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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
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“Not true,” he said.
She licked her lips. “He would not kill me to get the throne.”
“Essus loved you too well,” Doyle said.
She turned back to me. “And his daughter does not love me at all. Is that what you mean, Darkness?”
“Meredith, daughter of Essus, does not love you, Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You are threatening me.”
“I am saying that those who would have seen Essus on your throne were stopped by his love of you, and now there is no love to stand between you and harm.”
I wished that I could have read her face better, but the blood masked much of it. “I thought you served me out of duty, Darkness.”
“No, my queen, not out of duty.”
“But you do not love me now, Darkness.”
“No,” he said, “you killed that part of me long ago.”
“And if I say Meredith will never have my throne, never be queen, what say you to that?”
“Then we will go, all of us who wish to, and we will take exile in the lands to the west.”
“You cannot mean that.”
“I mean everything I say, Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness. I have always meant everything I have ever said to you.” And a soft sound escaped him. It was a sob, and a tear glittered down his cheek.
“I did not…” She stopped and tried again. “I did not know.”
“You did not see me,” he said, and his voice was steady now.
“But you were always by my side.”
“But you did not see me.”
“Does she see you, Darkness? Does she really see you?”
He nodded. “Yes, she sees me. She sees us all.”
They stared at each other for a space of heartbeats, and it was she who turned away first. “Go, and take your rose and her new thorns with you. All of you, go.”
She did not have to ask us twice. Rhys started carrying me toward the far door. I was pretty sure I could have walked, but being carried in his arms sounded just about right. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and gazed back over his broad shoulder at my aunt.
The people who had been with her were still hesitating, waiting, unsure if they’d had their orders. She screamed at them, “Go, go! All of you, go!” They went, hurrying off. Even Gwennin tried to crawl away from her. She put a foot on the long thick strings of his intestines, and her voice came in an evil whine, “Not you, Gwennin, not you.
“Not true,” he said.
She licked her lips. “He would not kill me to get the throne.”
“Essus loved you too well,” Doyle said.
She turned back to me. “And his daughter does not love me at all. Is that what you mean, Darkness?”
“Meredith, daughter of Essus, does not love you, Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You are threatening me.”
“I am saying that those who would have seen Essus on your throne were stopped by his love of you, and now there is no love to stand between you and harm.”
I wished that I could have read her face better, but the blood masked much of it. “I thought you served me out of duty, Darkness.”
“No, my queen, not out of duty.”
“But you do not love me now, Darkness.”
“No,” he said, “you killed that part of me long ago.”
“And if I say Meredith will never have my throne, never be queen, what say you to that?”
“Then we will go, all of us who wish to, and we will take exile in the lands to the west.”
“You cannot mean that.”
“I mean everything I say, Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness. I have always meant everything I have ever said to you.” And a soft sound escaped him. It was a sob, and a tear glittered down his cheek.
“I did not…” She stopped and tried again. “I did not know.”
“You did not see me,” he said, and his voice was steady now.
“But you were always by my side.”
“But you did not see me.”
“Does she see you, Darkness? Does she really see you?”
He nodded. “Yes, she sees me. She sees us all.”
They stared at each other for a space of heartbeats, and it was she who turned away first. “Go, and take your rose and her new thorns with you. All of you, go.”
She did not have to ask us twice. Rhys started carrying me toward the far door. I was pretty sure I could have walked, but being carried in his arms sounded just about right. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and gazed back over his broad shoulder at my aunt.
The people who had been with her were still hesitating, waiting, unsure if they’d had their orders. She screamed at them, “Go, go! All of you, go!” They went, hurrying off. Even Gwennin tried to crawl away from her. She put a foot on the long thick strings of his intestines, and her voice came in an evil whine, “Not you, Gwennin, not you.