Kerr, Katharine - Deverry 02 - Darkspell by Kerr Katharine

Author:Kerr, Katharine [Kerr, Katharine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Spectra
Published: 2010-11-12T23:00:00+00:00

The king’s city of Abernaudd spanned the Elaver some two miles upstream of the seacoast and the harbor. Behind ramparted stone walls, cobbled streets marched up and down terraced hills. At the top of the highest hill stood the royal dun, flying the blue-and-silver banner of the Dragon throne, while down in the valley huddled the stinking, close-packed huts of the poor. In Abernaudd how high up one lived showed literally how high one stood on the social scale. As head of the dyers’ guild, Primilla lived on the crest of a low hill in a spacious compound that came with her position. With her in the three-story roundhouse lived her five apprentices, who waited on her to earn their training. Out in back in the cobbled yard stood long sheds, housing the master workrooms of the guild. The cloth dyed there under her personal supervision went to the royal household for the guild’s taxes.

Although Primilla had indeed found rare dye plants on her trip to Cannobaen, she was annoyed at having to take the time away from guild affairs. Her duty to the dweomer, however, always took precedence over her duty to the dyers. When Nevyn had asked for her help, she could never have refused her old teacher in the magical arts. Although he had yet to tell her the reasons for his interest in the affairs of Mael, prince of Aberwyn and Cannobaen, she was willing to poke around and learn what she could. Now that she’d discovered that Cannobaen still stood loyal to him, she could concentrate on the more important matter of the prince’s standing in court.

As so often seemed to be the case, Nevyn had asked his questions at exactly the right time. This summer Primilla would have plenty of access to court circles, because the king was asking the city guilds for an enormous loan to continue his bid for the Deverry throne. Although normally the noble-born sneered at commerce, whenever the king needed hard coin, the guildsmen and merchants found themselves being courted by all the best people. The very night after her return, Primilla had the first of many meetings called by the guilds and merchants to select representatives to go to the palace for the actual haggling. Since she wanted the job, she got a place on the council easily. Although the merchants vied for the positions, few of the craftspeople could afford the time away from their work.

Finally, after a week of meetings and lobbying, the guild commission of five, with Grotyr the moneylender at their head, met with four of the king’s councillors in a narrow chamber on the second floor of the royal broch, while a scribe from each side took careful notes. Primilla was expecting a session of hedging and fencing, but the king’s chief councillor, a dark-eyed, paunchy fellow named Cadlew, flatly announced that the king wanted a thousand gold pieces.

“Ye gods!” Grotyr sputtered. “Do you realize, good sir, that the guilds would go bankrupt

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