"Paul Thompson - [Elven Nations Trilogy 1] - Firstborn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Thompson Paul B)

fierce was the anger on his face. The assembly had ended on a triumphant
note, but the Speaker of the Stars could not forget the outrage his own son
had committed.
The corridor ended at the palace's great central tower. Sithel
approached the huge bronze doors that closed off the private rooms of his
family from the rest of the palace. The doors were eighteen feet high,
inlaid with silver runes that kept a protective spell on them. No one not of
the blood of Silvanos could open the doors. Sithel hit one door with each
palm. The immense portals, delicately balanced, swung inward.
"Where is he? Where is Kith-Kanan?" he demanded, setting his feet
wide apart and planting his fists on his hips. "I'll teach that boy to shame
us in front of a public assembly!"
Within the chamber, Nirakina sat on a low, gilded couch. Sithas bent
over her, proffering a goblet of sweet nectar. The prince straightened when
his father entered, but neither he nor his mother spoke.
"Well?" demanded Sithel.
Nirakina looked up from her goblet. Her large amber eyes were full of
sadness. "He is not in the palace," she said softly. "The servants looked for
him, but they did not find him."
Sithel advanced into the room. His hard footsteps were lost in the
deep carpets that covered the center of the floor, and his harsh words were
muffled by the rich tapestries covering the cold stone walls.
"Servants, bah, they know nothing. Kith-Kanan has more hiding
places than I've had years of life."
"He is gone," Sithas said at last.
"How do you know that?" asked his father, transferring his glare to
his eldest son.
"I do not feel his presence within the palace," Sithas said evenly. The
twins' parents knew of the close bond that existed between their sons.
Sithel poured a goblet of nectar, using this simple task to give himself
time to master his anger. He took a long drink.
"There is something else," Sithas said. His voice was very low. "The
griffon, Arcuballis, is missing from the royal stable."
Sithel drained his cup. "So, he's run away, has he? Well, he'll be back.
He's a clever boy, Kith is, but he's never been out in the world on his own.
He won't last a week without servants, attendants, and guides."
"I'm frightened," said Nirakina. "I've never seen him so upset. Why
didn't we know about this girl and Kith?" She took Sithas's hand. "How do
we know she will be a good wife for you, after the way she's behaved?"
"Perhaps she is unsuitable," Sithas offered, looking at his father. "If
she were, perhaps the marriage could be called off. Then she and
Kith-KananтАУ"
"I'll not go back on my word to Shenbarrus merely because his
daughter is indiscreet," Sithel snapped, interrupting his son's thoughts.
"Think of Hermathya, too; shall we blacken her reputation to salve Kith's
wounded ego? They'll both forget this nonsense."
Tears ran down Nirakina's cheeks. "Will you forgive him? Will you
let him come back?"
"It's outside my hands," Sithel said. His own anger was failing under
fatherly concern. "But mark my words, he'll be back." He looked to Sithas