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A Lick Of Frost :: Гамильтон Лорел
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"Are you saying that the princess is using glamour against us?" Shelby asked, his handsome face no longer pleasant.
"I am saying that sometimes when dealing with King Taranis or Queen Andais, their presence overwhelms humans," Veducci responded. "Princess Meredith, being part human, though beautiful — " He nodded in my direction.
I nodded at the compliment.
" — has never affected anyone so strongly, but a lot has been happening in the Unseelie Court in the last few days. Ambassador Stevens has filled me in, as have other sources. Princess Meredith and some of her guard have moved up the power grid, so to speak."
Veducci still looked tired, but now his eyes showed the mind inside that overweight, overworked camouflage. I realized with a start that there were other dangers besides ambition. Veducci was smart, and hinted that he knew something about what had happened inside the Unseelie Court. Did he know, or was he fishing? Did he think we'd give something away?
"It is illegal to use glamour on us," Shelby said, angry. He looked at me now, and his look was no longer in the least friendly. I looked back. I gave him the full force of my tricolored eyes: molten gold at the outer edge, then a circle of jade green, and last emerald to chase around my pupil. He looked away first, dropping his gaze to his own legal pad. His voice was tight with controlled rage. "We could have you arrested, or deported back to faerie for trying to use magic to sway these proceedings, Princess."
"I'm not dong anything to you, Mr. Shelby, not on purpose." I looked at Veducci. "Mr. Veducci, you say that simply seeing my aunt and uncle was difficult; am I difficult now?"
"From my colleagues' reactions, I believe you are."
"So this is the reaction that King Taranis and Queen Andais have on humans?"
"Similar," Veducci said.
I had to smile.
"This is not funny, Princess," Cortez said, his words full of anger, but when I met his brown eyes, they dropped from me.
I looked at Nelson, but it wasn't me distracting her; her problem was behind me.
"Which one are you staring at the most?" I asked, "Frost or Doyle; light or dark?"
She blushed in that pretty way human redheads have. "I'm not…"
"Come, Ms. Nelson, confess, which one?"
She swallowed hard enough that I heard it. "Both," she whispered.
"We will charge you and these two guards with undue magical influence in a legal proceeding, Princess Meredith," Cortez said.
"I agree," Shelby said.
"Neither I, nor Frost and Doyle, are doing this on purpose."
"We are not stupid.
"Are you saying that the princess is using glamour against us?" Shelby asked, his handsome face no longer pleasant.
"I am saying that sometimes when dealing with King Taranis or Queen Andais, their presence overwhelms humans," Veducci responded. "Princess Meredith, being part human, though beautiful — " He nodded in my direction.
I nodded at the compliment.
" — has never affected anyone so strongly, but a lot has been happening in the Unseelie Court in the last few days. Ambassador Stevens has filled me in, as have other sources. Princess Meredith and some of her guard have moved up the power grid, so to speak."
Veducci still looked tired, but now his eyes showed the mind inside that overweight, overworked camouflage. I realized with a start that there were other dangers besides ambition. Veducci was smart, and hinted that he knew something about what had happened inside the Unseelie Court. Did he know, or was he fishing? Did he think we'd give something away?
"It is illegal to use glamour on us," Shelby said, angry. He looked at me now, and his look was no longer in the least friendly. I looked back. I gave him the full force of my tricolored eyes: molten gold at the outer edge, then a circle of jade green, and last emerald to chase around my pupil. He looked away first, dropping his gaze to his own legal pad. His voice was tight with controlled rage. "We could have you arrested, or deported back to faerie for trying to use magic to sway these proceedings, Princess."
"I'm not dong anything to you, Mr. Shelby, not on purpose." I looked at Veducci. "Mr. Veducci, you say that simply seeing my aunt and uncle was difficult; am I difficult now?"
"From my colleagues' reactions, I believe you are."
"So this is the reaction that King Taranis and Queen Andais have on humans?"
"Similar," Veducci said.
I had to smile.
"This is not funny, Princess," Cortez said, his words full of anger, but when I met his brown eyes, they dropped from me.
I looked at Nelson, but it wasn't me distracting her; her problem was behind me.
"Which one are you staring at the most?" I asked, "Frost or Doyle; light or dark?"
She blushed in that pretty way human redheads have. "I'm not…"
"Come, Ms. Nelson, confess, which one?"
She swallowed hard enough that I heard it. "Both," she whispered.
"We will charge you and these two guards with undue magical influence in a legal proceeding, Princess Meredith," Cortez said.
"I agree," Shelby said.
"Neither I, nor Frost and Doyle, are doing this on purpose."
"We are not stupid.