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A Kiss Of Shadows :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 181 из 338"Holdit in the palm of your hand; see what you feel."
He took the ring tentatively between two fingers and laid it in his opposite hand. The heavy octagonal ring sat in his palm gleaming softly.
We sat and stared at the ring for a few seconds. Nothing happened. "Is it warm?" I asked.
Galen looked up at me, eyebrows raised. "Warm? No, is it supposed to be?"
"Not for you, apparently."
He wrapped the ring in the bit of silk and slipped it into the small velvet bag. It fit perfectly, but there was no room for the heavy cord. He looked at me. "I don't think the queen did the spell. I think she put this ring in here for you as a gift, just like the note says."
"Then someone else added the spell," I said.
He nodded. "It was a very subtle spell, Merry. We almost didn't notice it."
"Yes, I almost thought it was me making up my mind. If it had been some outrageous lust spell we'd have noticed something wrong much sooner." There weren't that many people in the Unseelie Court who were capable of such a sophisticated love spell. Love wasn't our specialty; lust was.
Galen echoed my thoughts. "There are only three, maybe five people in the entire court that could do such a spell. If you'd asked me, I'd have said none of them would willingly hurt you. They may not all like you, but they aren't your enemies."
"Or they weren't three years ago," I said. "People change their minds, new alliances form."
"I haven't noticed anything that different," Galen said.
I had to smile. "You say that like it's a big surprise that you wouldn't notice political wheeling and dealing behind the scenes."
"All right, all right, I'm not a political animal, but Barinthus is, and he never mentioned any change of heart this severe among the neutral parties at court."
I held my hand out for the ring. Galen handed me the bag. I took the ring out and laid it on my palm. Even before the ring touched my skin I could feel the small warmth. I wrapped my hand around the ring, squeezing it in my fist, and the warmth grew. The ring, my aunt's ring, the queen's ring, answered to my flesh. Would that please our queen or anger her? If she didn't want the ring to acknowledge me, why would she have given it to me?
"You look pleased," Galen said. "Why? You've just been the victim of an assassination attempt—you do remember that part, right?" He was studying my face, as if trying to read my expression.
"The ring is warm to my touch, Galen. It's a relic of power and it knows me." The seat underneath me twitched. It made me jump.
He took the ring tentatively between two fingers and laid it in his opposite hand. The heavy octagonal ring sat in his palm gleaming softly.
We sat and stared at the ring for a few seconds. Nothing happened. "Is it warm?" I asked.
Galen looked up at me, eyebrows raised. "Warm? No, is it supposed to be?"
"Not for you, apparently."
He wrapped the ring in the bit of silk and slipped it into the small velvet bag. It fit perfectly, but there was no room for the heavy cord. He looked at me. "I don't think the queen did the spell. I think she put this ring in here for you as a gift, just like the note says."
"Then someone else added the spell," I said.
He nodded. "It was a very subtle spell, Merry. We almost didn't notice it."
"Yes, I almost thought it was me making up my mind. If it had been some outrageous lust spell we'd have noticed something wrong much sooner." There weren't that many people in the Unseelie Court who were capable of such a sophisticated love spell. Love wasn't our specialty; lust was.
Galen echoed my thoughts. "There are only three, maybe five people in the entire court that could do such a spell. If you'd asked me, I'd have said none of them would willingly hurt you. They may not all like you, but they aren't your enemies."
"Or they weren't three years ago," I said. "People change their minds, new alliances form."
"I haven't noticed anything that different," Galen said.
I had to smile. "You say that like it's a big surprise that you wouldn't notice political wheeling and dealing behind the scenes."
"All right, all right, I'm not a political animal, but Barinthus is, and he never mentioned any change of heart this severe among the neutral parties at court."
I held my hand out for the ring. Galen handed me the bag. I took the ring out and laid it on my palm. Even before the ring touched my skin I could feel the small warmth. I wrapped my hand around the ring, squeezing it in my fist, and the warmth grew. The ring, my aunt's ring, the queen's ring, answered to my flesh. Would that please our queen or anger her? If she didn't want the ring to acknowledge me, why would she have given it to me?
"You look pleased," Galen said. "Why? You've just been the victim of an assassination attempt—you do remember that part, right?" He was studying my face, as if trying to read my expression.
"The ring is warm to my touch, Galen. It's a relic of power and it knows me." The seat underneath me twitched. It made me jump.