"John Marco - The Eyes of a God" - читать интересную книгу автора (Marco John)

them that peace was in fact possible. Like Lukien, they quested for Akeela's dream.
Lukien knew his world was about to change irrevocably. Under Akeela, they all faced an uncertain
future. Even if it was one of peace, it would still not be perfect for the Bronze Knight. Lukien was still a
young man, and peerless with a sword. He had earned his reputation the hard way. War was his life, his
best and truest calling. Without war he would change, and the idea chafed him. To sit at home with a dog
at his feet simply didn't interest High in a tower of Castle Hes, Princess Cassandra of Reec cocked an
eyebrow toward the window, marveling at the soldiers approaching her home. It was nearly dusk but she
could see them faintly in the dimming light; their silver armor, their well-bred horses, their blue flag stirring
listlessly on a pole. They were very many, much more than she had expected. She wiped the mist from
the glass, spying the front of the column. Akeela would be there, leading his men, as brave as the stories
said.
'Come away from the window, Cassandra," the girl implored. Jancis was nervous, and her voice
quavered a little. The handmaiden had laid out Cassandra's dress and continued fussing with it, smoothing
out wrinkles that weren't there.
'They're coming," said Cassandra.
'You'll see them soon enough. Come on, Cass, we must dress you."
'Come here, Jancis, look at them."
With a sigh Jancis did as her lady asked, going to the window to stand beside Cassandra. The
princess, still in her undergarments, stepped aside so Jancis could see.
'Look, at the front. The two riding alone."
Jancis nodded. "Uh-huh," she said dully.
'Do you see them?"
'Barely."
'Do you think Akeela's at the front?"
'Probably," said Jancis. The handmaiden frowned. "I suppose that brute Lukien is with him."
'I suppose," agreed Cassandra sourly. No one had wanted her father to allow the Bronze Knight into
Reec, but Karis had in sisted, for King Akeela would not come without him. "I bet he's an
arrogant-looking bastard, too."
'Too far away to tell." Jancis bit her lip. "Hmm, I wonder what Akeela looks like. I can't wait to see
him."
Cassandra's curiousity spiked. She went back to the window, nudging Jancis aside. Akeela was much
too far away to see, and that frustrated her. It frustrated her, too, that she'd been obsessing over his
appearance. He was a great man coming to Reec, with a great offer, and that should have been enough
for her. But Cassandra knew she was special, and had long dreamed of a special husband. It was a
childish thing, she supposed, but the dream was still with her. Cassandra thought it very strange that no
one knew what Akeela looked like, or had faced him in battle. Most princes were warriors, but not this
one. He let his infamous knight make war for him, while he himself stayed safe behind castle walls. Was
he a coward then? Cassandra didn't think so. It took courage for a L├╝rian to ride into Reec.
'He's a mystery," Cassandra purred. The idea intrigued her. She moved away from the window and
drifted toward her bed, an oak four-poster with ruffled sheets and perfumed pillows. The dress Jancis
had made for her lay across the mattress, looking pristine and beautiful, the perfect garment for
seduction. The princess looked down at her smock-clad body. She was seventeen and had filled out
nicely. She knew this from the way the men at court looked at her, and she loved to play games with
them. But Akeela was a king. Surely he had been with many women, and would judge her critically. A
touch of inadequacyтАФsomething Cassandra rarely feltтАФbegan to tug at her. She had accepted her
father's request to marry the L├╝rian gladly, because she was tired of Hes and loved the idea of being a
queen. But she had made sure that she supported her father's plan with just enough restraint to keep her
modesty. However, that had been a month ago, and now Akeela was at her doorstep. Worse, the L├╝rian
king didn't even know what her father had planned.
 More than anything, Cassandra wanted this peace to work. She had seen the disbelief in her father's