Michael Stackpole - When Dragons Rage

“Exactly, Will.” Scrainwood came forward enough that Will could see his face. “There are forces that are balanced around Oriosa. Only by maintaining that balance do we survive. It is the life of one man—a man far from innocent—for the lives of all Oriosans. Once Hawkins would have offered himself gladly for this trade, but now, like the coward he is, he fights the inevitable.”

“So you want me to do my duty as a noble of the realm?”

“Yes.”

“And you want me to denounce Crow?”

“Yes.” Scrainwood smiled. “You have it, my boy.”

“No, Highness, I don’t think I will do it.”

The king canted his head and returned to his throne. “What do you mean?”

Will shifted his shoulders, then brought his head up. “Well, Highness, while I’ve been here I’ve been studying this duty thing, and my duty is to the nation.”

“That’s what I have said.”

“Yes, but you’re confusing yourself with Oriosa. They’re not the same.”

The king barked a laugh. “Civics lessons from a whoreget street-child? You will do what I tell you.”

“I will do my duty as a noble of the realm, and that means speaking the truth about my vassal. I don’t know what he did so long ago, but I know what he’s done now and killing a sullanciri ain’t the half of it. I’m not lying about Crow for you or anybody.”

Scrainwood’s eyes blazed angrily. “Do you not understand? I made you; I can unmake you!”

Will snarled. “That won’t happen. You made me a noble, but Crow made me the Norrington. I’ve spent the last week letting everyone know I am the Norrington. They’ve seen me. They’ve heard my stories. They like me, which is more than can be said of you. If I walked out of here today and started saying that you were Chytrine’s body-slave, the people would believe me. And they’d believe it on up to and past the time they hung you with your own guts.”

“You go too far!” Scrainwood sprang from the dais and aimed a backhanded slap at Will. The blow caught the thief over his ear and spun him toward the window. He’d not expected Scrainwood to actually attack him, but he’d known forever that a coward was one step removed from a bully.

And it hadn’t taken Resolute to train him how to deal with bullies.

With rage purpling his face, the king rushed forward and aimed a kick at Will’s body. The youth twisted aside, then grabbed the king’s leg and did a quick half turn before releasing. Scrainwood, off-balance and flailing, smashed back against the wall, then slid to the floor. His simple coronet spun off, flashing and whirling in the sunlight, then rang as it ran down and clattered on the cold stone.

Will danced back, rubbing his ear, then peered down at the Oriosan leader. Scrainwood rubbed one hand at the back of his head. Will didn’t see any blood on the wall or the man’s hand and that disappointed him. For a moment he consoled himself by listening to the painful groans coming from the king.

Then the full realization of what he’d done slammed into him. I’ve assaulted the king. Whatever he had in mind to do to Crow, that will he nothing compared to what he does to me. Oh, and if he doesn’t kill me, Resolute will !

Scrainwood snarled. “There can be a treason trial for you, too, whoreget. I shall have you torn apart before Crow, since that will hurt him more.”

“Urn, aren’t you forgetting something? I’m the Norrington. You can’t kill me.”

“This is my realm, there is nothing I cannot do.”

“I can think of one. You can’t give your people hope.” Will drew hair down to cover his red ear. “Without hope, without a belief in the prophecy that will I save them, your nation will die. Like it or not, I am that hope.”

“Little boy, I have given my people more than hope. I have kept them safe.”

“By betraying Oriosa. Everyone knows it, but is afraid to act because you balance Chytrine off against everyone else. Once that slips, you are dead.”

“Was that a threat?” The king snorted. “How dare you threaten me?”

“Hey, who started the hitting here? Who’s talking about having me torn I apart? I’m giving as good as I get, so, yes, I’m a threat to you.” Will folded his arms over his chest to keep his pounding heart inside his ribs. “And if you don’t think I’m a credible threat, just be thinking on the last time a Norrington paid a visit to this room. I’m not my grandfather, but I’m just as dedicated to my duty as he was.”

The thief stepped toward the king, then stooped and picked up the coronet. He turned it over in his hands, then rolled it back to Scrainwood. “I will do my duty to Oriosa, to my friends, and to the world. So leave me alone to do it.”

Without looking back, Will stalked from the room, slamming a fist against his hip so it hurt. It had been stupid to let anger get the better of him. Scrainwood had viewed him as a pawn to be manipulated, and now saw him as an enemy. Not like I need another one .

He shrugged. Let him get in line. If Chytrine leaves anything of me behind, he’s welcome to it .

Alexia had a commander’s dislike for surprises. She guarded against them as much as possible, but the political maelstrom that was Meredo gave her a difficult battlefield. King Augustus had arrived from Alcida and was ensconced in Scrainwood’s palace. Queen Carus had taken up residence in the home of a noble, and Alexia had spoken with representatives of both leaders. Since they were going to serve on the tribunal along with Prince Linchmere, it would have been untoward for her to speak with them directly, but she was able to let their people know how vital Crow was to the war against Chytrine.

Wave after wave of blizzards had delayed the start of the trial, since snow-clogged streets made movement through Meredo almost impossible. Alexia had appreciated Kerrigan’s apparent delight with the snow—and Will’s hatred of it, since it made tracking a thief easy and the rooftops a treacherous route. The snow made the city pretty by hiding garbage middens and making things more quiet, which Alexia enjoyed. Still she resented the storms since they meant Perrine could not fly.

So, the princess and her earthbound sister contented themselves playing chess in her chamber. They both agreed to play by Gyrkyme rules, which stated that the Gyrkyme piece—which could leap other pieces because it was airborne—could only be brought down by archers that shot along the board’s diagonals. That variation normally outraged players, but both of them had grown up using it, so it would have seemed unnatural to play any other way.

A heavy pounding on the door interrupted their game. Even before Alexia could bid the caller to enter, the latch tripped and the door opened. Alexia had already moved from her chair and slid her sword from its scabbard, leveling it at the door.

The slender, hatchet-faced woman standing there raised an eyebrow. “Prepared to spill your own blood, Alexia?”

The princess did not lower the blade immediately. “Aunt Tatyana, I had no idea you were in Meredo. How did you get here?”

The white-haired woman shrugged and flicked her cloak off. Before the dark woolen garment could hit the floor, one of the two huge men behind her caught it. Both of them wore the same black uniforms with white piping on the sleeves and trouser legs. Alexia did not recognize them, but knew their uniforms. The Crown Circle Guards were revered among the Okrans exiles and known for their devotion to the royal family in general and Grand Duchess Tatyana in particular. Had she ordered them to get her to the moon, they would have found a way and been quick about it.

“My carriage until the snow, then a sleigh. We knew much snow in Okrannel, Alexia. It was no hardship.”