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Mistrals Kiss :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 24 из 148” She held out her hand to Mistral. “Come, my captain, let us leave them to their pleasures.”
Mistral did not question. He stood and took her pale hand.
“We need him,” Rhys said.
“No,” Andais said, “no, I have given Meredith my green men. She does not need the whole world.”
“Does grass grow without wind and rain?” Doyle asked.
“No,” she said, and her voice was unfriendly again, as if she would like to be angry but couldn’t afford to be right now. Andais was a creature of her temper; she always indulged it. This much self-restraint from her was rare.
“To make spring, you need many things, my queen,” said Doyle. “Without warmth and water, plants wither and die.” They stared at each other, the queen and her Darkness. It was the queen who looked away first.
“Mistral may stay.” She released his hand, then looked across the cavern at me. “But let this be understood between us, niece. He is not yours. He is mine. He is yours only for this space of time. Is that clear to all of you?”
We all nodded.
“And you, Mistral,” the queen said. “Do you understand?”
“My geas is lifted for this space of time with the princess alone.”
“Clearly put, as always,” she said. She turned her back as if she would walk through the wall, then turned and looked over her shoulder. “I will finish what I was doing when I noticed your absence, Mistral.”
He dropped to his knees. “My queen, please do not do this…”
She turned back with a smile that was almost pleasant — except for the look in her eyes, which even from here was frightening. “You mean, do not leave you with the princess?”
“No, my queen, you know that is not what I mean.”
“Do I?” she said, danger in her voice. She glided over the dead brush and placed the point of Mortal Dread under his chin. “You didn’t come to ask the advice of my Darkness. You came to bid the princess to intercede for Nerys’s clan.”
Mistral’s shoulders moved as if he’d breathed deeply, or swallowed hard.
“Answer me, Mistral,” she said, a whine of rage like a razor’s edge in her voice.
“Nerys gave her life on your word that you would not kill her people. You — ” He stopped talking abruptly, as if she’d nudged the point close enough that he couldn’t speak without cutting himself.
Mistral did not question. He stood and took her pale hand.
“We need him,” Rhys said.
“No,” Andais said, “no, I have given Meredith my green men. She does not need the whole world.”
“Does grass grow without wind and rain?” Doyle asked.
“No,” she said, and her voice was unfriendly again, as if she would like to be angry but couldn’t afford to be right now. Andais was a creature of her temper; she always indulged it. This much self-restraint from her was rare.
“To make spring, you need many things, my queen,” said Doyle. “Without warmth and water, plants wither and die.” They stared at each other, the queen and her Darkness. It was the queen who looked away first.
“Mistral may stay.” She released his hand, then looked across the cavern at me. “But let this be understood between us, niece. He is not yours. He is mine. He is yours only for this space of time. Is that clear to all of you?”
We all nodded.
“And you, Mistral,” the queen said. “Do you understand?”
“My geas is lifted for this space of time with the princess alone.”
“Clearly put, as always,” she said. She turned her back as if she would walk through the wall, then turned and looked over her shoulder. “I will finish what I was doing when I noticed your absence, Mistral.”
He dropped to his knees. “My queen, please do not do this…”
She turned back with a smile that was almost pleasant — except for the look in her eyes, which even from here was frightening. “You mean, do not leave you with the princess?”
“No, my queen, you know that is not what I mean.”
“Do I?” she said, danger in her voice. She glided over the dead brush and placed the point of Mortal Dread under his chin. “You didn’t come to ask the advice of my Darkness. You came to bid the princess to intercede for Nerys’s clan.”
Mistral’s shoulders moved as if he’d breathed deeply, or swallowed hard.
“Answer me, Mistral,” she said, a whine of rage like a razor’s edge in her voice.
“Nerys gave her life on your word that you would not kill her people. You — ” He stopped talking abruptly, as if she’d nudged the point close enough that he couldn’t speak without cutting himself.