Dark One Rising. Leandra Martin

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СКАЧАТЬ the people of this kingdom to join him, and if they refused, they would perish. This world belonged to him now and everything in it as well. It was time for the reign of man to end, and the reign of gods to begin.

      CHAPTER 1

      Melenthia Eryn Breslin, Princess of Aaralyn, rode her horse across the meadow, the wind blowing back her long red hair which glistened in the setting sunlight.

      She was dressed in her usual attire, riding pants and linen tunic, her knee high brown boots dusty from the afternoon in town, a small dagger tucked securely in her boot. Not an outfit that was most becoming a lady of nobility, but certainly more her favored attire, comfortable and plain.

      The sun was going down and in an hour it would be dark. She was late getting home again and knew that her father would be angry with her for missing dinner with him again.

      There were so infrequent warm days now, and she was determined not to miss any of them sitting inside a dark dank castle. Her father didn’t understand her need for freedom. He didn’t understand why she was always on the go. But then again, he didn’t understand her at all. He wanted her to be demure and ladylike, and she fought hard to be who she wanted.

      The winter was hanging on, and it seemed to be getting here sooner each year. She wondered what was happening in her realm. Strange things were afoot, things she had no explanation for. Besides the shorter spring and summer, and the longer and colder than usual winter, there had been occurrences all over the realm that made her wonder just what kind of spell had been cast over Aelethia.

      She had talked to some farmers in Tamerlane that showed her their fields of crops that had withered almost overnight, and she had ridden through Barden where people told her about the cattle that had died without any indication of sickness.

      She reported everything she had seen and heard to her father, but he brushed it off as odd and nothing more.

      There was more, so much more that she had seen and heard, but most of the other events were too weird for her to even mention to anyone, even her beloved brother Kevaan. She hardly thought that the events were normal, but she dared not spout off about them without sounding like a imbecile. Her father was already displeased with her for wandering across the realm alone, saying that she was just asking for trouble on the road without armed escort.

      She was not afraid of her realm. The people loved her and trusted her, and she felt pity for them when they were suffering. She wanted to help them, and getting her father to see their plight was sometimes impossible.

      He was not always like this. He had just started acting strange the past year. She would find him muttering to himself, pacing across his throne room like an anxious pup. There was something bothering him these days, but he would not tell her what it was, and when she pleaded for Kevaan to ask him, he told her that it was just normal problems of state that plagued any king.

      She knew that Kevaan was wrong, but if both of them refused to see what was really happening, they would never listen to her. She was a woman after all, and although Kevaan respected her and her opinions, she knew that he would never allow her to get involved in things that only men should deal with.

      Kevaan, even as much as he doted on her, still saw her as a silly girl who doodled instead of studied and rode horses like a man instead of sidesaddle which was proper.

      She was educated. She could read and write, and that was only because Kevaan had allowed it to happen, mostly behind his father’s back while he was too busy to notice. She understood the laws of the land and how the realm was supposed to work. The king held the seat over the provinces, and the dukes and earls held seats over their villages and cities. But she was seeing things that did not make sense in the order of things. The Duke of Xenos, for instance, in the south western corner of Aelethia, owned more land than anyone felt he deserved but won over her father with his meticulous accounting. She knew, however, that Fallon had a cunning tongue, and he was able to smooth talk his way through most things. She had had the awful pleasure of meeting him once, and he was no one she wanted to deal with again. He could flatter and compliment, but his eyes held a menace that made her shudder. He was evil, she knew it, but proving it would be impossible.

      She had heard more disturbing accounts today in town, but she would keep them to herself until she was sure she could prove them. Her father would never believe they were more than just rumors. If only he would ride his countryside more often, he would see what was happening and maybe he could deal with them.

      She rode under the arched entrance just as the guards were lowering the gate for the night. She galloped into the bailey and dismounted, handing her reins to a stable boy who came out to greet her.

      The Captain of the Guard, Gerard Rainer, stepped in front of her and frowned. “Being outside the castle walls without escort, Your Highness, is against the rules.”

      She glared at him. “Who are you to recite the rules to me?”

      “I’m the Captain of the king’s guard, and I’m here to protect the king and his family, and that includes you, Melenthia. I cannot do so when you sneak off without permission.”

      “What I do or where I go is none of your concern. I will do what I feel is necessary for the people of this kingdom. I have a duty to them, to hear their concerns and needs and report them to my father. I must be out among them to do that.”

      “I do not fault you for your dedication to the people of this realm, Your Highness, but on your lack of judgment. You can do your duty with armed escort.”

      She had her hands on her hips now and was scowling at him. “Are we done?”

      “For the moment.”

      She growled and turned on her heel, stalking away. Tomas, the new young squire in the guard, saw her heading for the front door into the castle and stopped her in mid-stride.

      “Coming home a bit late again, Your Highness?”

      “I lost track of time, if it’s any business of yours.”

      She liked Tomas. He was handsome and funny, and he always covered for her whenever she came in late, or came home from somewhere she should not have been. Unlike Gerard, he understood her need for freedom. She knew she would get an earful from her father about the late hour of her return, and she already heard it from Gerard. She did not want to hear it from him as well.

      “I don’t see an escort coming back with you. Perhaps you left him behind on the road when he could not keep up.”

      “I don’t need an escort. I’m perfectly able to protect myself.”

      “Aye, that is true, Your Highness, but it’s best if your father knows otherwise.”

      “I’m sure Gerard has already told him.”

      “Perhaps, but it would be best if we pretended we didn’t know that.”

      She smiled at his implication. “Well then, did you enjoy your ride into town, Squire Tomas?”

      “Quite, Your Highness. ‘Twas a fine day to be out and about.”

      She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He would cover for her. Again. She started to head up the stairs but he cleared his throat. “I believe His Majesty is in his sitting room at this moment. It would probably be best if he was not disturbed.”

      She СКАЧАТЬ