The Wizardwar - Elaine Cunningham [100]
"Ah. An important step in any burgeoning acquaintance," he said in a dry tone. "Tell me of Dhamari."
Her face grew troubled. "Kiva must have brought him back across the veil.
He hasn't the skill to manage that kind of spell. Where are we going?" she asked abruptly as they took a turn into a wide, marble corridor.
"Zalathorm's council hall. He must hear at once that Beatrix's secret is not as well kept as we'd hoped."
"This will hurt the king," Tzigone noted, considering this aspect for the first time. "Zalathorm has been Halruaa's mortar for a very long time. Without him holding the wizards together, things could get very messy."
"I don't think we can stop that from happening," Matteo said quietly. "Nor do I think we should try to hide the truth in an attempt to prevent trouble. Truth has a way of coming out and those who try to hold it back are the first to be swept away."
They walked quietly into the vaulted marble chamber that was the king's council hall and waited in an alcove while a trio of angry wizards presented complaints to the king. All were connected in some way to the slain wizard Rhodea Firehair. The Council of Elders had ordered an inquisition into their affairs. All three protested. They were heavily invested in important magical research. Magical inquiry at this time, they insisted, could open their secrets to other wizards and bring financial ruin.
"Never mind the ruin a wizardwar could bring," Tzigone muttered darkly.
She looked up to find Matteo staring at her. "What?"
"The good of the king, the fragile peace." He shook his head. "You did not ponder such things before."
She shrugged and ran her fingers through her short, tousled, brown hair to tame it somewhat. "I've never had an audience with the king before, either." She caught the hem of Matteo's tunic as he turned toward the throne. "Does he know about me? That I'm the queen's daughter?"
Matteo hesitated. "He learned this not long ago, yes."
"Will he let me walk out of here? Halruaa's laws don't exactly embrace people like me."
"Zalathorm is a lawful king, but he is also a powerful diviner. If he acted upon everything he knew about his subjects, he would soon have no kingdom to rule."
"Cynical, but probably true." She blew out a long breath and tried not to dwell upon the things Matteo was so obviously not telling her. The man had no talent for lying-he couldn't even hold something back without looking pained.
That was one of the reasons she trusted him and why she followed him into the throne room of Halruaa's king.
Zalathorm's gaze flicked toward the newcomers, then slid to his seneschal. The blue-robed man immediately strode over to the guards, who ushered out the still-angry wizards with promises of a swift resolution. He followed them out and shut the chamber doors, leaving the two young people alone with the king.
Matteo dipped into a low bow, which Tzigone imitated deftly and precisely.
It occurred to her, too late, that a jordain's bow and an apprentice wizard's were two very different things. The king didn't seem to notice, but Matteo's expressionquickly mastered-couldn't have been more horrified if Tzigone had drop-kicked the king's favorite hunting dog.
The jordain hastily cleared his throat. "Your majesty, this is Tzigone, apprentice to Lord Basel."
Zalathorm rose from the throne and took her hand. "Welcome, child. How can I serve the hero of Akhlaur's Swamp?"
"Tell me about my mother," she blurted out. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Matteo blanch at this egregious broach of protocol. Most likely, a string of fancy phrases was required before getting to the point.
To her surprise, the king merely nodded. He led the way to an alcove with several chairs and waited until all were settled.
"Where would you like to begin?"
"Did you know her before she left the city, her tower?"
"No," the king said. "I had heard her name, of course, for Keturah was