A Joust of Knights (Book #16 in the Sorcerer's Ring) by Morgan Rice Read Free Book Online Page B

immediately rose to his feet and hurried down the ivory steps, a
warm smile on his face, humble, without the pretension of other kings, eager to
come out and greet her. His humility was a welcome relief to Gwendolyn,
especially after that encounter with his son, which still left her shaken, as ominous
as it was. She wondered whether to tell the King; for now, at least, she
thought she would hold her tongue and see what happened. She did not want to seem
ungrateful, or to begin their meeting on a bad note.
    “I thought of little else since our discussion
yesterday,” he said, as he approached and embraced her warmly. Krohn, at her
side, whined and nudged the King’s hand, and he looked down and smiled. “And
who is this?” he asked warmly.
    “Krohn,” she replied, relieved he had
taken a liking to him. “My leopard—or, to be more accurate, my husband’s
leopard. Although I suppose he’s as much mine now as his.”
    To her relief, the King knelt down, took
Krohn’s head in his hands, rubbed his ears and kissed him, unafraid. Krohn
responded by licking his face.
    “A fine animal,” he said. “A welcome
change from our common stock of dog here.”
    Gwen looked at him, surprised at his
kindness as she recalled Mardig’s words.
    “Then animals such as Krohn are allowed
here?” she asked.
    The King threw back his head back and laughed.
    “Of course,” he replied. “And why not. Did
someone tell you otherwise?”
    Gwen debated whether to tell her of her
encounter, and decided to hold her tongue; she did not want to be viewed as a
tattletale, and she needed to know more about these people, this family, before
drawing any conclusions or hastily rushing into the middle of a family drama.
It was best, she thought, to keep silent for now.
    “You wished to see me, my King?” she
said, instead.
    Immediately, his face grew serious.
    “I do,” he said. “Our speech was
interrupted yesterday, and there remains much we need to discuss.”
    He turned and gestured with his hand,
beckoning for her to follow him, and they walked together, their footsteps echoing,
as they crossed the vast chamber in silence. Gwen looked up and examined saw
the high, tapered ceilings as they went, the coat of arms displayed along the
walls, trophies, weapons, armor…. Gwen admired the order of this place, how
much pride these knights took in battle. This hall reminded her of a place she
might have found back in the Ring.
    They crossed the chamber and when they
reached the far end passed through another set of double doors, their ancient
oak a foot thick and smooth from use, and they exited onto a massive balcony,
adjacent to the throne room, a good fifty feet wide and just as deep, a marble
baluster framing it.
    She followed the King out, to the edge,
and leaning her hands against the smooth marble, she looked out. Below her
stretched the sprawling and immaculate city of the Ridge, all its angular slate
roofs marking the skyline, all its ancient houses of different shapes, built so
close to one another. This was clearly a patchwork city that had evolved over
hundreds of years, cozy, intimate, well-worn from use. With its peaks and
spires, it looked like a fairytale city, especially set against the backdrop of
the blue waters beyond, sparkling under the sun—and beyond even that, the
towering peaks of the Ridge, rising up all around it in a huge circle, like a
great barrier to the world.
    So tucked in, so sheltered from the
outside world, Gwen could not imagine that anything bad could ever befall this
place.
    The King sighed.
    “Hard to imagine this place is dying,”
he said—and she realized he had been sharing the same thoughts.
    “Hard to imagine,” he added, “that I am dying.”
    Gwen turned to him and saw his
light-blue eyes were pained, filled with sadness. She felt a flush of concern.
    “Of what malady, my lord?” she asked. “Surely,
whatever it is, it is something the healers can heal?”
    Slowly, he shook his head.
    “I