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.Theremight be a safe, easy passage out-I just had to find it.Unfortunately, every way I turned, I found more servants moving on errands or scrubbing thefloors or changing candles or filling reserves in oil lamps.The castle's staff had to number in the hundreds.I passed one of the guard rooms Aber had pointed out earlier that afternoon.Through the opendoor, it looked like any of a hundred guard rooms I'd seen over the years- a rack of swords against thefar wall, armor and shields on wooden pegs, a table and plenty of sturdy chairs.At the moment, three guards sat at the table throwing dice.Unfortunately, the one facing the doorrecognized me-the moment he saw my face, he leaped to his feet."Lord!" he cried.He saluted, and the other two shoved back their chairs and did the same."Please, continue with your game." I gave a polite wave, then strolled on.No need to involvethem; they were probably off duty and unwinding from a long day's work.Kitchens.servants' quarters.the still-guarded corridor by Dad's workshop.the mainhall.everywhere I went, I found people.Lots of people.And all seemed to recognize me.Clearly, Ithought with some frustration, getting Ivinius out of Juniper would not be as easy as I'd hoped.Then I remembered Aber's gift-my own set of Trumps.I could make them work on myown-after all, I had been able to contact my brother earlier from Dworkin's horseless carriage.Perhaps Icould use one now to get rid of Ivinius's body.Frowning, I tried to recall all their pictures.I had barelyglanced at them-but hadn't one showed a forest glade with Juniper in the distance? That would beperfect, I thought.Excited now, I hurried back up to my rooms.The hinges squeaked when I entered.Servants hadlit an oil lamp on the writing table, but everything else looked just as I had left it: my sword across theback of one of the chairs, the stand and washbasin beside the now-dark windows, the desk shoved upagainst the wall, its paper, ink, and blotters all in slight disarray.The carved wooden box containing my set of Trumps sat atop the stack of unused towels on the tray atop the washstand.Feeling a growing sense of elation, I opened the little box and pulled out my stack of Trumps.They felt cool and hard as ivory in my hands.Slowly, one by one, I leafed through them.Portraits camefirst: Aber.Locke ,.Pella.Blaise.Freda.Yes-there was the one I needed! With a trembling hand, I drew forth the card I had halfremembered.It showed a dark forest glade, lush grass underfoot, trees all around, with Juniper's towersjust visible in the distance.This seemed an ideal place to dump a body.far enough from Juniper to besafe from any immediate discovery.Let Ivinius's masters try to figure out what had happened to him!Card in hand, I started for the sitting room.Then I stopped myself.How would I get back afterI'd disposed of the body? I gave a chuckle.I was catching on to this game of Trumps-I would need oneto bring me safely home.I returned to my set of cards, selected the one that I had confiscated from Aber, which showedmy bedroom, and only then headed for the sitting room.This would be a fast and simple job using magic,I thought.I would go to the glade, dump the body, and come straight home.Hurrying now, I swept back the tapestry.My elation died.I had come back too late.The body had disappeared.locked door.But anyone smuggling out a body would have encountered witnesses.Clearly thebody had been removed by other, perhaps even magical means.A Trump? It seemed likely.And a Trump meant one of us.one of my half-brothers or half-sisters.But which one?Puzzled, annoyed, and more than slightly frightened by the implications, I carefully bolted mydoors, checked the windows (there didn't seem to be any way short of flying to get to my balcony fromthe balconies to either side), and I moved my sword to within easy reach of the bed.Only then did I undress and crawl between the sheets.Exhaustion surged like an ocean tide.I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.Polite knocking has never been the way to rouse me in the morning, nor softly called invitations tobreakfast.As with all soldiers, I liked to sleep the same way as I ate, fought, and bedded mywomen-heartily, fully, deeply.Trumpets sounding a call to arms, or the clash of swords, are the onlythings that stir my blood in the early hours.Otherwise, as my men had found out over the years, it's bestto let me be.It should have surprised no one, then, that I scarcely heard the knocking, or the politely incessant"Lord? Lord Oberon?" that followed from the hallway when I refused to be awakened.When someone threw back the curtains and brightsunlight flooded the room, I half opened one eye, saw it was only Aber, rolled over, andcontinued to snore."Oberon!" he called."Wakee wakee!"I opened my eyes to slits and glared at him.Hands on his hips, my half brother gazed down at mewith a bemused expression.Behind him, in the doorway to my bedchamber, stood a clump of anxiousservants in castle livery."I thought I bolted the door!" I said. "Dad wants to see you.The servants have been trying to rouse you for half an hour.Finally theycame and got me.""Why didn't they say something?"Growling a little, I threw back the covers and sat up, naked.A couple of the women hurried fromthe doorway, blushing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Theremight be a safe, easy passage out-I just had to find it.Unfortunately, every way I turned, I found more servants moving on errands or scrubbing thefloors or changing candles or filling reserves in oil lamps.The castle's staff had to number in the hundreds.I passed one of the guard rooms Aber had pointed out earlier that afternoon.Through the opendoor, it looked like any of a hundred guard rooms I'd seen over the years- a rack of swords against thefar wall, armor and shields on wooden pegs, a table and plenty of sturdy chairs.At the moment, three guards sat at the table throwing dice.Unfortunately, the one facing the doorrecognized me-the moment he saw my face, he leaped to his feet."Lord!" he cried.He saluted, and the other two shoved back their chairs and did the same."Please, continue with your game." I gave a polite wave, then strolled on.No need to involvethem; they were probably off duty and unwinding from a long day's work.Kitchens.servants' quarters.the still-guarded corridor by Dad's workshop.the mainhall.everywhere I went, I found people.Lots of people.And all seemed to recognize me.Clearly, Ithought with some frustration, getting Ivinius out of Juniper would not be as easy as I'd hoped.Then I remembered Aber's gift-my own set of Trumps.I could make them work on myown-after all, I had been able to contact my brother earlier from Dworkin's horseless carriage.Perhaps Icould use one now to get rid of Ivinius's body.Frowning, I tried to recall all their pictures.I had barelyglanced at them-but hadn't one showed a forest glade with Juniper in the distance? That would beperfect, I thought.Excited now, I hurried back up to my rooms.The hinges squeaked when I entered.Servants hadlit an oil lamp on the writing table, but everything else looked just as I had left it: my sword across theback of one of the chairs, the stand and washbasin beside the now-dark windows, the desk shoved upagainst the wall, its paper, ink, and blotters all in slight disarray.The carved wooden box containing my set of Trumps sat atop the stack of unused towels on the tray atop the washstand.Feeling a growing sense of elation, I opened the little box and pulled out my stack of Trumps.They felt cool and hard as ivory in my hands.Slowly, one by one, I leafed through them.Portraits camefirst: Aber.Locke ,.Pella.Blaise.Freda.Yes-there was the one I needed! With a trembling hand, I drew forth the card I had halfremembered.It showed a dark forest glade, lush grass underfoot, trees all around, with Juniper's towersjust visible in the distance.This seemed an ideal place to dump a body.far enough from Juniper to besafe from any immediate discovery.Let Ivinius's masters try to figure out what had happened to him!Card in hand, I started for the sitting room.Then I stopped myself.How would I get back afterI'd disposed of the body? I gave a chuckle.I was catching on to this game of Trumps-I would need oneto bring me safely home.I returned to my set of cards, selected the one that I had confiscated from Aber, which showedmy bedroom, and only then headed for the sitting room.This would be a fast and simple job using magic,I thought.I would go to the glade, dump the body, and come straight home.Hurrying now, I swept back the tapestry.My elation died.I had come back too late.The body had disappeared.locked door.But anyone smuggling out a body would have encountered witnesses.Clearly thebody had been removed by other, perhaps even magical means.A Trump? It seemed likely.And a Trump meant one of us.one of my half-brothers or half-sisters.But which one?Puzzled, annoyed, and more than slightly frightened by the implications, I carefully bolted mydoors, checked the windows (there didn't seem to be any way short of flying to get to my balcony fromthe balconies to either side), and I moved my sword to within easy reach of the bed.Only then did I undress and crawl between the sheets.Exhaustion surged like an ocean tide.I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.Polite knocking has never been the way to rouse me in the morning, nor softly called invitations tobreakfast.As with all soldiers, I liked to sleep the same way as I ate, fought, and bedded mywomen-heartily, fully, deeply.Trumpets sounding a call to arms, or the clash of swords, are the onlythings that stir my blood in the early hours.Otherwise, as my men had found out over the years, it's bestto let me be.It should have surprised no one, then, that I scarcely heard the knocking, or the politely incessant"Lord? Lord Oberon?" that followed from the hallway when I refused to be awakened.When someone threw back the curtains and brightsunlight flooded the room, I half opened one eye, saw it was only Aber, rolled over, andcontinued to snore."Oberon!" he called."Wakee wakee!"I opened my eyes to slits and glared at him.Hands on his hips, my half brother gazed down at mewith a bemused expression.Behind him, in the doorway to my bedchamber, stood a clump of anxiousservants in castle livery."I thought I bolted the door!" I said. "Dad wants to see you.The servants have been trying to rouse you for half an hour.Finally theycame and got me.""Why didn't they say something?"Growling a little, I threw back the covers and sat up, naked.A couple of the women hurried fromthe doorway, blushing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]