Betrayed: The Taellaneth - Book 3 by Vanessa Nelson

Author:Vanessa Nelson [Nelson, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-26T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Before Arrow could find anything else to say, Miach had ducked back into the crowd on some errand of his own, leaving her alone. But only for a moment. Before she had done more than take a step she was surrounded by richly dressed Erith. Far from reviling her, they were now openly curious. She was showered with invitations. Come and talk with them. Walk with them the next day. Visit with them and take tea. Take a stroll around the Queen’s garden. She recognised a few faces as among those who had twitched their clothing out of the way when she first entered the room. It seemed the Queen’s attention still had power in the Palace and was noticed. Arrow had no appetite or time for the courtiers’ games. She made a shallow bow, drawing a few frowns, then excused herself with no promises made.

She had memorised where the main doors were and headed in that direction. The Queen had spoken with her. It seemed that there was nothing more for her to do.

She had taken only a few paces before a warrior appeared beside her. Xeveran.

“Good evening, svegraen.”

“Good evening, mage. We cannot leave quite yet. The Queen will make a speech, and then we can leave. Kallish is watching Orlis. This way.”

He steered her gently away from the path to the doors, the presence of a fully armed warrior parting the crowds, and back to the patch of wall where Orlis’ mood seemed to have improved dramatically. The improvement in his temper was perhaps due to the fact that he seemed to have found a pair of Palace servants who were carrying trays laden with food, small bites of the best that the Palace kitchens had to offer. He was making his way through the food on the trays, talking animatedly with Kester, who was watching the crowd with most of his attention, answering Orlis absently as Arrow and Xeveran arrived. Kallish was standing at parade rest a few paces away, her presence, like Xeveran’s, ensuring the crowds stayed back.

Before Orlis could ask any of the dozen or so questions she could see bubbling on his lips, the whole room fell silent at some invisible signal. Arrow turned to find that the Queen had ascended the dais at the end of the room, her ladies and Miach, with his third, gathered around her.

Arrow was not quite sure what the Queen said, the monarch’s voice carried through the room by a gentle spell which must be woven into the dais, as her attention was snagged by several clusters of the gathered nobility. Priath, a pair of lords she did not know, a cluster of ladies and lords most of whom were strangers, and a few other individuals scattered around.

She had no idea why those individuals attracted her attention. It was as though someone had marked them, telling her to look at them, to see how they were behaving, who they were talking to.

And then the Queen’s speech ended and the bubble was broken, the crowd becoming a crowd again, with no one person standing out.

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