"Katherine Kurtz - Heirs 02 - King Javan's Year" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kurtz Katherine)

then took the two slips of parchment and headed back across the yard to the tower and a succession of
hidden passages leading downward.
The tower was a gateway to the last bastion of the outlawed Order of Saint Michael, though the
Michaelines themselves were long gone as an order. Nearly two decades before, the underground
sanctuary had served as headquarters for the Deryni Camber MacRorie and his associates, many of them
human, who had ousted the Deryni King Imre of Festil and restored the human line of Prince Cinhil
Haldane to the throne of Gwynedd. Since Cinhil┬┤s death four years before, it again had become the hub
for a combined human and Deryni resistance, this time led by Camber┬┤s son Joram.
For King Cinhil┬┤s eldest son and heir, not yet twelve when he came to his father┬┤s throne, had never
managed to shake off the influence of the powerful human lords who had been his regents during his
minority. Legislation pushed forward in the very first year of young Alroy┬┤s reign had revived old
resentments of Deryni privilege and excesses by focusing them through the lens of religious conviction that
Deryni and their magical powers were evil. It was that legacy which had forced Joram and Jesse and
their colleagues underground and which drove them in their ongoing efforts to see the balance set straight.
тАЬTwo birds this morning,тАЩ Jesse said without preamble as he entered the underground library where
Joram was working. The messages are identical-and not what we wanted to hear.тАЩ
Joram was already scanning the curl of parchment Jesse had handed him, and allowed himself a heavy
sigh as he sat back and looked up at the newcomer.
тАЬI can┬┤t say I haven┬┤t been expecting this,тАЩ he said. тАЬSit down, sit down. I┬┤d hoped we might make it
through the summer, but-тАЩ He shrugged and shook his head. тАЬWell, we┬┤ll just have to move our plans
ahead. Will you send the other copy on to Ansel?тАЩ
Jesse nodded, wiping a sheen of perspiration off his brow with the back of a sunburned hand. Even in the
relative cool of the underground Michaeline sanctuary, clad as he was for the summer heat, the air
seemed close and still. He found it mildly comforting to note that even the usually fastidious Joram had
loosened the collar of his black cassock.
It still jarred Jesse not to see Michaeline blue when he looked at Joram. Since the suppression of the
Order, Joram increasingly had taken to wearing the plain black working cassock of an ordinary
priest-not that much was ordinary about Joram MacRorie. Though Joram now was into his forties, with
most of his waking hours taken up in the coordination of their various efforts, he still managed to convey
the keen, battle-ready image of the Michaeline knight he once had been.
Like the old Michaeline blue, clerical black set off Joram┬┤s lean form to perfection, a dramatic contrast to
the famous silver-gilt hair. It had gone more silvery than gold, perhaps, in the last few years, but he still
wore it short-cropped for battle ease, with the small, coin-sized Michaeline tonsure shaven at the crown-
a reminder, if primarily to himself, that he remained a Michaeline in spirit. The blue eyes still missed
nothing, but a fine network of tiny lines around them told of new stresses that had not been his in the old
days, when he had served his famous father as secretary and aide.
Joram heaved a heavy sigh and ran both hands through the silver-gilt hair, then sat back wearily in his
chair.
тАЬThe timing on this is rotten,тАЩ he said, тАЬbut then, I suppose so is dying.тАЩ
тАЬDo you think it┬┤s time to call in Queron and Tavis?тАЩ Jesse asked.
тАЬI┬┤m afraid so. I wanted to minimize any movement that might jeopardize their cover, but we knew this
was only a matter of time. Contact Queron and tell him what┬┤s about to happen. I don┬┤t see how it can
be more than a few days. Ask him and Tavis to come as soon as they can do so without arousing
suspicion. If it becomes more urgent than that, we┬┤ll let them know. At least we┬┤ll have gotten our part in
motion.тАЩ
Jesse nodded. тАЬI┬┤ll try to get through at midday. It may have to wait until tonight, though.тАЩ
тАЬCan┬┤t be helped.тАЩ Joram crumpled the curl of parchment into a stiff little ball, then opened his hand to
gaze at it sitting on his palm. After a few seconds, it burst into flame with a bright flare and a pop that
made Jesse start.
тАЬSo, for poor Alroy,тАЩ Joram whispered as he tipped the burning parchment off his hand. тАЬThe king is