Wolfblade

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Wolfblade Page 62

by Jennifer Fallon


  When she thought about it like that, there was really no question that she’d done the right thing. Nash was old enough to make his own choices and he’d made the choices that led to death.

  Funny thing is, Nashan, my love, I would have given everything to you had you asked. You never needed to take anything from me . . .

  And Alija? How much of this was her doing? And how would she react to the news her lover was dead? She certainly couldn’t accuse Marla of anything. Not without betraying herself. But that was a problem to be faced tomorrow. And the day after.

  And the day after that.

  From this moment on, nothing would ever be the same for Marla Wolfblade.

  Marla sighed and turned away from her children. They were safe now. Safer than they’d been for a very long time. Nobody would ever be allowed to threaten them again like that, she silently vowed.

  And Marla intended to make certain of it, even if it meant taking the throne of Hythria herself.

  As she stepped into the candlelit hall, Marla wished Elezaar was here, thinking the dwarf would know what to do. But then, she’d done all this without him. Perhaps she’d finally reached the point where she no longer needed his counsel. Marla smiled at the thought, imagining the panicked look on Elezaar’s face if she even hinted that she might no longer have a use for him. She wasn’t blind to the dwarf’s desperate need to stay at her side. It puzzled her at times and she was determined to get to the bottom of his inexplicable devotion to her some day, but for now it was time she retired to her room.

  It was very late and she was going to need a good night’s sleep, because tomorrow morning the city guard would be banging on the doors at some ungodly hour to inform her that, tragically, her husband was dead.

  Epilogue

  F

  rom the balcony overlooking the great staircase of the Greenharbour Palace, you could see tomorrow . . .

  Marla remembered thinking that the last time she stood here in her dressing gown, waiting for the ball to start. Memories of that innocent and foolish child seemed to belong to someone else. The ruthless young woman who stood here now found it hard to credit that she had ever been so innocent, so naive.

  She looked down at the preparations for the Feast of Kaelarn Ball with a wistful smile. You couldn’t see as far as tomorrow, but you could see right across the hall, and get a very nice view of the handsome and smartly dressed young men who had come for the ball this evening.

  In a way, she missed that girl; the one whose most pressing chore was to decide which of those handsome and smartly dressed young men would be her husband. Marla was thinking along the same lines again, but she was no longer content to choose a young man for his looks or his smile. She’d fallen for that once and the cost had proved more than she was willing to pay. No, the next time Marla got married it would be for far more tangible things in life. Money. Power. Influence.

  The sixteen glorious cut-crystal candelabra showered their warm yellow light over the guests. The musicians in the corner were tuning their instruments discordantly and barefooted slaves hurried back and forth from the kitchens, piling the long tables with exotically displayed foods and countless flagons of the fine imported Medalonian wines for which the palace was so famous. The thirty-two fluted marble columns no longer looked as if they could support the weight of the entire world in Marla’s eyes. These days they were just another unique architectural feature in a palace that was full of unique architectural features.

  Marla pushed her long fair hair off her face, remembering the gesture as if she had somehow stepped back in time. As she had that evening so long ago, she knew that somewhere down there, amid the sea of faces, polished boots and slicked-down hair, was her future husband. She had no idea who he was, but he was sure to present himself at some stage this evening. These days, she didn’t care if he was handsome, but he would be wealthy, probably old. She had promised Lernen she would marry whoever he wanted the next time and she meant to keep her word.

  She would never marry for love again. That was certain.

  The chances were high that her next husband wouldn’t be the son of one of the many noble houses. Lernen needed friends in the increasingly affluent and influential merchant class and they were looking equally attractive to a princess wishing to acquire material wealth. Marla already had two sons who were the heirs to two different provinces and the High Prince’s crown. She did not intend to complicate matters further by adding a third heir to the mix.

  “Is something wrong, your highness?”

  Marla turned as Elezaar approached. He’d arrived back several weeks ago with Almodavar, who was now responsible for the security of her children. She was sleeping much better since he had arrived from Krakandar with three hundred battle-hardened troops.

  “No. I was just reliving old times.”

  “Old times?”

  “I stood here once, Elezaar, a lifetime ago, trying to imagine what my husband might look like. That was the night I met Nash. And Laran. Wrayan, too, now that I think about it.”

  “Sounds like quite an eventful evening.”

  “It was.”

  “And are you still determined to marry again?”

  “More than ever,” Marla told the dwarf. “As a widow, I’m powerless. As a wife I have much more freedom.”

  “Is it only freedom you want, your highness?”

  Marla smiled thinly. The dwarf saw through her so easily. “I want power, Elezaar. I want people to think twice before they harm me or mine again. I want the men of this land to think about what they could gain by harming my sons, and then consider what they might lose if they fall out of favour with me. I want the power to ruin, not just to kill. Any man with enough coin can hire an assassin to redress a wrong he feels has been done to him. I want the serious wealth it takes to destroy a man’s livelihood and his family’s future. That’s the kind of wealth and power I want. I’ll need it, if I’m to keep my children safe.”

  “Will you keep them here in Greenharbour with you?”

  She shook her head. “I’m too busy with my work at the palace and too frightened for their safety. I’m sending them back to Krakandar. Almodavar will watch over them. And he’ll teach them to look after themselves. Far better than I could. Besides, with Mahkas and Bylinda there, it’ll be just like a real home. Leila and Xanda are there too, although Travin’s gone to Elasapine with Charel now. Anyway, I don’t want my children growing up in this cesspit. If Lernen wants to be a doting uncle, he can do it from a distance. I won’t let Damin or the twins be corrupted by him.”

  “Have you thought about asking the Sorcerers’ Collective to manage Krakandar until Damin comes of age?”

  “With Alija in control? I think not. Besides, Mahkas has done a good job as regent so far. I see no reason why his stewardship of Krakandar shouldn’t continue.”

  “And what of Alija?”

  “What of her?”

  “You’re just going to let her get away with everything she did?”

  “I have no proof she was involved in anything, Elezaar, other than sleeping with my husband. Besides, she’s High Arrion now. Unless I want to take on the whole Sorcerers’ Collective, there’s no way I can confront her without incontrovertible proof that she was involved in something illegal. I put an end to Nash’s push for the throne. For the time being, we’ll have to be content with that.”

  “She turned him against you.”

  Marla was silent for a time, then she shrugged philosophically. “Did she? If Nash ever really loved me, Elezaar, Alija couldn’t have made him betray me the way he did. Decent men don’t arrange to have babies murdered to further their own ambition.”

  “Wrayan believes she was behind it all.”

  “Wrayan also claims he speaks to the gods and that he’s been living among the Harshini in Sanctuary for the past few years, Elezaar. You don’t believe that, too, do you?”

  “I’m not sure I don’t believe him.”

  “And that’s why I’m
sending him back to Krakandar, too.”

  “Almodavar will be busy.”

  Marla smiled. “Look at it this way. Either Wrayan is crazy, which means that with Almodavar watching over him in Krakandar he can do very little harm, or he really can speak to the gods and wield Harshini magic, in which case I’d much rather have him where he can watch over my children.”

  “And the High Prince?”

  “What about him?”

  “Will you do nothing about your brother?”

  “I will fight to keep him on the throne with my dying breath. Damin deserves that much from me.”

  “Even knowing what he is?”

  Marla sighed. “Kagan told me once that Lernen’s greatest virtue was his total obsession with his own pleasure. He’s not interested in anything else. I believe he was right. Lernen can do what he pleases, Elezaar. I will look after Hythria until my son comes of age. And then Hythria will have a High Prince it can be proud of.”

  “I think Hythria already has a princess it can be proud of, Marla Wolfblade.”

  She looked down at the twisted little man fondly. “Do you remember telling me once that your only purpose in life was to remain in my good graces, dwarf?”

  “I do, your highness.”

  “Keep coming up with comments like that,” Marla replied with a smile, “and you may yet get your wish, Fool.”

  Table of Contents

  Part I

  chapter 1

  chapter 2

  chapter 3

  chapter 4

  chapter 5

  chapter 6

  chapter 7

  chapter 8

  chapter 9

  chapter 10

  chapter 11

  chapter 12

  chapter 13

  chapter 14

  chapter 15

  chapter 16

  chapter 17

  chapter 18

  Part II

  chapter 19

  chapter 20

  chapter 21

  chapter 22

  chapter 23

  chapter 24

  chapter 25

  chapter 26

  chapter 27

  chapter 28

  chapter 29

  chapter 30

  chapter 31

  chapter 32

  chapter 33

  chapter 34

  chapter 35

  chapter 36

  chapter 37

  chapter 38

  chapter 39

  chapter 40

  Part III

  chapter 41

  chapter 42

  chapter 43

  chapter 44

  chapter 45

  chapter 46

  chapter 47

  chapter 48

  chapter 49

  chapter 50

  chapter 51

  chapter 52

  chapter 53

  chapter 54

  chapter 55

  chapter 56

  chapter 57

  chapter 58

  chapter 59

  Part IV

  chapter 60

  chapter 61

  chapter 62

  chapter 63

  chapter 64

  chapter 65

  chapter 66

  chapter 67

  chapter 68

  chapter 69

  chapter 70

  chapter 71

  chapter 72

  chapter 73

  chapter 74

  chapter 75

  chapter 76

  chapter 77

  chapter 78

  chapter 79

  chapter 80

  Part V

  chapter 81

  chapter 82

  chapter 83

  chapter 84

  chapter 85

  chapter 86

  chapter 87

  chapter 88

  chapter 89

  chapter 90

  chapter 91

 

 

 


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