The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

Author:Stephen King
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 1987-12-08T05:00:00+00:00

57

Peyna was in his study, staring into the fire and thinking long thoughts. When Thomas had been crowned the moon had been new; it was not yet at the half, and already he did not like the way things were going. Flagg—that was the worst. Flagg. The magician already wielded more power than in the days of Roland’s reign. Roland had at least been a man, full of years, no matter how slow his thinking might have been. Thomas was only a boy, and Peyna feared that Flagg might soon control all Delain in Thomas’s name. That would be bad for the Kingdom . . . and bad for Anders Peyna, who had never concealed his dislike of Flagg.

It was pleasant here in the study, before the crackling fire, but Peyna thought he nonetheless felt a cold wind around his ankles. It was a wind which might rise and blow away . . . everything.

Why, Peter? Why, oh why? Why couldn’t you wait? And why did you have to seem so perfect on the outside, like a rose-red apple in autumn, and be so rotten below the skin? Why?

Peyna didn’t know . . . and would not admit to himself, even now, that doubts as to whether or not Peter really had been rotten were beginning to nibble at his heart.

There was a knock at the door.

Peyna roused himself, looked around, and called out impatiently: “Come! And it better be damned good!”

Arlen came in, looking ruffled and confused. He held an envelope in one hand.

“Well?”

“My Lord . . . there’s a man at the door . . . at least, he looks like a man . . . that is, his face is most awfully puffed and swelled, as if he had gotten a terrible beating . . . or . . .” Arlen’s voice trailed away.

“What’s that to do with me? You know I don’t receive this late. Tell him to go away. Tell him to go to the devil!”

“He says he’s Beson, my Lord,” Arlen said, more flustered than ever. He raised the smudged envelope, as if to use it as a shield. “He brought this. He says it’s a message from Prince Peter.”

Peyna’s heart leaped at that, but he only frowned more strenuously at Arlen.

“Well, is it?”

“From Prince Peter?” Arlen was almost gibbering now. His usual composure was utterly lost, and Peyna found this interesting. He wouldn’t have believed Arlen would lose his composure come fire, flood, or invasion of ravaging dragons. “My Lord, I would have no way of knowing. . . . That is, I . . . I . . .”

“Is it Beson, you idiot?”

Arlen licked his lips—actually licked his lips. This was utterly unheard of. “Well, it might be, my Lord . . . it looks a bit like him . . . but the fellow on the doorstep is most awfully bruised and lumpy. . . . I . . .” Arlen swallowed. “I thought he looked like a dwarf,” he said, bringing out the worst and then trying to soften it with a lame smile.

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