning things,
but she reminded herself that if she was going to stay
away from Clevwrith, then she was going to do it for a
reason. She was not going to waste precious time that
she could be spending with him&
She taught the poor children that she met clever
tricks, identified skills that they bore and encouraged
them to develop them and perform for a coin here and
there on busy street corners. It would not solve all of
their problems, but it was a completely honest way of
helping them out.
While at the palace, when the king wasn t to be
disturbed, Despiris was taught the art of being a lady,
instructed by Lady Verrikose who had chosen to
remain in Cerf Daine rather than return to her own
country in the east. Despiris didn t like the strikingly
beautiful woman, but she couldn t say why since the
raven-haired lady was nothing but polite all the time
though that could have only been pure lady-like custom,
a trait of manners that was so strictly expected of
everyone. In any case, Despiris resigned herself to
accepting Lady Verrikose and returning the false
kindness she suspected was what the other woman
flaunted.
The Spylord s apprentice learned the art of a fan and
the pain of a corset, the stiffness of manners and the skill
of dancing though she couldn t help comparing these
dances to the one she had performed on the rooftops
181
Spychild
with Clevwrith, and deciding that even the most
interesting aspect of her palace lessons was boring.
Despiris tried everything willingly, letting Lady
Verrikose coach her tirelessly on new things but she
refused to return the favor. She kept her own dark [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
simply refusing them.
I have cleaner prisons than any nation on the
continent, Isavor disputed.
177
Spychild
I know, it s rather ridiculous, Sire. But just tell them
that, then, and refuse to do anything further. Better to
clean up the dirty villages of innocents than the dirty
cells of criminals.
Who is complaining? asked the king.
I have a list here, your Majesty, Hemlin informed
him, handing over a scroll.
Does it name specific complaints?
Not really.
I want specific complaints before I decide anything.
And suggestions to go along with them.
I ll see if I can compile such a list, promised
Hemlin, and bowed out of the room.
The rest of you are dismissed, Isavor announced,
unrolling the list that his chief councilman had brought.
Wait where s Crow?
Lord Mosscrow is about his own devices, Highness,
said one of the councilmen. Something to do with
commending those stone pets of his.
He s been following me around all morning,
Despiris countered. And most of yesterday as well.
Isavor shook his head. Paranoid toad, he
murmured. Never mind.
Could I be of any help in his place? Lady Verrikose
asked. My grandfather was imprisoned when I was
young, and I remember a number of his complaints
about the prison.
No need, king Isavor assured her. You are all
dismissed.
Everyone obediently turned to leave.
Everyone except you, Despiris, Isavor revised, and
Despiris stopped. It was impossible not to notice Lady
Verrikose pausing, too, and both women looked at the
178
Spychild
king. Despiris has been imprisoned herself, he
explained to both of them. She would know firsthand
exactly what I m looking for.
Despiris was aware of a bit of tension in the air, albeit
well-disguised tension that she could not really
distinguish for its exact quality. Was it jealousy?
Frustration?
Overall it was only a subtle awareness, though, and
Despiris did not have time to study it. It passed before
she could really be certain if she had felt it or imagined
it, and then she was awkwardly returning to the table
while Lady Verrikose was grudgingly leaving the room.
Despiris placed herself across from the king,
wondering how she had managed to land this position.
Imagine, the Master of the Shadows at court, in the
king s favor. It was the last place she had ever expected
to find herself. The king had seemed to be the one least
interested in the hunt for the Shadowmaster, yet now
that she was before him, he seemed to be finding that he
was deeply intrigued by the creature in his midst.
Despiris couldn t help but notice that although he made
casual inquiries about her comfort and asked practical
questions regarding the issues she could help him with,
there was an undercurrent of rapt curiosity, and she
found him looking at her with more than interest. There
was something like fascination behind his eyes,
searching her, measuring her, and Despiris wondered if
he would end up just as hopelessly captivated as all of
the rest of them.
179
Spychild
21: A Face in the Crowd
He can show up in the least likely of places, when you least
expect it. Words regarding the Spylord, spoken from one of
many stranger s mouths, and oh how true they were.
Weeks passed. Despiris lived in the palace as a guest,
learning the cares and actions of a ruler and the ways of
a lady. She paid attention to the things the king did, the
decisions he made and how he handled things, learning
his heart. She became well in tuned with matters of
diplomacy and politics, making herself familiar with the
law and the justice system. She was present when the
king held court, and often went on walks with him
through the garden just to talk. There was rarely a time
when she was not standing quietly in the back corner of
a room watching, and hardly a word was exchanged in
the palace that she wasn t discreetly listening in on.
180
Spychild
With permission and guidance from the king and
appointed staff, charities were raised with Despiris as
the driving backbone. Using funds that she acquired
doing this and that, she worked to provide for the
unfortunate souls who lived off the city slums. It wasn t
much, considering how busy she was learning things,
but she reminded herself that if she was going to stay
away from Clevwrith, then she was going to do it for a
reason. She was not going to waste precious time that
she could be spending with him&
She taught the poor children that she met clever
tricks, identified skills that they bore and encouraged
them to develop them and perform for a coin here and
there on busy street corners. It would not solve all of
their problems, but it was a completely honest way of
helping them out.
While at the palace, when the king wasn t to be
disturbed, Despiris was taught the art of being a lady,
instructed by Lady Verrikose who had chosen to
remain in Cerf Daine rather than return to her own
country in the east. Despiris didn t like the strikingly
beautiful woman, but she couldn t say why since the
raven-haired lady was nothing but polite all the time
though that could have only been pure lady-like custom,
a trait of manners that was so strictly expected of
everyone. In any case, Despiris resigned herself to
accepting Lady Verrikose and returning the false
kindness she suspected was what the other woman
flaunted.
The Spylord s apprentice learned the art of a fan and
the pain of a corset, the stiffness of manners and the skill
of dancing though she couldn t help comparing these
dances to the one she had performed on the rooftops
181
Spychild
with Clevwrith, and deciding that even the most
interesting aspect of her palace lessons was boring.
Despiris tried everything willingly, letting Lady
Verrikose coach her tirelessly on new things but she
refused to return the favor. She kept her own dark [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]