"Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Black Throne 01 - The Black Queen" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

тАЬYou are the heir. If she dies or leaves, she has no children to follow her. It will be your
hand that holds the scepter.тАЭ
тАЬSo you say,тАЭ Gift said. тАЬBut I see nothing of that in this Warning. And why, if I take
the Throne, is this a Warning? I am of Black Blood. I am, as you say, the legitimate heir.
This should not be a problem.тАЭ
She tilted her head slightly. тАЬBlood against blood,тАЭ she whispered.
He felt another shiver run through him despite the warmth of the room. Members of
his family from the Fey side could not fight against each other. The Fey phrase тАЬBlood
against bloodтАЭ referred to that. Gift had been taught the meaning like this:
Black Blood could not fight against Black Blood. It led to chaos and death. The last time
Black Blood warred on itself, centuries ago, three thousand people died. It was said to be a
raging madness that made fathers turn upon sons, sons upon mothers, mothers upon
daughters. And it happened throughout the Fey Empire. Only one in ten survived. The
Fey Empire was small in those days. Now it covered over half the world.
тАЬI would never kill my sister,тАЭ he said. тАЬEven if I didnтАЩt care for her, I know what
happens when people of Black Blood kill each other. I understand my responsibility to the
Fey.тАЭ
тАЬI have Seen it,тАЭ she whispered. тАЬThere is a madness loose.тАЭ
тАЬLoose? Or will it be turned loose by something we donтАЩt know?тАЭ
She took his hands. Her fingers were like ice. тАЬTouch the Black Throne,тАЭ she said. тАЬFor
me.тАЭ
тАЬWhy? So that you can become Shaman to a Black King?тАЭ His words were harsh, his
voice as cruel as he could make it. He hadnтАЩt expected this here. He had experienced it in
the palace on Blue Isle, and it had been the reason he had not seen his Uncle Bridge in
Nye. But he hadnтАЩt expected it among the Shaman. He hadnтАЩt believed, until this moment,
that Shaman could have ambitions.
тАЬI do not want to be Shaman to a Black King.тАЭ Her entire body was rigid. She almost
cringed before him. There was something else then, something he didnтАЩt entirely
understand.
тАЬItтАЩs a test,тАЭ he said. тАЬYou want to see if I am lying to you, if I really want the Black
Throne.тАЭ
Her nod was almost imperceptible. If he hadnтАЩt known her so well, he wouldnтАЩt have
seen it.
тАЬWhy isnтАЩt my word good enough?тАЭ he asked.
тАЬThe fate of the world rests on your shoulders,тАЭ she whispered.
тАЬThe fate of half the world,тАЭ he said. тАЬMy decision only influences the Fey Empire.тАЭ
тАЬWhoever sits on the Black Throne determines how big that Empire will be,тАЭ she said.
He hadnтАЩt been this angry in years. She had no right to test him like this, no right to
doubt his word.
And then he heard his own thoughts, how entitled they sounded, how much like his
great-grandfather. She had a right. She needed to know if she was bringing him into the
fold as a Shaman or as a future Black King. The Shaman did not want the next Black King
here.
He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. тАЬIf I do as you ask, then you must
promise me one thing.тАЭ
She raised her head. Her eyes reflected the red in the room. The light gave her face an
eerie cast. тАЬWhat?тАЭ
 тАЬIf I prove that I do not want the Black Throne, promise youтАЩll train me as a Shaman.
YouтАЩll give me the full training, including the parts youтАЩve been denying me because
youтАЩre afraid of what I might do with the learning.тАЭ