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

to the visiting room myself, and the only ones she spoke to there were three of the other ducal
daughters.тАЭ
тАЬNot to mention the fact that one of the guardsmen found a second plate near where this servant was
standing at the plates table,тАЭ Nallis put in. тАЬIf no one had interfered, Lethan would certainly have been
given that second plate. The arrangement says someone is seriously after our lives, but that someone
canтАЩt possibly be Adair.тАЭ
тАЬAll right, youтАЩve convinced me,тАЭ King Rodick grudged, clearly not as happy about the conclusion as
Mayne wanted him to be. тАЬI doubt if weтАЩll find out anything new from this second assassin, but thatтАЩs not
to say we wonтАЩt try. LetтАЩs get him to a questioning room and weтАЩll see what the questioners can pull out
of him.тАЭ
тАЬFather, wait a minute,тАЭ Mayne said after examining the assassin with his gaze. The former servant had
been put on his feet once he was completely conscious, and had been struggling against the guardsmenтАЩs
holds for a couple of minutes. The servant had a ring beard and mustache, but the blood from his mouth
had seeped down into the beard and a corner of that beard looked odd. Mayne reached out to that
corner and pulled, and both beard and mustache immediately pulled free of the face theyтАЩd been on.
тАЬItтАЩs not a man, itтАЩs a woman!тАЭ Nallis blurted, the shock he showed just as clear in everyone else as well.
тАЬI donтАЩt believe this!тАЭ
тАЬOf course you donтАЩt, because youтАЩre a fool,тАЭ the woman snarled, lisping through her broken teeth.
тАЬYouтАЩre all fools and you deserve to be dead. Go ahead and let your torturers question me, but donтАЩt
expect to get any answers. IтАЩll die before IтАЩll speak.тАЭ
Looking at the tall, thin woman while his brothers both spoke at the same time, Mayne had no trouble
believing her. It was perfectly obvious that this woman was tougher than the man captured first, and a
glance at his father showed Mayne the additional problem they now faced.
Adair might complain that women had no rights in this kingdom, but one thing women did have was an
edge when it came to the matter of being questioned. King Rodick had always refused to allow women
to be put to the question, and the expression MayneтАЩs father now showed in his eyes said he would find it
impossible to change his mind about that stance. Mayne happened to agree, but maybe there was
another wayтАж
тАЬDying isnтАЩt very hard for someone with courage,тАЭ Mayne said, breaking a silence that had put smug
satisfaction on the womanтАЩs damaged face. тАЬYou expect at least a small delay before we work ourselves
up to putting a woman to the question, and during that time you think youтАЩll be kept in a cell in the
dungeons. That part doesnтАЩt bother you at all, because youтАЩve been told that your escape into death can
be found in whatever cell youтАЩre put in.тАЭ
тАЬBut thatтАЩs not true any longer,тАЭ King Rodick said with his own satisfaction as the woman scowled at
Mayne. тАЬWe found the vials of poison put into every cell, and now those vials are elsewhere. You wonтАЩt
escape the consequences of your actions by dying when you want to. Your death will come only at my
pleasure, and that pleasure will be a long time in coming if you refuse to tell me what I want to know.тАЭ
тАЬThen why donтАЩt you have your questioners get started?тАЭ the woman challenged, an oddly steady look in
her dark eyes. тАЬI said IтАЩm not afraid to die and I mean it.тАЭ
тАЬAs IтАЩve already pointed out, dying is easy,тАЭ Mayne said when his father just ground his teeth in
frustration. тАЬThereтАЩs a way to question you that wonтАЩt cause your death, but will be more humiliating and
painful than anything youтАЩve probably ever had to face. How willing are you to face life rather than
death?тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre babbling and bluffing,тАЭ the woman stated, but the ghost of doubt slid through her eyes for a
moment. тАЬThere isnтАЩt anything you can do to me that I canтАЩt take, so letтАЩs just go straight to the
execution. All this talk is nothing more than wasting time.тАЭ
тАЬI have nothing more pressing right now, so wasting a little time is fine,тАЭ Mayne said, having glanced at his
father to get a small nod. The king had given his permission for Mayne to try his idea, even though the
king seemed as puzzled as Lethan and Nallis. тАЬGuardsmen, bring her this way.тАЭ
Mayne led the way back toward the punishment area for female kitchen workers, a place he was sure