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that be what you want?
I heard earth sliding, water moving. I turned to find Doyle and Frost in the water, wading toward me.
Agnes yelled, It is her kill or she will never be queen.
We do not come to kill for her, Doyle said.
Frost said, We come to guard her, as your king s guard protects him. His face was an arrogant mask.
His pale, expensive suit soaked up the dirty water. His long silver hair trailed in the water. Somehow, he
seemed more dirtied by the water than anyone else, as if it spoiled his white-and-silver beauty more
grievously.
Doyle s blackness just seemed to melt into the water. The fact that his long braid trailed in the water
didn t bother him. The only thing he worried about keeping clean was his gun. Modern guns shoot just
fine wet, but he d begun using firearms when dry powder meant life or death, and old habits die hard.
I waited for them to reach me, because I wanted the comfort of their presence while I did this. What I
really wanted to do was fall into their arms and start screaming. I didn t want to kill anymore I wanted
life for my people. I wanted to bring life back to faerie, not death. Not death.
I waited, and let their hands give me solace. Let them lift me above the soft, treacherous bottom and
guide me through the water. I didn t collapse against them, but I let myself take courage from the strength
of their hands.
A bone brushed my leg. Bone, I said.
A ridge of bone, by the feel of it, Doyle said.
Are you hoping Segna dies before you get here? Agnesasked, voice derisive. The tears shining on her
face made me discount the tone. She was losing someone she had lived with, fought beside, loved, for
centuries. She d hated me before this; now she d hate me even more. I did not want her as my enemy,
but it seemed as if no matter what I did, I couldn t avoid it.
I m trying not to share her fate, I said.
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I hope you do, Agnes said.
Sholto, tears plain on his face, looked at her. If you ever raise a hand to Meredith again, I will be done
with you.
Agnes stared at him, searched his face, as she held Segna s body. She stared into the face of the man
she loved. Whatever she saw there made her bow her head. I will do as my king bids. The words were
bitter; it seemed to tighten my own throat just to hear them. They must have burned in Agnes s throat.
Swear it, Sholto said.
What oath would you have of me? she asked, head still bowed.
The oath that Meredith gave, that will do.
She shivered, and it wasn t from cold. I swear by the darkness that eats all things that I will not harm
the princess here and now.
No, Sholto said, swear that you will never harm her.
She bowed lower, dry black hair trailing into the water. I cannot make that oath, my king.
Why can you not?
Because I mean her harm.
You will not swear to never hurt her? He sounded surprised.
I will not; cannot.
Ivar of the bird voice said, May I suggest, Your Highness, that she swear the oath to not harm the
princess now, so we can all move about freely. We can deal with her treachery later, once we ve dealt
with the urgencies of the present moment.
Sholto clutched Segna to him, and her yellowed hands with their broken claws grasped at him. You are
right, he said. He looked at Agnes, who was still bent over the water and Segna s body. Make what
oath you will, Agnes.
She straightened up, the water streaming from her hair. I swear by the darkness that eats all things that I
will not harm the princess in this moment.
May I suggest something, King Sholto? Doyle asked.
Yes, Sholto answered, though his eyes were on the dying woman in his arms.
Black Agnes should add to her oath that she will not harm the princess while we are here in your
garden.
Sholto just nodded and whispered, Do as he says, Agnes.
Do the sidhe guards give orders to our king now? she said.
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Do it, Agnes! he screamed at her, and the scream ended in a sob. He folded his body over Segna and
wept openly.
She glared at me, not Doyle, while she spoke, and each word seemed dragged out of her. I swear by
the darkness that eats all things that I will not harm the princess while we stand in the dead gardens.
I think that is as good as we get from her, Frost said, voice low.
Doyle nodded. Aye.
They both looked at me, as if they knew this was a bad idea. I addressed their look aloud. There s no
way around this, only through it. We have to live through this moment to get to the next.
Sholto raised his face enough to say, Segna will not live through this moment.
He hadn t been this upset inLos Angeles when I d done something much more horrible to Nerys the
Grey, his other hag. I didn t point this out, but I couldn t help noting it. They had both been his
lovers but then again, I knew better than most that you don t feel for your lovers all the same. Segna
meant something to him, and Nerys had not.Simple, painful, true.
I looked past the dying hag to Black Agnes, who watched Sholto intently. I realized in that moment that
she didn t just weep for Segna s death, but like me remembered that he hadn t wept for Nerys. Was she
wondering if he would weep for her? Or did she already know that he had loved Segna more? I wasn t [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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that be what you want?
I heard earth sliding, water moving. I turned to find Doyle and Frost in the water, wading toward me.
Agnes yelled, It is her kill or she will never be queen.
We do not come to kill for her, Doyle said.
Frost said, We come to guard her, as your king s guard protects him. His face was an arrogant mask.
His pale, expensive suit soaked up the dirty water. His long silver hair trailed in the water. Somehow, he
seemed more dirtied by the water than anyone else, as if it spoiled his white-and-silver beauty more
grievously.
Doyle s blackness just seemed to melt into the water. The fact that his long braid trailed in the water
didn t bother him. The only thing he worried about keeping clean was his gun. Modern guns shoot just
fine wet, but he d begun using firearms when dry powder meant life or death, and old habits die hard.
I waited for them to reach me, because I wanted the comfort of their presence while I did this. What I
really wanted to do was fall into their arms and start screaming. I didn t want to kill anymore I wanted
life for my people. I wanted to bring life back to faerie, not death. Not death.
I waited, and let their hands give me solace. Let them lift me above the soft, treacherous bottom and
guide me through the water. I didn t collapse against them, but I let myself take courage from the strength
of their hands.
A bone brushed my leg. Bone, I said.
A ridge of bone, by the feel of it, Doyle said.
Are you hoping Segna dies before you get here? Agnesasked, voice derisive. The tears shining on her
face made me discount the tone. She was losing someone she had lived with, fought beside, loved, for
centuries. She d hated me before this; now she d hate me even more. I did not want her as my enemy,
but it seemed as if no matter what I did, I couldn t avoid it.
I m trying not to share her fate, I said.
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I hope you do, Agnes said.
Sholto, tears plain on his face, looked at her. If you ever raise a hand to Meredith again, I will be done
with you.
Agnes stared at him, searched his face, as she held Segna s body. She stared into the face of the man
she loved. Whatever she saw there made her bow her head. I will do as my king bids. The words were
bitter; it seemed to tighten my own throat just to hear them. They must have burned in Agnes s throat.
Swear it, Sholto said.
What oath would you have of me? she asked, head still bowed.
The oath that Meredith gave, that will do.
She shivered, and it wasn t from cold. I swear by the darkness that eats all things that I will not harm
the princess here and now.
No, Sholto said, swear that you will never harm her.
She bowed lower, dry black hair trailing into the water. I cannot make that oath, my king.
Why can you not?
Because I mean her harm.
You will not swear to never hurt her? He sounded surprised.
I will not; cannot.
Ivar of the bird voice said, May I suggest, Your Highness, that she swear the oath to not harm the
princess now, so we can all move about freely. We can deal with her treachery later, once we ve dealt
with the urgencies of the present moment.
Sholto clutched Segna to him, and her yellowed hands with their broken claws grasped at him. You are
right, he said. He looked at Agnes, who was still bent over the water and Segna s body. Make what
oath you will, Agnes.
She straightened up, the water streaming from her hair. I swear by the darkness that eats all things that I
will not harm the princess in this moment.
May I suggest something, King Sholto? Doyle asked.
Yes, Sholto answered, though his eyes were on the dying woman in his arms.
Black Agnes should add to her oath that she will not harm the princess while we are here in your
garden.
Sholto just nodded and whispered, Do as he says, Agnes.
Do the sidhe guards give orders to our king now? she said.
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Do it, Agnes! he screamed at her, and the scream ended in a sob. He folded his body over Segna and
wept openly.
She glared at me, not Doyle, while she spoke, and each word seemed dragged out of her. I swear by
the darkness that eats all things that I will not harm the princess while we stand in the dead gardens.
I think that is as good as we get from her, Frost said, voice low.
Doyle nodded. Aye.
They both looked at me, as if they knew this was a bad idea. I addressed their look aloud. There s no
way around this, only through it. We have to live through this moment to get to the next.
Sholto raised his face enough to say, Segna will not live through this moment.
He hadn t been this upset inLos Angeles when I d done something much more horrible to Nerys the
Grey, his other hag. I didn t point this out, but I couldn t help noting it. They had both been his
lovers but then again, I knew better than most that you don t feel for your lovers all the same. Segna
meant something to him, and Nerys had not.Simple, painful, true.
I looked past the dying hag to Black Agnes, who watched Sholto intently. I realized in that moment that
she didn t just weep for Segna s death, but like me remembered that he hadn t wept for Nerys. Was she
wondering if he would weep for her? Or did she already know that he had loved Segna more? I wasn t [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]