"Sharon Green - [ebel 01 - Rebel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Sharon)

their business to come by if there was a girl in the stocks, only on very rare occasions did any girl ever
end up there.
The man using the wooden rule wasnтАЩt holding back much if at all, and it looked like he meant to keep up
the spanking for quite some time yet. Mayne saw the way the girl being spanked kicked and struggled
and howled and cried, and the sight brought to mind the way Adair had taken her spanking. A spanking
she really shouldnтАЩt have been given, a mistake he hadnтАЩt yet apologized for.
But how was he supposed to apologize for doing something because of the way heтАЩd been lied to?
Having to admit that he was a fool would have been hard enough, but having to confirm to Adair that her
father really cared nothing about her would just be adding more pain. It was true that Adair needed a firm
hand to keep her from doing wild, outrageous, and dangerous things, but that firm hand ought to be given
with love and concern. She тАУ
тАЬMayne, are you coming?тАЭ he heard, pulling him out of the turmoil of his thoughts. When he turned he
saw his father, and the king looked more concerned than impatient.
тАЬYes, Father, of course IтАЩm coming,тАЭ Mayne answered at once, now seeing that the assassinтАЩs
destination had been decided on at last. тАЬI was тАж just distracted a little.тАЭ
тАЬProbably thinking about the lady Adair,тАЭ MayneтАЩs father murmured once Mayne stood beside him, an
odd expression in the kingтАЩs eyes. тАЬIs it really true that she saved LethanтАЩs life?тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs what heтАЩs been telling everyone willing to listen, and I believe it,тАЭ Mayne confirmed. тАЬShe looked
a bit shaken when I got there, but she got over the shakiness before Lethan did.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not surprised,тАЭ King Rodick said, drawing Mayne along when he began to follow after the group
with the assassin. тАЬA girl who showed no hesitation at all in confronting a king isnтАЩt likely to whimper and
faint in the presence of an assassin. Did you ask Lethan about who might want him dead?тАЭ
тАЬI did, and I believed him when he said he had no idea who he might have insulted,тАЭ Mayne answered.
тАЬBut Adair made a suggestion that I found disturbing. She pointed out how much alike my brothers and I
look, so itтАЩs possible that the assassin was after Nallis or me and just made a mistake going after Lethan.тАЭ
тАЬWell, that we ought to be able to find out about,тАЭ King Rodick said, his expression grim as he led the
way into the room on the right that the assassin had been taken to. тАЬItтАЩs possible the man canтАЩt tell us
who paid him if the one who hired him took precautions, but heтАЩll certainly be able to tell us who he was
hired to kill.тАЭ
Mayne had no trouble agreeing with that conclusion, so he simply stopped beside his father to watch the
preparations being made. The assassin had been chained down to a wooden table, and the desperation in
the manтАЩs eyes said he was very afraid.
тАЬSomeone gave orders that this filth was to be put in a cell in the dungeons rather than be taken directly
to the questioners,тАЭ MayneтАЩs father remarked in a murmur. тАЬIf I hadnтАЩt issued my own orders
immediately, I wonder just how long the filth would have been available to question.тАЭ
тАЬYou think he would have been set free?тАЭ Mayne asked, feeling the frown heтАЩd developed. тАЬBut that
doesnтАЩt make any sense. Anyone wanting to set him free would have to go through the guards who
would be standing in front of the cell. Just because the dungeon cells arenтАЩt guarded when no one is in
them doesnтАЩt mean there arenтАЩt guards when someone is put in one.тАЭ
тАЬThat was what I thought until I considered the matter for a minute or two,тАЭ MayneтАЩs father responded,
still speaking softly. тАЬIt isnтАЩt possible to free an assassin who has been caught, but it is possible to help
him escape having to face being questioned. I sent some men down to the dungeons to search the cells,
but IтАЩm already certain I know what theyтАЩll find.тАЭ
тАЬSome kind of poison, or maybe a dagger,тАЭ Mayne said, the conclusion now obvious. тАЬIs there any way
to find out who gave the orders for the man to be taken to a cell instead of to the questioners?тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs something else I have people looking into, and I will get the answer if I have to put everyone in
this palace to the question.тАЭ King RodickтАЩs statement came as no surprise to Mayne, who happened to
agree with his father completely. If the assassin had succeeded, MayneтАЩs brother would now be dead,
and probably Adair as well. Mayne felt nothing in the way of hesitation over hurting whoever was
involved in this murderous plot, and when they finally found out who was behind it allтАж