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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
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"The head ofCel's guard."
"There is only one Siobhan," Doyle said.
"Thank the Lord and Lady for that," Rhys said.
Siobhan was the equivalent of Doyle. She was leprously pale with spiderweb hair and not very tall. Physically she was nothing like Doyle. But just as whenever the queen had said, "Where is my Darkness, send me my Darkness," and someone had bled or died, so Cel with Siobhan. But she had no nickname; she was simply Siobhan.
"I hate to be picky," I said, "but did she receive any punishment for following Cel's orders and trying to assassinate me?"
"Yes," Doyle said, "but it has been months, Meredith, and the punishment is over."
"How long was the punishment?" I asked.
"A month."
I shook my head. "A month, for nearly killing a royal heir. What kind of message does that send to everyone else who wants me dead?"
"Cel gave the order, Meredith, and he is experiencing one of our worst punishments for half a year. No one expects his mind to survive. They see that as the punishment."
"And have you ever been in Ezekiel's tender care for an entire month?" Rhys asked.
Ezekiel was the court torturer, and had been for many mortal lifetimes. But he was mortal. The queen had found him plying his trade for a human city and so admired his handiwork that she'd offered him a job.
"I've never been in the Hallway of Mortality for a month, no, but I spent my share of time there. Ezekiel always said he had to be so careful of me. He'd spent so many centuries with the immortals that he was afraid he'd kill me by accident. 'I 'ave to be so careful of ya, Princess, so delicate, so fragile, so human."
Rhys shivered. "You imitate his voice well."
"He liked to talk while he worked."
"I apologize, Merry, you've done your time, but that means you understand what it meant for Siobhan to be in his care for a month's time."
"I understand, Rhys, but I'd have felt better if she'd been executed."
"The queen is loath to lose any noble-born sidhe," Doyle said.
"I know, there aren't enough to spare." But I wasn't happy about it. If you tried to kill a royal heir, the punishment should have been death. Anything less and someone might try again. Come to that, Siobhan might try again.
"Why does she want war?" I asked.
"She likes death," Rhys said.
Hooked at him.
"I wasn't the only one who used to be a death deity, and I'm not the only one who lost a great deal of their weirding when the Nameless was cast. Siobhan was not always her name either.
"The head ofCel's guard."
"There is only one Siobhan," Doyle said.
"Thank the Lord and Lady for that," Rhys said.
Siobhan was the equivalent of Doyle. She was leprously pale with spiderweb hair and not very tall. Physically she was nothing like Doyle. But just as whenever the queen had said, "Where is my Darkness, send me my Darkness," and someone had bled or died, so Cel with Siobhan. But she had no nickname; she was simply Siobhan.
"I hate to be picky," I said, "but did she receive any punishment for following Cel's orders and trying to assassinate me?"
"Yes," Doyle said, "but it has been months, Meredith, and the punishment is over."
"How long was the punishment?" I asked.
"A month."
I shook my head. "A month, for nearly killing a royal heir. What kind of message does that send to everyone else who wants me dead?"
"Cel gave the order, Meredith, and he is experiencing one of our worst punishments for half a year. No one expects his mind to survive. They see that as the punishment."
"And have you ever been in Ezekiel's tender care for an entire month?" Rhys asked.
Ezekiel was the court torturer, and had been for many mortal lifetimes. But he was mortal. The queen had found him plying his trade for a human city and so admired his handiwork that she'd offered him a job.
"I've never been in the Hallway of Mortality for a month, no, but I spent my share of time there. Ezekiel always said he had to be so careful of me. He'd spent so many centuries with the immortals that he was afraid he'd kill me by accident. 'I 'ave to be so careful of ya, Princess, so delicate, so fragile, so human."
Rhys shivered. "You imitate his voice well."
"He liked to talk while he worked."
"I apologize, Merry, you've done your time, but that means you understand what it meant for Siobhan to be in his care for a month's time."
"I understand, Rhys, but I'd have felt better if she'd been executed."
"The queen is loath to lose any noble-born sidhe," Doyle said.
"I know, there aren't enough to spare." But I wasn't happy about it. If you tried to kill a royal heir, the punishment should have been death. Anything less and someone might try again. Come to that, Siobhan might try again.
"Why does she want war?" I asked.
"She likes death," Rhys said.
Hooked at him.
"I wasn't the only one who used to be a death deity, and I'm not the only one who lost a great deal of their weirding when the Nameless was cast. Siobhan was not always her name either.