"Jennifer Fallon - Second Sons 03 - Lord of the Shadows" - читать интересную книгу автора (Fallon Jennifer)

Chapter 2

In death, the High Priestess was not a pretty sight. Belagren had fallen against the wall and lay
slumped beneath the window of her sitting room, her jaw slack. Only the whites of her eyes showed
beneath her partly closed eyelids, as if she was staring blindly into the afterlife. Dirk Provin gagged on
the sharp aroma of urine as he entered the room.
Why donтАЩt people die with beatific smiles on their faces?
Instead, the High PriestessтАЩs bladder had relaxed when she died and it had stained the red silken
robes bunched up beneath her, revealing ankles and lower limbs swollen with the body fluids that had
pooled there when her heart stopped beating.
If there really is a Goddess, and if death is her reward, then why is the transition to the
afterlife such an ugly, degrading thing? Dirk wondered.
Yuri Daranski, the palace physician, was bending over the corpse and looked up when he heard the
door open, his ferrety eyes guilty. He seemed relieved when he saw who entered and beckoned Dirk
forward. Somewhat reluctantly, Dirk crossed the room, noticing a tray with a cup and saucer resting on
the table beside the settee. He hesitated for a moment, picked up the cup and sniffed the familiar scent
of peppermint, and then without changing his expression he walked to the window and squatted down
beside the physician.
тАЬSheтАЩs been dead for a little over two hours,тАЭ Yuri told him. тАЬSee, rigor mortis has begun to set into
her fingers and toes.тАЭ
тАЬDo you know how she died?тАЭ He declined to touch her and confirm what Yuri told him. The
Shadowdancer knew his trade.
Yuri glanced at Dirk with a frown. тАЬA stroke perhaps... or something else.тАЭ
тАЬWhat kind of something else?тАЭ Dirk asked carefully.
The physician hesitated before answering. тАЬPoison.тАЭ
тАЬYou think she was murdered,тАЭ Dirk said, knowing she almost certainly had beenтАФand who the
likely culprit was.
тАЬI seriously doubt she took her own life.тАЭ Yuri shrugged.
There was a moment of silenceтАФa moment of suspicion and uneasiness as the youth and the old
physician sized each other up, debating how far each could be trusted.
тАЬHave you told Antonov of your suspicions?тАЭ
Yuri let out a short, skeptical laugh. тАЬIf anyone is going to tell the Lion of Senet the High Priestess
has been murdered in his own palace, it wonтАЩt be me, Dirk Provin. IтАЩm rather fond of my head right
where it is, thank you.тАЭ
тАЬYou expect me to tell him?тАЭ
Yuri shrugged. тАЬYouтАЩre the Lord of the Shadows, arenтАЩt you? The right hand of the High Priestess
of the Shadowdancers? That puts you in charge now, my ladтАФtemporarily, at least. I suppose itтАЩll be
up to old Paige Halyn to appoint her successor.тАЭ Yuri stood up and wiped his hands on a towel. It was
a symbolic gesture, Dirk thought. As if he were wiping his hands of the whole affair. тАЬWhat are you
going to tell him?тАЭ
Still squatting beside the corpse, Dirk studied Belagren for a moment longer, and then glanced up at
Yuri. тАЬIтАЩm not going to tell him she was murdered, thatтАЩs for certain. Not without a culprit I can hand
him on a platter.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre going to lie to him?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm going to make certain the Shadowdancers arenтАЩt destroyed by Antonov in a fit of rage,тАЭ Dirk
corrected. He hesitated for a moment and then added, тАЬWill you back me up on this?тАЭ
Yuri thought about it and then nodded. He hadnтАЩt gotten to the position of trust he held in the
Shadowdancers without being a realist. тАЬAye. IтАЩll say it was a stroke.тАЭ He tossed the towel aside and