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

тАЬGood, theyтАЩre getting started,тАЭ MayneтАЩs father said, drawing MayneтАЩs attention to the man on the table -
and the men who stood over him. тАЬIt shouldnтАЩt be long before we have an answer or two.тАЭ
тАЬNo, you canтАЩt do this to me!тАЭ the assassin suddenly shouted, also struggling as the questioners began to
cut away his clothes. тАЬI donтАЩt know anything, so thereтАЩs nothing I can tell you! Please, I donтАЩt know
anything, and this isnтАЩt supposed to happen!тАЭ
тАЬYou expect the king to be merciful to a man who tried to kill one of his sons?тАЭ a questioner asked with a
terrible smile as he watched the other questioners making the assassin ready. тАЬIf you really donтАЩt know
anything you have my pity, but pity wonтАЩt save you from whatтАЩs about to be done. You were a fool to
believe whoever told you that youтАЩd escape being questioned, and now you get to pay for that
foolishness - as well as for your stupidity in accepting gold as an assassin in the first place.тАЭ
тАЬBut everyone accepts gold, and Prince Lethan isnтАЩt all that important anyway!тАЭ the man on the table
protested, his voice beginning to go shrill. тАЬI was promised that no one would ever know it was me who
did the deed, and if the gods turned against me and I was caught anyway I would never have to worry
about being questioned! He gave me his word about that, he swore by everything he held holy!тАЭ
тАЬAnd it never occurred to you that some men hold nothing holy,тАЭ the same questioner said with that same
chill smile. тАЬWould you like to tell me the name of the man whose actions turned the gods against him as
well, or would you rather wait a short while before confessing?тАЭ
тАЬNo, please, IтАЩll tell you his name right now,тАЭ the would-be assassin whimpered, terror having taken him
at sight of the instruments held by the other questioners. тАЬI wonтАЩt refuse to tell you, so those things wonтАЩt
have to be used on me. The manтАЩs name is Wedim Pann, and IтАЩve been working for him here in the
palace as a servant for the last two months.тАЭ
тАЬIt was good of you to give us a name so quickly,тАЭ the questioner said, his expression unchanging.
тАЬUnfortunately for you, though, you gave us that name too quickly. Now weтАЩll have to see what name
you come up with after a short time of being тАж convinced. If at any time the pain gets to be too much,
just tell me the truth and weтАЩll see about ending your torment.тАЭ
тАЬNo!тАЭ the poor fool on the table screamed as the first knife was brought to his chest to open the skin and
let his blood flow free. тАЬI was supposed to give a different name if anyone ever asked, but I told the truth
instead! Please, no!тАЭ
The manтАЩs words turned to pure screaming then, and Mayne exchanged a glance with his father. The king
had sent one of the guardsmen to find Wedim Pann and keep an eye on the man, but to do nothing else
unless Pann tried to leave the palace. It would be a while before they were certain the assassin had given
them the right name, rather than pretending to be too stupid to hold anything back. Extreme pain tended
to make men forget the role they happened to be playing, and that was the time Mayne and his father
would wait for.
But Mayne knew the wait would not be easy, and that no matter how much the man on the table
deserved what was being done to himтАж
Chapter Six
When Adair saw the tables being set up around the visiting room, she realized that someone had decided
to serve a buffet lunch right there. It wasnтАЩt all that bad an idea, she decided, not when even more people
-including Nallis - had come to hear LethanтАЩs story.
Right now Adair stood a couple of steps away from the girls who had unexpectedly become her friends,
aware of the fact that Lisni and the others hadnтАЩt disturbed her brooding on purpose. They seemed to
know that her father had used her weakness against her, the weakness of wanting a father who could be
believed. She needed some time to get past the realization that she never would have a father like the one
she used to dream about, and only then would she be able to associate with people normally again.
Once the food warmers with their underneath candles had been set up along the table against the back
wall, another small table had been put to the right to hold stacks of plates for people to use. A couple of
people had already gone over and taken plates, and now they headed for the warmers to see what they
would choose for lunch. Oddly enough Adair felt the next thing to hollow, so she also made her way to
the plate table ahead of a small group of people that included Nallis.