Death of the Dragon - Ed Greenwood [34]
"Don't talk of thrones to me, shrew! You are no more married to Rowen than you were to Aunadar."
"She's not?" Filfaeril cried. She pulled free of Tanalasta's grasp and placed a hand over her breast. "By the Lady's Fiery Tresses, that's good news! I didn't know how I was going to explain it to the king. Imagine! A Cormaeril as the royal husband. What would the Silverswords do?"
Xanthon's eyes flashed crimson, and he gasped, "She told you?" He grew so distracted that he was barely quick enough to deflect the next few attacks. "Then it's true?"
"I should hope not!" Filfaeril stepped toward the ghazneth. "If it is, take me now and end my shame."
The shadow seemed to fade from Xanthon's face, and the hatred in his eyes took on the more human aspect Tanalasta had witnessed at Goblin Mountain. She caught her mother's arm and jerked her back, beginning to fear that perhaps the queen's reaction was not really an act.
"That's quite enough, Mother." Tanalasta had learned all she needed-perhaps even more than she would have liked. She nudged Alaphonder toward Owden, who was still facing off Boldovar, then spun away from Xanthon and reached for her weathercloak's escape pocket. "We'll discuss this further in my chambers."
A dark door opened before Tanalasta and she stepped through, dragging her mother along behind her. There was that timeless moment of falling, then she was back in the familiar confines of her own chamber, not quite sure why she felt so disoriented or why she was holding hands with the queen. In the next instant, Alaphondar arrived with Owden Foley in tow, then Tanalasta heard the battle clamor out in the bailey, and it all came rushing back to her.
She opened the door to her anteroom and shouted, "Sentries! Alarm!"
"And bring your irons!" added the queen. "We have ghazneths."
Tanalasta could not help smiling as she heard the startled cries echoing down the halls. Though she had not been home in well over a year, she was glad to see some things never changed. She listened for a moment to the astonished guards relaying the news of her return, then turned back to her mother.
"I hope that act was for Xanthon's benefit," she said.
Filfaeril smiled too sweetly. "Of course, my dear. I couldn't be happier for you."
Without awaiting a reply, the queen crossed the bed-chamber and peered out between the draperies. Tanalasta followed close behind and took the other side. Out in the bailey, Boldovar and the other winged ghazneth-it had to be either Suzara Obarskyr or Ryndala Merendil, since they were the only two female ghazneths-were little more than specks in the sky. Still lacking wings large enough to lift him, Xanthon Cormaeril was clambering up the outer wall like a huge spider, now fully reverted to his full ghazneth self.
Shaking her head in frustration, Tanalasta stepped away from the curtain and turned to her mother. "It's my turn to apologize. Apparently, I was wrong."
"You-wrong?" Filfaeril let the curtain drop and gave her daughter a doubtful look. "Why do I have a hard time believing that?"
"Because she wasn't." Alaphondar stepped between the two women and cautiously peered out between the draperies. "Had Tanalasta been wrong, I doubt the ghazneths would have set this trap for her."
"A trap?" echoed Owden. He and Alaphondar exchanged meaningful glances, then he looked away and did the same with Tanalasta. "You don't suppose they could have been worried about something else?"
"I don't see what," Tanalasta said quickly. Though enough time had passed for the princess to be certain she remained with child, she had not yet told her mother-partly because she feared the queen's reaction, and partly because of her own irrational desire to shelter the child by keeping the pregnancy secret as long as possible. "But we shouldn't congratulate ourselves yet. We've been able to weaken Xanthon twice now, but he has also recovered-and in fairly short order. I don't think my theory is going to destroy the ghazneths."
"Not