"Jane Lindskold - Firekeeper Saga 3 - The Dragon of Despair" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lindskold Jane)

"First," he said, his tones clipped, "we are certain that this information is correct. The courier came
originally from Dragon's Breath, the capital city of New Kelvin, where the information is, apparently, not
common knowledge. However, he has a sister working within one of the Earth Spires and she gave him
the news."

Grateful Peace interjected a comment of his own before the earl could continue.

"Keeping such a marriage secret would be less difficult than you of Hawk Haven might imagine," he said,
his Pellish excellent but flavored with a melodious accent, rather as if he expected the words to have
more syllables than they did. "The Healed One is a semi-sacred person. He appears in public rarely and
his affairs are not for common gossip."

"Thank you," Duchess Kestrel said. "You have anticipated one of my own questions. I had wondered
how such information could be kept from the people. Certainly servants, at least, would gossip."

"The secret could not be kept perpetually," Peace replied, "but for a few months, perhaps while the
Healed One assured himself of support from the Dragon Speaker and some key thaumaturges, for that
time it could be kept quiet├╣a thing rumored, but not confirmed. Many of the servants in Thendulla
Lypella"├╣he used the New Kelvinese name for the Earth Spires, the towering buildings that held the New
Kelvinese government├╣"are slaves and never leave the property. However, as this courier of yours has
shown, even slaves have contacts outside of the walls."

After making certain that Grateful Peace had finished, Earl Kestrel continued his discourse.

"Not only are we certain that the news is genuine," he said, "we are fairly certain that we are the first
Great House to receive the information. The White Water River remains quite swollen. The courier who
came to us risked his life in his hope of reward for being the first."

"As you all must realize," the duchess added, smoothly taking up her son's account, "this information
could have serious ramifications for our government."

"Our government?" asked Derian. "You mean for the king?"

Duchess Kestrel nodded. "A woman born of Hawk Haven's nobility has married a foreign monarch.
Moreover, Melina is from House Gyrfalcon, first among the Great Houses. Even more significantly,
Melina is the mother of one of King Tedric's heirs."

Firekeeper felt herself growling again. Crown Princess Sapphire was indeed Lady Melina's birth
daughter, though she had been cruelly used by her mother. Now it seemed that, despite the adoption that
should have taken Sapphire far out of her mother's reach, Melina was exercising power over her once
more.

Derian frowned, but Firekeeper thought that his concern was less for Sapphire than for King Tedric.
Since the autumn before, when King Tedric had honored him by making him one of his counselors,
Derian had developed a deep personal loyalty to the monarch of Hawk Haven.

"We will tell the king this news, won't we?" Derian asked.

"Certainly," Duchess Kestrel answered. "Only yesterday I had a packet of letters from Eagle's Nest. Not
one mentioned Melina's marriage, nor have the post-riders brought in any news. Therefore, we must act