The Crown of the Conqueror by Gav Thorpe Read Free Book Online

of its kind from a tree in the gardens outside the window. Ullsaard barely noticed the bird as he entered. His attention was fixed on Noran. The former herald to King Lutaar lay on a low cot, sheets pulled back, his yellowish chest and shoulders catching the sun coming through the window. As well as its jaundiced tint, Noran's skin had a thin, weathered look to it. There was little fat and muscle left, his face gaunt, his limbs withered.
      Meliu followed Ullsaard into the small bedroom, a bowl of broth on a tray. She placed the soup on a table beside the bed and knelt down next to Noran. Spoonful by spoonful, she fed him, dribbling the liquid between his parted lips.
      "He breathes, and he swallows, but that's about it," Meliu said when she was done. She pulled a spindly hand from beneath the covers and held it, locking her fingers with those of Noran. "I have to let the servants clean him up and change the sheets."
      Ullsaard looked at his youngest wife.
      "Do you want to be with him?" he asked.
      She did not stir from gazing at Noran's pinched face.
      "I don't think he would want to be with me," she said. "After… After what we did, he would not have anything to do with me."
      "I want to give you a divorce," Ullsaard said, blurting it out.
      Meliu turned horrified eyes to the king, tears instantly reddening them.
      "Why? I am sorry for what happened with Noran. You said you understood. Why would you do this to me? I know you don't love me like Allenya, but I've b–"
      "Forget it," snapped Ullsaard. "I thought it would be something you wanted, so that if Noran recovers you could be together."
      Meliu stood up, still holding Noran's hand.
      "If you want to get rid of me, be honest about it. Do not pretend that it is for my benefit. You have always wanted Allenya alone, we know that."
      Ullsaard backed towards the door.
      "I made a mistake," he said. He looked at Noran again. "It's not going to matter anyway."
      Meliu's face scrunched into the fiercest scowl she had ever mustered, taking Ullsaard by surprise. Fists clenched, his wife advanced across the room until she was right in front of him, the top of her head barely reaching up to his chin.
      "You are a selfish bastard, Ullsaard," she snarled. "Would you prefer it if your friend died? Do you care about nothing except yourself?"
      Ullsaard pushed her away, as gently as he could manage.
      "I would prefer it if he died swiftly, not this lingering half-death. Maybe it was a mistake to keep him alive in the first place."
      "Look at him!" shrieked Meliu. "He is alive. He just needs more time, to build his strength."
      Ullsaard laughed and instantly regretted it.
      "I am sorry. I don't find this funny, but you are lying to yourself if you think he will recover. You cannot keep him alive forever. I have never seen a man looking so ill." Ullsaard pulled the small knife from his belt and tossed it onto the bed at Noran's feet. "I would end his misery, but I leave it up to you."
      Meliu looked with disgust at the knife. She snatched it up and for a moment Ullsaard thought she was going to attack him. Instead, she slapped it back into his hand, hilt-first.
      "Murder whomever you like," she said. "Do not expect me to be as heartless. If you want him dead, do it by your own hand, not mine."
      Ullsaard walked out, brushing aside the curtain of beads that covered the doorway. He heard Meliu's sobs as he continued along the landing. Servants were moving about the house lighting lamps. Ullsaard stopped at the top of the curving stairway, feeling awkward and out of place. This house already had its own life, its routines and small traditions, and he was not part of them. He was about to embark on the ruthless conquest of Salphoria, but it was in this quiet, domestic realm that he felt like a true invader.
      Halfway down the stairs, he met Allenya coming the other way. She smiled, linked arms with him and turned him