"Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Black Throne 02 - The Black King" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

news of the conditions near the Guardians. Then he would put his Sailors and Navigators
into action.
His stomach was jumping. He was coming home after almost a decade away. He had
traveled across the Fey Empire, and then he had gone to the Eccrasian Mountains to train
as a Shaman. There he had touched the Black Throne and his life had changed.
He shuddered, remembering how the Throne had clung to him, how it had tried to
absorb him, and the strength he had used, both mental and physical, to pull away. The
Throne was a living thing, and it wanted to make him Black King. But his sister Arianna
ruled the Fey.
Arianna was a good Black Queen, and an excellent Queen to Blue Isle. Except there
was something wrong now. He had Seen it in Visions. Something was wrong with her. And
no one would tell him what it was.
He took a few steps forward, as if that would bring him closer to the Stone Guardians.
Once he had vowed not to return to Blue Isle until he became a Shaman. But he would
never be a Shaman. A Shaman couldnтАЩt practice with blood on his hands, and Gift hadnтАЩt
realized that, in his youth, he had accidentally killed a Wisp.
Now he didnтАЩt know what heтАЩd do if something was wrong with Arianna. He was the
oldest, the one who should have taken the Throne, but he had renounced it. Arianna was
the ruthless one, the one who had the willingness to make the hard decisions and the
enemies that leadership required. He had always been the gentler of the two, the one less
willing to take risks.
тАЬStanding and squinting at the Isle wonтАЩt bring it any closer.тАЭ
Gift turned. Skya stood behind him, her black hair in its customary knot on the top of
her head. The wind had pulled strands from it, whipping them about her narrow face. He
had always thought that she looked like the perfect Fey: her features symmetrical and
upswept, her chin so narrow that it looked almost pointed, her black eyes filled with life
and intelligence. She was one of the most beautiful women heтАЩd ever seen, and although
heтАЩd spent the last six months with her, he was still surprised at the depth of that beauty.
тАЬPart of me wants to get there now, and part of me doesnтАЩt want to return,тАЭ he said.
She didnтАЩt answer him. She tried not to discuss what she called matters of state. But he
sometimes saw that as her way of avoiding anything personal. тАЬThe Gull Riders are back.тАЭ
тАЬI told them to report to me,тАЭ he said.
тАЬTheyтАЩre waiting in the hold.тАЭ She put a hand on his arm. Her touch was gentle. He put
an arm around her and pulled her close. Her gaze met his and in it was a warning he
ignored. He kissed her, slid his hands into her soft hair, pulling it free as he had done
almost every night on this trip when she slipped into his stateroom after everyone else
had gone to sleep. The kiss was long and deep and he didnтАЩt care who saw it.
She did. She believed they did not belong together.
She had never told him that, not in so many words, but he knew. It was one of the few
times he knew what she was thinking, and he had no way to reassure her.
Finally she pulled away. тАЬGift,тАЭ she whispered. тАЬWe canтАЩtтАФтАЭ
тАЬI thought you didnтАЩt follow rules,тАЭ he said, placing his wet forehead against hers. The
mist ran down their faces like tears.
тАЬOnly the rules I make myself.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩve made up rules about me?тАЭ
She smiled and slipped out of his grasp. тАЬThe Gull Riders are waiting.тАЭ
He sighed. тАЬAll right. Are you coming with me?тАЭ
She shook her head. тАЬThis is your ship, remember?тАЭ
There was a bit of rancor in that. HeтАЩd hired Skya to be his guide, to get him out of
Ghitlas and to Nye. He had told her time was of the essence, and that he needed to be at