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

And then Adair glanced back to see the oddest thing. There was a servant standing to the left of the
table, out of the way of those who wanted plates. The man just watched as various people, including
Adair, chose their plates, but when Adair glanced back she saw that when it became NallisтАЩs turn the
servant handed him a plate, one from somewhere other than the handiest stack. Granted, Nallis was a
prince in his fatherтАЩs palace, but Nallis had been reaching for a different plate before the servant handed
him one. If being given special treatment was something to be expected, Nallis would not have been
about to take his own plate.
But Nallis was too involved with laughing and joking with the people around him to notice the oddity, and
no one else seem to notice either. If not for the attack on Lethan earlier Adair probably would have
dismissed the oddity, but Lethan had been attacked by an assassin. That meant Adair hesitated not at all
before she turned and pushed through the advancing crowd of people to stop in front of the prince.
тАЬNallis, wait a minute,тАЭ she said, seeing the look of surprise on the princeтАЩs face. тАЬBefore you use that
plate you were just given, you might want to take a really close look at it. It didnтАЩt come from тАУтАЭ
A scream of frustration suddenly sounded from the servant who stood by the table about ten feet away,
and the next instant the man had a long dagger in his hand and was in the midst of running directly toward
Nallis. Everyone stood frozen in shock, everyone, that is, but Adair.
Feeling as if sheтАЩd already gone through the same scene once before, she moved her hand holding the
plate in toward her body, then snapped it out in the direction of the charging servant. The round plate
sped hard and true, hitting the servant in the middle of his face. The man went down as if heтАЩd been
pole-axed, and then the babble of hysteria broke out amidst the shouts of guardsmen who would have
been much too late to save their prince.
тАЬIs this some kind of game IтАЩm missing the point of?тАЭ Adair asked Nallis above the hubbub. тАЬYou know,
people try to kill you and your brothers, and the bunch of you get to see how long it takes for bystanders
to intervene assuming they do? If this is a game, isnтАЩt there any other way to relieve your boredom?тАЭ
тАЬYou really are an incredible woman,тАЭ Nallis returned as he stared at her, and then a grin broke through
to his face. тАЬI guess you could say this attack is my fault, because IтАЩve been feeling just a little jealous that
Lethan got to be saved by you. Now youтАЩve done the same for me, so I have nothing left to be jealous
about.тАЭ
Adair suddenly felt like an absolute idiot, and silently cursing at herself did no good at all. Speaking to
Nallis and then flinging that plate had been automatic actions, but even if sheтАЩd stopped to think about the
matter she really couldnтАЩt have done any differently. SheтАЩd been caught in the middle again, and now
things were even worse than theyтАЩd been.
тАЬAdair, that was unbelievable,тАЭ Nossa said with a laugh as she and Lisni and Elmini abruptly appeared.
All three of them were laughing, even though they seemed to be trying not to. тАЬBut come to think of it, I
suppose you did have to do it. I mean, one medal looks unbalanced, but now youтАЩll have two.тАЭ
тАЬReflexes are awful things, arenтАЩt they?тАЭ Elmini commented, amusement dancing in her light eyes. тАЬBut
even so, I guess you had no choice in the matter. The gods obviously want the princesтАЩ lives saved, and
youтАЩre the one they chose to do the job.тАЭ
тАЬI would have been better off if IтАЩd just stepped in front of Nallis,тАЭ Adair grumbled, not yet up to seeing
the absurdly funny side of the happenings. тАЬThe assassin would have had to kill me first, and that would
have given the guards enough time to keep him off Nallis. Why couldnтАЩt the gods have decided to do
things that way?тАЭ
тАЬPossibly because you should now have a way out of this marriage mess,тАЭ Lisni offered, her own
amusement somehow on a different level. тАЬAfter you saved the lives of two of his sons, the king shouldnтАЩt
find it possible to refuse your request to have your name taken off the bride list.тАЭ
тАЬLisni, youтАЩre a genius!тАЭ Nossa exclaimed while Adair simply stared in shock, silently demanding why she
hadnтАЩt thought of that. тАЬNow all we have to do is hope there are more assassins, and then figure out a
way for Elmini to do the same as Adair.тАЭ
тАЬIf the assassins stick to daggers I shouldnтАЩt have much of a problem,тАЭ Elmini said with what was
becoming her usual smile, surprising all of them. тАЬI happen to like knives of all sorts, so IтАЩm not afraid of