Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [122]
A group of bards played enchanted music as the king, his daughter, and his new son walked down from the altar to a long table set up with food and drink at the other end of the courtyard.
"Korox! Korox! I must have a word with you."
The king's moment of happiness was quickly ended by Lady Herrin and her bodyguards.
Sidling up, a plate of food in her hand, she jawed at the king between bites.
"Who is going to pay for all of this destruction?" she said, her words made less comprehensible by the piles of chewed meat in her mouth. "The marketplace was completely ruined by showers of obsidian. Who is going to pay for all of my ruined goods?"
"Lady Herrin," said King Korox, "so good of you to come to the wedding." He shook her greasy hand. "I think you know my new son, Quinn."
Heating his name, Quinn turned away from his new wife, to see the king giving him a rather forced smile.
"Yes, of course I know your bodyguard," said Lady Herrin. "Why you would let such a man marry your daughter-"
The king's smile turned genuine as he interrupted her. "Oh, Quinn is no longer my bodyguard. He's now my minister of trade. You will be dealing with him directly if you have any concerns you wish to bring to the court." He pointed to the plate of food Lady Herrin had gripped in her hands. "Please enjoy yourself. If you will excuse me, I have a small matter that I must attend to."
Stepping away from the annoying old merchant, the king slipped out of the courtyard and away from the mingling crowd. In a quiet, concealed corner, behind a large hedge and away from prying eyes, he rendezvoused with the man who would take Quinn's place as his personal assassin.
"Have you found her?" he asked.
The man stepped out of the shadows, tugging on the tips of his moustache, his wide-brimmed hat at his side.
"Not yet, my lord," replied Vasser. "But I will."
The king nodded. "Good. Find her and kill her. Those are my orders."
Vasser bowed with a practiced flair. "As you wish, my lord."
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LRS to LRF parser v.0.9; Mikhail Sharonov, 2006; msh-tools.com/ebook/
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Epilogue