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Swallowing Darkness :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 236 из 242It's why no matter how many people Andais tortured they had nothing to tell us about my father's death."
He yelled, "She's mad, Mother. You ordered me not to plot against my uncle. I obey you in all things."
"But you didn't plot," I said. "You did it yourself. Because you were good enough with a blade, and because you knew he would hesitate. You knew my father loved you. You counted on it."
Andais's voice was almost a wail, "Cel, tell me she's wrong."
"She's wrong," he yelled.
"Swear by the Darkness that Eats all Things. Swear by the wild hunt. Swear, and I'll believe you," she said. "Swear those oaths and I will fight to the end for you."
He tried. "I swear by the Darkness That Eats All Things... " and for a moment I thought I'd been wrong, then he stopped. He tried again. "I swear by the wild hunt... I swear." He screamed it. "I swear!"
"What do you swear, Cel? Son, tell me you did not kill my brother. For the love of Goddess, tell me you did not kill Essus."
He lay on the ground, staring from Doyle to me, to the circle of my other guards who had gathered around us. He stared up at us, his eyes wide, shifting back and forth as if seeking a way out. Rhys stood beside Doyle, his face a mask of blood. Galen came to kneel by me. He had no good arm left to both hug me and keep his blade. He leaned his head against my cheek, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Merry."
Mistral was still kneeling where he'd been left, which meant he was hurt indeed. But he called out, "Essus was the best of us."
Cel yelled, "So good, my uncle, that they wanted him to be king. They wanted him to kill my mother and be king."
"Essus would never have done that," Doyle said.
"My brother loved us!" Andais screamed it at him. She looked at me, and there was real pain in her eyes. In all the years of seeking, it had never occurred to her that it was her own son.
"Yes," Cel said. He grabbed my arm, and Doyle's sword brought another drop of blood from his throat. "Do you know what your father's last words were, Meredith?"
I could only shake my head.
"He said he loved me." Then I felt his power spill up and over us all. One moment he was helpless, the next he was the wielder of old blood, and everyone around him had wounds to be reborn.
Chapter Forty-Seven
I waited for the pain of the shrapnel wounds, But it was nothing compared to the pain of my men. Two thousand years of war. A thousand years of being tortured by my aunt. Every sword cut, every spear thrust, every whip mark, every claw was there on their bodies in one red ruin.
He yelled, "She's mad, Mother. You ordered me not to plot against my uncle. I obey you in all things."
"But you didn't plot," I said. "You did it yourself. Because you were good enough with a blade, and because you knew he would hesitate. You knew my father loved you. You counted on it."
Andais's voice was almost a wail, "Cel, tell me she's wrong."
"She's wrong," he yelled.
"Swear by the Darkness that Eats all Things. Swear by the wild hunt. Swear, and I'll believe you," she said. "Swear those oaths and I will fight to the end for you."
He tried. "I swear by the Darkness That Eats All Things... " and for a moment I thought I'd been wrong, then he stopped. He tried again. "I swear by the wild hunt... I swear." He screamed it. "I swear!"
"What do you swear, Cel? Son, tell me you did not kill my brother. For the love of Goddess, tell me you did not kill Essus."
He lay on the ground, staring from Doyle to me, to the circle of my other guards who had gathered around us. He stared up at us, his eyes wide, shifting back and forth as if seeking a way out. Rhys stood beside Doyle, his face a mask of blood. Galen came to kneel by me. He had no good arm left to both hug me and keep his blade. He leaned his head against my cheek, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Merry."
Mistral was still kneeling where he'd been left, which meant he was hurt indeed. But he called out, "Essus was the best of us."
Cel yelled, "So good, my uncle, that they wanted him to be king. They wanted him to kill my mother and be king."
"Essus would never have done that," Doyle said.
"My brother loved us!" Andais screamed it at him. She looked at me, and there was real pain in her eyes. In all the years of seeking, it had never occurred to her that it was her own son.
"Yes," Cel said. He grabbed my arm, and Doyle's sword brought another drop of blood from his throat. "Do you know what your father's last words were, Meredith?"
I could only shake my head.
"He said he loved me." Then I felt his power spill up and over us all. One moment he was helpless, the next he was the wielder of old blood, and everyone around him had wounds to be reborn.
Chapter Forty-Seven
I waited for the pain of the shrapnel wounds, But it was nothing compared to the pain of my men. Two thousand years of war. A thousand years of being tortured by my aunt. Every sword cut, every spear thrust, every whip mark, every claw was there on their bodies in one red ruin.