The King's Bastard - By Rowena Cory Daniells Page 0,189
back what should have been mine,' Lence revealed, scorn threading his voice as he went on. 'And you, you came in so slobbering drunk you did not see any of this!'
Byren closed his eyes, remembering the scrap of paper with its hastily drawn map and army movements. He had thought Lence was planning how to defend Rolencia, when he had really been planning how to defeat their father!
He couldn't believe it. 'I don't -'
'That's why you will never be king,' Lence told him. 'All along, everyone thought you were the clever one and I was second best -'
'That's not true!' Byren protested.
'But you're not clever in the ways that matter,' Lence ignored him. 'I set this up. I'll have the crowns of both Rolencia and Merofynia as their saviour and rightful ruler -'
'What of Father?' Byren protested. 'He's the rightful ruler of Rolencia.'
'Father...' Lence's voice faltered. 'He was a great king once, but he's been making bad decisions - giving up the right to rule Merofynia, refusing to invade, forcing me to marry this Merofynian cow, not seeing what you really are...'
Byren's heart faltered as Lence fell silent, staring at him, seeing things Byren could not.
'I'm not a Servant of Palos, Lence,' he whispered, mouth almost too dry to talk. 'Believe me, there is no conspiracy.'
'Of course you'd say that. Illien warned me to harden my heart against you of all people.' Lence's eyes glistened with tears but underneath anger grew. 'You -'
'What of Rejulas?' Orrade asked suddenly, gesturing with his sword to the warlord. 'What do you get out of this trickery, warlord?'
Rejulas nodded to Lence. 'My king has promised me Piro and overlordship of all the spars as a reward for loyalty.'
'Loyalty?' Byren snorted.
'That will never work,' Orrade argued, edging one step closer to Byren. 'The spars will never accept -'
'They will send their best warriors to support King Rolen. There'll be nothing but the old and children left, no one to object to me as overlord.' Rejulas smiled. 'Palatyne employed a similar ploy to become overlord of Merofynia's spars.'
'In fifteen or twenty years the spars will grow a new crop of warriors. They'll revolt,' Byren insisted. 'Lence, how can you turn on Father like this?'
'Father had his chance. He threw it away. He could have been King Rolen the Great, ruler of the known world!'
Byren shook his head.
'Illien was right.' Lence lifted the poker tip. 'He said you did not have the breadth of vision to see.'
'Illien?' Byren felt sick to his stomach. Illien had long since ceased to be the youth he admired and become Cobalt, the bane of his life. 'What's his reward for advising you?'
'He'll be my Grand Vizier. I'll need someone to govern Merofynia in my absence.'
'And what of Ostron Isle?' Orrade mocked. 'Do they figure in your plans?'
'Of course.' Lence failed to see the mockery. 'Ostron Isle will pay me homage as their High King, as will the city states of the Snow Bridge. They dare not resist. I will be King Lence the Great.' He focused on Byren. 'I'm only completing what King Rolence the First began.'
Byren swallowed. Lence and his conspirators had expanded the game of Duelling Kingdoms to carve up the world. They were mad. 'What of Mother and Fyn?'
'Fyn will be abbot and support me, if he knows what's good for him,' Lence said. 'As for Mother, she denied me Merofynia. She only ever had eyes for you. Don't deny it!' He overrode Byren's objection. 'As for you -'
'What of Elina, Lence?' Orrade asked quickly, edging another step closer to Byren, who realised he was manoeuvering so they could protect each other's backs. 'My sister is innocent of any wrongdoing. Palatyne has her right now. You don't want him raping her. With your influence you could suggest she retire to Sylion Abbey. She'd be safe there.'
Lence tilted his head, giving this some thought. 'No... she's been too arrogant. If Palatyne swives her she'll be doubly grateful when I come to her rescue.'
Molten fury poured into the pit of Byren's stomach racing up his spine into his brain, clouding his vision, making it hard to breathe.
'I'm not a love-blinded fool like you,' Lence told him. 'She's been leading us both on, playing us off against each other for years.'
'That's not true.' Byren's hand tightened on his sword hilt.
'Enough, Lence,' Rejulas snapped. 'Kill them before the Merofynians wake.'
Suiting his actions to his words, Rejulas leapt for Orrade with a strike that should have skipped over his blade and plunged straight