"Rawn, Melanie - Dragon Star 2 - Dragon Token" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragon Stories)

"Of course." She was all graciousness. "Although Feruche can be deceiving in its amenities. It is, after all, a castle built for war."

"Will it come to that?" Betheyn asked, frowning.

"My lord?" This from Meiglan, with a pleading look from big, soft eyes.

Chay coughed and began peeling a marsh apple from the bowl Kierun had set on the table. Pol sternly controlled his face, wishing he was not a featured player in this little farce and could sit back and enjoy it like his uncle.

"Our enemies have sought every other castle in the Desert," he said. "But don't worryЧif they come here, they'll have a surprise waiting for them."

Ruala nodded her agreement, but didn't elaborate. Instead, she turned her attention to a nearby bowl of fruit. No one else in the hall made any pretense of not watching the encounterЧor listening, if they sat close enough to the high table.

"That's precisely what I wished to speak to your grace about," Master Nemthe said. "What guarantee is there that Feruche will not fall as Radzyn and Remagev and Stronghold did?"

From the corner of his eye Pol saw Chay's hands go still, one of them white-knuckled around his paring knife. But it was just the path Pol wanted Nemthe to tread, though he would have chosen another gate.

"Again, no disrespect intended, your grace," the merchant went on, "but none of us feels entirely safe here. How can we? The traditional bargain struck between commoners and athr'im, athr'im and princes, and princes with the High PrinceЧsupport and supply in return for protectionЧhas been broken."

"Broken?" said Isriam, from Chay's right. He spoke softly, but in the sudden quiet his voice carried menace in its very gentleness. Pol had the incongruous thought

that Isriam must have learned that tone from Rohan. And it reminded him to behave with his father's cunning and restraintЧwhen what he really wanted to do wasЧ

"An unfortunate choice of word," Nemthe said, not sounding sorry. "But it's true that the age-old contract was not fulfilled. We were not protected. Will it be different here? The enemy wanted GraypearlЧand now owns it. Faolain Riverport, Gilad Seahold, Lower Pyrme, Radzyn, Remagev, StrongholdЧthe enemy has those, too. The only place that didn't fall was Goddess Keep, thanks to your grace's cousin, Lord Andry."

Pol heard the murmurings even above the pounding of his heart. This was no time to point out that Faolain Lowland was safe because of his and Sioned's efforts. That Lower Pyrme and Remagev were not in enemy hands because the deadfalls arranged there had scared the enemy away. That Tilal's army had had much to do with the victory at Goddess Keep.

This was also no time to grow angry.

Nemthe was only expressing fears Pol wanted him to feel. If Pol didn't happen to like the manner of that expression, it was his own fault for not arranging things better. The way Rohan would have done. He would have known what to say, what to do. Pol could almost hear him, see him. He would lean back in his chair, a small physical token of retreatЧperfectly calculated. He would murmur that Master Nemthe's misgivings were painful to him, but he was glad to have heard them honestly said. He would suggest that perhaps Master Nemthe would feel more secure in his person if he were not at Feruche, and that every effort would be made to find a place. . . .

At which point Master Nemthe would mention Chal-dona, and in two days the whole unwanted noisy lot of them would be gone.

Damn you, Father, why did you have to die?

"Forgive me for being so blunt," Nemthe concluded, "but none of us is sure that your grace will be able to protect us any better than your father did."

Isriam forgot his training. He growled and half-rose

from his chair, only to be shoved back down in it by Chay's strong hand.

It was a small, frail hand that rested on Pol's arm, and a tremulous voice that said, "You dare doubt the High Prince?"

Exactly the wrong thing to say. Part of himЧmost of himЧloved her for it. But whenever he heard those two words, he still waited for Rohan to answer.

Everyone else was waiting for him.

He did lean back in his chair. Not in calculated retreat; his whole body proclaimed contempt.

"If you believe us in such dire need of help, perhaps you'd care to assist."