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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 96 из 293“The stories the prince’s guards have told…” He shivered, hands convulsing against my body.
I pushed away enough to see their faces. “I thought the guards were too terrified of Cel to tattle on him.”
Doyle pulled me in against them again, but turned me so that I half sat and half lay against their laps. “Some of the prince’s guard have access to human newspapers and magazines,” Doyle said. “They have noticed that your guards seem to be having a much better time than either the Queen’s Ravens or the Prince’s Cranes.”
“I still can’t get used to hearing them called Cranes. That was my father’s bird, his guard.”
“Many of them belonged to Essus’s guard,” Frost said. He held my hand in his. “They were simply given to Cel after Essus’s death.”
“Were they given a choice?” I asked. At the time, the least of my worries had been my father’s guard, for had they not failed him? Had they not allowed him to be killed? Now I wondered how many of them would have dropped their vows as royal guard if they’d been given a chance.
Doyle cupped the side of my face, brought my attention to his face. “It was your sending for the other men last night that has sent some of Cel’s birds to speak to us about life under him.”
“Why did that loosen their tongues?”
“It showed that you cared for all your guard, not just the ones you like. Such caring is not something the Cranes have seen in many a year.”
I could feel Frost’s body shudder against mine. “I thought what we endured by the queen’s hand was bad enough…” He shook his head. “Such stories.”
“We cannot give the court over to him, Meredith,” Doyle said. “I believe him truly mad.”
“Being imprisoned and tortured isn’t going to improve that,” I said.
“No,” he said.
“Tell her the rest,” Frost said.
Doyle sighed. “You remember that the queen allowed Cel’s need to be slacked by one of his guards.”
I nodded. “Yes, and that night there was an attempt on both my life and the queen’s.”
“Yes, but we are still not absolutely certain Cel ordered it. It could simply have been those loyal to him moving in desperation to rescue him before he goes so mad that everyone sees him for what he is.”
“You think the nobles would refuse to follow him?”
“If he tried to do to the court what he has done to his guard, yes,” Doyle said.
I settled back in the curves of their bodies, fur and leather.
I pushed away enough to see their faces. “I thought the guards were too terrified of Cel to tattle on him.”
Doyle pulled me in against them again, but turned me so that I half sat and half lay against their laps. “Some of the prince’s guard have access to human newspapers and magazines,” Doyle said. “They have noticed that your guards seem to be having a much better time than either the Queen’s Ravens or the Prince’s Cranes.”
“I still can’t get used to hearing them called Cranes. That was my father’s bird, his guard.”
“Many of them belonged to Essus’s guard,” Frost said. He held my hand in his. “They were simply given to Cel after Essus’s death.”
“Were they given a choice?” I asked. At the time, the least of my worries had been my father’s guard, for had they not failed him? Had they not allowed him to be killed? Now I wondered how many of them would have dropped their vows as royal guard if they’d been given a chance.
Doyle cupped the side of my face, brought my attention to his face. “It was your sending for the other men last night that has sent some of Cel’s birds to speak to us about life under him.”
“Why did that loosen their tongues?”
“It showed that you cared for all your guard, not just the ones you like. Such caring is not something the Cranes have seen in many a year.”
I could feel Frost’s body shudder against mine. “I thought what we endured by the queen’s hand was bad enough…” He shook his head. “Such stories.”
“We cannot give the court over to him, Meredith,” Doyle said. “I believe him truly mad.”
“Being imprisoned and tortured isn’t going to improve that,” I said.
“No,” he said.
“Tell her the rest,” Frost said.
Doyle sighed. “You remember that the queen allowed Cel’s need to be slacked by one of his guards.”
I nodded. “Yes, and that night there was an attempt on both my life and the queen’s.”
“Yes, but we are still not absolutely certain Cel ordered it. It could simply have been those loyal to him moving in desperation to rescue him before he goes so mad that everyone sees him for what he is.”
“You think the nobles would refuse to follow him?”
“If he tried to do to the court what he has done to his guard, yes,” Doyle said.
I settled back in the curves of their bodies, fur and leather.