Swallowing Darkness   ::   Гамильтон Лорел

"It is not that simple," Doyle said at last.

"Well, since the Humvee with Galen and the others in it is going to be close to them very soon, I suggest you make it simple."

He smiled. "Spoken in the tone of a queen."

"I'm with her," Gregorio said. "I've got people depending on Dawson and me to keep them safe."

I shook my head. "Take the tone any way you like, Doyle, but you're both hiding something from me. Tell me."

"As my lady asks," he said, "no magic from his hand or the others can touch us in here. He may not know that, but we are safe inside the trucks."

"I hear a 'but' in your voice."

He smiled a little more. "But there are things that can pierce the metal."

"Remember, Merry, our people didn't use armor once, for obvious reasons, but we ran into enemies who did. Our metalsmiths came up with a few things that would go through metal."

"Such as?" I asked.

"There were spears forged long ago," Doyle said. "They are locked away with the few other magical weapons left us."

"The queen would have to give him permission to open the vault of weapons," I said.

"She would, which makes it unlikely that he would have such a thing, but I do not like the fact that he and his followers are in the middle of the road, demanding things from us."

Rhys said, "The queen would never permit him to appear weak or evil in front of the humans. She's worked too long and hard to make the Unseelie Court's reputation better to let Cel ruin it now. It's the one thing she's never allowed him to do, to abuse the humans, or be seen abusing anyone else in front of them."

"And now he's in the middle of the road, behaving badly," I said. "Exactly," he said.

"Where is Queen Andais?" I asked.

"Where indeed," Doyle said, and he moved again, as if the seat wasn't quite comfortable. It wasn't, but it wasn't the seat that was bothering him. Doyle could sleep on a marble floor and not flinch.

"You're afraid for her," I said.

"One thing she accused you of, my sweet Merry, is very true. You have stripped her of all the best and most feared of her personal guard. She retained her position, in part, because of... "

"You," I finished for him.

"Not only me."

I nodded. "You can say his name, Doyle. The Queen's Darkness, and her Killing Frost."

"It upsets you to hear his name."

"It does, but that doesn't mean we don't say it."

"It would if you were Queen Andais," Rhys said.

"I am not her.