The Bastard Prince by Katherine Kurtz Read Free Book Online

sink back on his heels, hands resting on his thighs. “It was almost as if they—sensed another Deryni presence in the hall besides themselves. Not I, my lord,” he added, before Paulin could ask. “I kept my shields damped; they cannot have known. This meant that I dared not essay beyond the simplest Truth-Reading—but nor did they. That is what I meant by ‘well behaved.’ In fact, none but the herald even sought to Truth-Read. I would have expected more—some attempt to Read beyond the mere words of the king’s responses, to catch any hint of bravado or bluff.”
    â€œIs it possible he was bluffing?” one of the black-clad monks asked. “The herald, I mean.”
    Dimitri slowly shook his head. “I think not,” he said thoughtfully. “The herald at least believes that Prince Miklos holds Culliecairn for the Pretender’s son and that the challenge has only to do with the future ownership of the castle.”
    â€œThen, could this be an excuse to draw our strength up to Coldoire while Torenthi forces make more serious encroachments elsewhere?” The speaker was a dark-haired Custodes knight called Cloyce, who was one of Albertus’ aides.
    Dimitri inclined his head.
    â€œI cannot rule out such motivations, my lord, based on what I perceived,” he allowed. “You must rely upon more conventional information to confirm or deny such possibilities. All I can say for certain is that the herald spoke no direct lie in what he told the king—and that, beyond confirming that the king also did not lie, he did not press whatever advantage his blood might have given him, by attempting to probe beyond simple truth.”
    Hubert grimaced. “What about the king, then? Is it possible,” he asked slowly, “that something in the king himself deterred closer scrutiny? You did mention another possibly Deryni presence in the hall. We’ve always believed Rhys Michael was untainted in that regard, but Javan or someone close to him was skilled enough to manipulate me briefly, all those years ago.”
    Looking almost perplexed, Dimitri shook his head. “Why do you persist in this questioning, my lord? You have never permitted me to examine his Highness—and I accept that it is because you fear I might somehow seize control and then manipulate him for my own ends, whatever you can think those might be, after so many years of loyal service—but some ability to shield is not that uncommon in humans, especially if the subject has been exposed to Deryni. Since all three Haldane brothers were in the care of Deryni tutors and Healers in their early childhood, it may be that the king retained some residual benefit from that time.”
    â€œI would hardly call it a benefit,” Paulin muttered.
    Dimitri shrugged. “If the herald was deterred from employing advantages he might have utilized, then I should count it as a benefit, my lord,” he replied. “But be advised that such shielding ability as is sometimes encountered in humans usually yields readily to physical contact. Had the herald had occasion to touch the king, the outcome might have been quite different—though, of course, any serious encroachment would take time, especially if one wished one’s efforts to go undetected.”
    The Deryni agent’s attempt to defuse any threat that might be perceived from himself did little to reassure most of the men listening, though Hubert, at least, did not seem alarmed.
    â€œThe king knows better than to let a Deryni touch him,” the archbishop said flatly. “He fears those of Torenth far more than he fears us.”
    â€œSo long as he fears us both,” Paulin murmured, casting Hubert a sour look. “Shall we adjourn to the council chamber? They’ll be mostly gathered by now, and we should agree on a plan of action before we summon the king to join us.”
    â€œQuite true,” Hubert agreed,