Read Daughter of Regals for Free Online Page B

the servant had departed again. Then, deliberately, I poured out one
glass of the deep amber drink—for King Thone, not for myself—and said as
obtusely as I could, “My lord, you asked an audience. Do you have some
complaint? Does the hospitality of the manor displease you?”
    He held
his glass and gazed at it in silence for a moment. I had given it to him as a
test, to see how he would choose between the courtesy of setting the brandy
aside and the discourtesy of drinking when I did not. So my heart sank somewhat
when he raised the glass to his mouth and sipped delicately.
    His
milky orbs betrayed nothing as he looked toward me at last; but his way of
savouring the taste of the brandy hinted at other pleasures. “My lady,” he said
slowly, “the hospitality of the manor is without flaw, as ever. You do not
believe that I would trouble you on such a pretext.”
    “What
matters the pretext,” I replied, seeking to unsettle him, “if it gives us
opportunity to speak openly to each other?’
    His
gaze held me as if he were blind, proof against what I did. Still slowly, he
said, “My lady, what do you wish to say to me?”
    I gave
him a smile to suggest any number of possibilities; but I answered only, “My
lord of Canna, you requested this audience. I did not.”
    “My
lady,” he said at once, as if nothing lay hidden behind his words, ‘at such
bails it is often done that the Mages of the realm give demonstration of their
prowess. I ask permission for my Mage to entertain you.
    He
surprised me, but I did not show it, “Cashon?” I asked in mild curiosity. “You
have termed him a master of Fire.”
    Thone’s
plump lips implied a smile.
    “Then
his demonstration will be hazardous in this crowded hall, among so many guests.
Why do you wish him to display his skill here?”
    “My
lady, you are not Regal. You are merely aspirant. You would be wise to
understand the significance of my Mage’s power.”
    His
tone made me stiffen. I knew now that I was being threatened, but I did not yet
grasp the nature of the threat. Carefully, I responded, “It is undeniable that
I am merely aspirant. But I am also the daughter of my father, the
Phoenix-Regal. I need not risk harm to the guests of the manor in order to
understand Cashon’s magery—or the meaning of Fire.”
    He
played his gambit well. His voice was that of a polite man who sought to
disguise his boredom, and his eyes gave away nothing, as he said, “Perhaps if
you better understood the uses of Fire, you would not risk the entire realm on
a foolish attempt at Ascension. Perhaps if your eyes were opened, you would see
that there are others better placed than yourself to assume the rule of the
Three Kingdoms.
    You
dare? I wished to retort. You dare say such things to me? I will have you
locked in irons and left in the coldest cell of the manor, and you will never
threaten man or woman again. That power I still have while this evening
lasts!
    But I
uttered none of those words. I kept my anger to myself. Instead, I said
quietly, “You speak of yourself, my lord Thone. Please continue.”
    As if
he had already won, he emptied his glass, then refilled it from the decanter.
The faint twist of his mouth suggested that I was a fool not to share this
excellent brandy.
    “My
lady”—now he did not trouble to conceal his sarcasm—.”I had not thought you in
need of such instruction. Mage Ryzel has taught you ill if you do not
understand me. But I will be plain. Canna feeds the Three Kingdoms. Lodan and
Nabal provide them with luxuries; Canna gives them life. And I am served body
and soul by a Mage who has mastered Fire.”
    I did
not let my gaze waver from the milky secret of his eyes. “That much is plain.
Be plainer.”
    King
Thone could not stifle a grin. “My lady, you are charming. This girlish
innocence becomes you. But it does not render you fit for rule. However, you
have commanded plainness, and while this evening lasts, you must be obeyed.
Plainly,