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Mistrals Kiss :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 98 из 148I wondered if my facehad looked that way when the choice had been mine. “You mean for me to kill Meredith?”
“She is royal blood, a fit sacrifice for this place.”
“No,” Sholto said.
“You said you would do anything,” the Goddess said.
“I can offer my life, but I cannot offer hers,” Sholto said. “It isn’t mine to give.” His hand was mottled with the force of his grip on the hilt of the knife.
“You are king,” the God said.
“A king tends his people, he doesn’t butcher them.”
“You would condemn your people to a slow death for the life of one woman?”
Emotions chased over Sholto’s face, but finally he dropped the knife on the rock. It rang as if it were the hardest metal rather than bone. “I cannot, will not harm Meredith.”
“Why will you not?”
“She is not sluagh. She should not have to die to bring us back to life. It is not her place.”
“If she wishes to be queen over all of faerie, then she will be sluagh.”
“Then let her be queen. If she dies here, she will not be queen, and that will leave us with only Cel. I would bring life back to the sluagh and destroy all of faerie in one blow. She holds the chalice. The chalice, my lord. The chalice after all these years is returned. I do not understand how you can ask me to destroy the only hope we have.”
“Is she your hope, Sholto?” the God asked.
“Yes,” he whispered. There was so much emotion in that one word.
The dark figure looked at the grey. The Goddess spoke. “There is no fear in you, Meredith. Why not?”
I tried to put it into words. “Sholto is right, my lady. The chalice has returned to us, and magic is returning to the sidhe. You use my body as your vessel. I do not think you would waste all that on one bloody sacrifice.” I glanced at Sholto. “And I have felt his hand in mine. I have felt his desire for me. I think it would destroy something in him to kill me. I do not believe my God and Goddess so heartless as that.”
“Does he love you then, Meredith?”
“I do not know, but he loves the idea of holding me in his arms. That I know.”
“Do you love this woman, Sholto?” the God asked.
Sholto opened his mouth, closed it, then said, “It is not a gentleman’s place to answer such questions in front of a lady.”
“This is a place for truth, Sholto.”
“It’s all right, Sholto,” I said. “Answer true. I won’t hold it against you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he said softly.
“She is royal blood, a fit sacrifice for this place.”
“No,” Sholto said.
“You said you would do anything,” the Goddess said.
“I can offer my life, but I cannot offer hers,” Sholto said. “It isn’t mine to give.” His hand was mottled with the force of his grip on the hilt of the knife.
“You are king,” the God said.
“A king tends his people, he doesn’t butcher them.”
“You would condemn your people to a slow death for the life of one woman?”
Emotions chased over Sholto’s face, but finally he dropped the knife on the rock. It rang as if it were the hardest metal rather than bone. “I cannot, will not harm Meredith.”
“Why will you not?”
“She is not sluagh. She should not have to die to bring us back to life. It is not her place.”
“If she wishes to be queen over all of faerie, then she will be sluagh.”
“Then let her be queen. If she dies here, she will not be queen, and that will leave us with only Cel. I would bring life back to the sluagh and destroy all of faerie in one blow. She holds the chalice. The chalice, my lord. The chalice after all these years is returned. I do not understand how you can ask me to destroy the only hope we have.”
“Is she your hope, Sholto?” the God asked.
“Yes,” he whispered. There was so much emotion in that one word.
The dark figure looked at the grey. The Goddess spoke. “There is no fear in you, Meredith. Why not?”
I tried to put it into words. “Sholto is right, my lady. The chalice has returned to us, and magic is returning to the sidhe. You use my body as your vessel. I do not think you would waste all that on one bloody sacrifice.” I glanced at Sholto. “And I have felt his hand in mine. I have felt his desire for me. I think it would destroy something in him to kill me. I do not believe my God and Goddess so heartless as that.”
“Does he love you then, Meredith?”
“I do not know, but he loves the idea of holding me in his arms. That I know.”
“Do you love this woman, Sholto?” the God asked.
Sholto opened his mouth, closed it, then said, “It is not a gentleman’s place to answer such questions in front of a lady.”
“This is a place for truth, Sholto.”
“It’s all right, Sholto,” I said. “Answer true. I won’t hold it against you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he said softly.