Sword of the Falcon by Court Ellyn

Author:Court Ellyn [Ellyn, Court]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Raven Eye Press
Published: 2013-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

~~~~

Near dawn, Kelyn stumbled to his room off the Falcons’ common hall. Rather than drunk, he was exhausted and far too sober. Every member of the Guard had been needed to monitor the exuberant crowds, inside the castle and outside it. Shortly after midnight, Rhorek had escorted his queen to their suite, where half a dozen Falcons guarded the doors. More were stationed below the windows to deter any jealous mistress who might wish to disrupt the honeymoon, as well as guard against mischief of more menacing kinds. Once, after the banquet, Kelyn thought he saw a small blade glittering in a servant’s palm. After the incident with the assassin at Assembly, he thought it wise to be cautious. But after scaring the young man half to death, the blade turned out to be a silver comb that had fallen from a lady’s hair. He was charged with bringing it to her. “Which lady?” Kelyn asked.

“Lady Ni’avh,” the servant said.

“I have a cousin Ni’avh.”

“Of Wyramor, yessir.”

Kelyn saw the item delivered into his shy cousin’s hand before continuing his tour of the corridors.

Far more disturbing were whispers of rumors he’d heard among the dancing highborns. “My hairdresser told me herself, this very day,” said Lady Zeldanor. Short and thick-limbed, she’d had to stand on tiptoe to whisper into the ear of Lord Lanwyk’s skinny granddaughter. Her whisper was not a delicate one and half-told in laughter. “Not ill, but, you know …”

Lanwyk’s granddaughter gasped. “I thought they weren’t to be married till next spring.”

“Not to be married at all now, so I’ve heard.”

Kelyn had drifted past, watching hands and reading lips, and once his back was turned, Lady Zeldanor added, “Shh. That one there’s his brother.”

Kelyn turned abruptly, and the ladies scurried away, skirts swaying fast, like startled chickens fleeing the fox. He’d sworn under his breath and kept his ears open for any more gossip concerning the duchess or his brother, but the little birds were silent. Or perhaps they merely ceased their clucking when they saw him approach. Regardless, Kelyn’s belly was in knots by the time his relief arrived. What if Lissah heard the rumors? Of course, nothing he’d overheard connected him to Rhoslyn’s “illness.” Even if Lissah caught wind of them, she’d have no reason to suspect him. Would she?

He had to forget about it and try to get a couple hours of sleep before the royal couple rose for breakfast. In the dark, he nudged Laral with his toe. The boy groaned and turned up a lamp. Squinting in the dim light, he hauled himself out of his warm bedroll to unbuckle Kelyn’s shoulder-guards. Damned impractical things that a knight couldn’t undress himself at such an hour.

“When you dined with the other squires,” Kelyn whispered, hoping not to wake little Eliad, “did you happen to overhear anything concerning my brother?”

Laral’s fingers stopped. He was awake in an instant. “Overhear, nothing! All the squires from Westport and Brimlad were laughing about it.”

“It?”

“That stupid Rodgar. It was his fault.

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