The King's Bastard - By Rowena Cory Daniells Page 0,122

of Sylion,' her mother finished.

'Ah, Piro.' Her father came to his feet, eyes gleaming with unshed tears. 'My pretty little Pirola... who would have thought?'

Her own eyes stung.

'I'm sorry,' the queen whispered. 'I'm so sorry, Rolen.'

'Why? It's not your fault,' he told her.

She covered her mouth. He opened his arms and the queen went to him, sobbing softly on his chest.

'Can't we hide Piro's Affinity?' Lence demanded, casting her an annoyed look.

She bristled. It wasn't as if she chose to have Affinity.

'Break the law? My own law?' King Rolen shook his head.

'But this means Piro will turn Rejulas down. Again. After I patched it up and promised she would have him.' Lence sprang to his feet, thumping his fist on the table. 'I'll look a fool!'

'You couldn't know that Piro had Affinity,' Byren pointed out, calmly.

Lence swore like a stable hand.

'Lence!' Their mother turned a voice of steel on him. 'That doesn't help.'

'No. And what will?'

She straightened, wiping the tears from her cheeks. 'You'll have to go to Cockatrice Spar and make our apologies. Any sensible person can see that we have no control over whether Piro has Affinity or not. Go before the Jubilee celebration to give Rejulas time to come to terms with it. Make him see it from our point of view. We have lost two of our four children to Affinity.'

Piro felt this as if it was a personal failing.

'People will say the royal family's cursed,' Lence muttered. 'Very well. I'll go. I'll ride out this very day.'

Byren rose. 'Do you want me to come with you?'

'Why?' Lence rounded on him. 'Do you think I can't manage?'

Byren took a step back. Piro flinched with him.

'Lence!' King Rolen's voice cracked like a whip.

Lence glared at their father. 'We wouldn't be struggling to control our warlords if you'd just listen to me. If we'd declared war on Merofynia they'd be right behind us, eager for their share of the bounty. And I wouldn't have to marry Isolt. Illien says -'

'I know what Illien says, I've...' King Rolen ran down, looking tired. He grimaced as if something tasted bad. When had her father grown old? 'The cut and thrust of political manoeuvring is never a simple as the cut and thrust of real battle. I've given my word and I won't break it.'

Lence glowered. Without a word, he turned on his heel and strode out, slamming the door after him. The reverberation echoed through Piro like a physical blow.

'Should I follow him?' Captain Temor asked softly.

The king considered.

'Father, I don't trust Cobalt,' Byren said. 'I know he is our cousin by blood but what if he is feeding us a pack of lies?'

'What lies?' her father countered. 'Palatyne has been named overlord of the spars. King Merofyn's health is failing daily. Cobalt has the elector's trust. What Ostron Isle knows, Cobalt knows. No, Byren. It is too easy to destroy a man's good name. I won't stand by and see it done.' He shook his head grimly. 'My own father refused to acknowledge his bastard son. That left us vulnerable to the wiles of the Servants of Palos. They would have used Spurnan as their puppet king, but my half-brother refused to play their game. He went to father and proved his loyalty by revealing the plot. I owe Spurnan's son a debt. I won't hear a word against Illien!'

Byren compressed his lips, obviously holding back things he wanted to say. Piro was pleased. At least Byren could see through Cobalt. If only the others could.

'Do you want me to go to Cockatrice Spar with Lence?' Temor asked.

Her father debated.

'Yes,' her mother said.

'No,' the king said, hard on her heels. 'Let Lence handle this.'

'You sent Temor with Byren,' the queen pointed out.

'That was different. The warlord of Cockatrice Spar has already sworn fealty to the crown.'

'Temor could -'

'No, Myrella.' The king was firm.

Piro watched her mother's lips compress in the same thin line as Byren's. What was happening to her family? Worry sat like an indigestible lump in Piro's stomach.

As Byren made his way to the stables, his mind returned to his cousin. Maybe Cobalt's Merofynian reports were based on truth, but what of his conclusions? From what Lence was saying, he'd been urging war, which happened to suit his twin. What had possessed Lence to confront their father like that?

Byren went to his hunter's stall. Speaking softly, he checked the horse's foreleg to see if the poultices had healed its shin. Satisfied, he let the beast's hoof drop