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

looked at Dirk approvingly. тАЬYouтАЩve a level head on your shoulders, boy.тАЭ
тАЬAnd like you, I prefer it where it is.тАЭ Dirk stood up and glanced around the room. тАЬHas he seen her
yet?тАЭ
тАЬBriefly, I believe. Apparently he sent for the High Priestess to attend him in the temple and when
she couldnтАЩt be roused the guard fetched a servant to wake her. It was the laundry maid, Emalia, who
found her. She told the guard, he told Antonov, who raced into the palace, took one look at her body
and then stalked off. I suppose heтАЩs back in the temple.тАЭ
Dirk knew for a fact that he wasnтАЩt. The Lion of Senet had not returned to his private temple. HeтАЩd
been watching for Antonov from the window in his room and had seen no sign of him since the Lion of
Senet had hurried back to the palace in response to the guardтАЩs summons.
тАЬWe need to get her cleaned up. HeтАЩll want to see her again, but not like this.тАЭ
 Yuri nodded. тАЬIтАЩll get Ella and Olena to see to it. What are you going to do?тАЭ
тАЬFirst, IтАЩm going to send a message to the Hall of Shadows and get Madalan Tirov back here. I
canтАЩt deal with this on my own. Then IтАЩm going to find Antonov and try to convince him this was the will
of the Goddess.тАЭ
Yuri nodded. Like most Shadowdancers in BelagrenтАЩs inner circle, Yuri knew there was no
Goddess, or if there was, she certainly hadnтАЩt spoken to the High Priestess and told her anything of
value. Yuri knew about Neris. He knew about the Milk of the Goddess; he knew about many other
things Dirk would dearly like to know about, too.
тАЬI donтАЩt envy you that task.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not looking forward to it, either,тАЭ Dirk agreed. тАЬWill you take care of things here?тАЭ
тАЬMy task is by far the easier one,тАЭ Yuri replied. тАЬGood luck with yours.тАЭ



Dirk pushed through the curious crowd gathered outside BelagrenтАЩs room, grateful for the escort
Antonov had appointed to watch over him. His guards bullied a path through the servants and courtiers,
making it easier for him to avoid the questioning looks that followed him back to his room.
Once he reached his own suite, he slipped inside, locked the door and then leaned against it, closing
his eyes against the horror of what he had just witnessed. What made it even worse was the knowledge
that he was responsible.
Marqel had killed her. There was no question in DirkтАЩs mind about it. That stupid, shortsighted,
murderous little bitch! She was too self-absorbed to understand the ramifications of what she had
done and Dirk was a fool for not realizing it. TheyтАЩd argued on a number of occasions about it in the
past few weeks. Dirk had tried to explain to Marqel why Belagren had to live, but she had obviously
only listened to the part about becoming High Priestess. Stupid, stupid girl! Did she have any idea how
much harder she had made things?
Dirk did not grieve for Belagren. A part of him was glad to see the end of her. Nor was he
particularly concerned about the manner of her demise. But the timing was everything. The chances
were quite good Marqel had ruined everything with her meddling.
Why couldnтАЩt she have just done what I told her?
Dirk would have little chance to take Marqel to task for it, either. Now that he had set this plan in
motion, he would have little private contact with Marqel, or it might begin to raise suspicion. Dirk
opened his eyes and reached into his pocket. He withdrew the delicate porcelain teacup he had taken
from BelagrenтАЩs room. He sniffed it again, smelled the peppermint, the proof of MarqelтАЩs guilt.
IтАЩm insane for thinking this would work.
Then he walked into the bathroom, held the cup high and let it go. It dropped to the tiles and
smashed to pieces.
Dirk gathered them up carefully and threw them down the garderobe before he walked back into the
main room. He sat down at his desk, took a deep breath, picked up a pen, and taking a fresh leaf of