Crown of One Hundred Kings (Nine Kingdoms Trilogy #1) - Rachel Higginson Page 0,69
acquire the escort of the Rebel Army.”
Stoginan nearly choked on his thick tongue. “Truly? The rebels helped you?”
“Yes, truly.”
His eyes bulged from his narrow face. “Didn’t they try to take the Crown of Nine from you? Ransom you? I cannot believe those uncivilized boors acted peacefully toward a royal.”
“I traveled in disguise. In fact, only yesterday did I reveal the precious cargo I had with me. The Rebel Army never knew of my true identity or the invaluable crown hidden in my satchel. They escorted me safely through Tenovia. On several occasions I watched them give liberally to the poor along the way, and once I witnessed them save a Tenovian village from a fire set by the Ring of Shadows.”
He made a snorting sound. “And here I thought their skills were limited to raping and pillaging.”
I cleared my throat and avoided looking at Taelon lest I start laughing. “I can assure you, General, I was neither a victim of raping nor pillaging.”
I had the great privilege of watching the General’s entire face turn the color of a ripe strawberry.
Taelon stepped in to rescue the conversation, “The princess is headed home, General. She wishes to return to Elysia and take her rightful place on the Seat of Power.”
“Of course she does,” the General agreed. “That seat belongs in the Allisand bloodline. Your uncle, pardon me for saying so, is a dangerous monarch.”
“How so?”
The General’s eyes shifted around the room. They didn’t seem capable of landing on one thing. I watched him look to the books, then to the map of the realm. Then to his shoes. Then to my shoes. “Forgive me for saying anything, Your Majesty. It is not my place to have an opinion.”
“Please speak,” I implored him. “I have been secluded for so long. I don’t know what to expect and the only information I’ve been able to acquire is gossip. Hearsay. Nothing more. I would love the opinion of someone with your authority and experience.”
I was the only female in a room full of males, and yet I seemed to be the only one willing to meet anyone’s gaze. All eight eyes jumped from object to object in a dull game of avoidance.
“Please,” I beseeched. I looked to the crown prince. “Taelon?”
Taelon finally looked at me, as if unable to resist the pull of his real name. His blue gaze had dimmed and his mouth pressed into a frown. “He’s untrustworthy. In the truest sense. Some say that he is responsible for the expansion of the Ring of Shadows. They say…”
I seemed to have forgotten how to breathe as I forced a question from my lips. “They say what?”
Taelon’s expression turned helpless. “They say he starves entire villages so the young men will be driven from them into the service of the Shadows. There are rumors that he is the reason the Ring of Shadows moved beyond Blackthorne to begin with, that he has given the Shadows permission to wreak havoc.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I laughed, the brittle sound bouncing around the room. “Blackthorne has always been difficult. My uncle would not allow mercenaries freedom in his governable properties. The royal army—”
“The royal army could crush the Ring beneath their boots in one day. But the royal army does nothing.”
“So who fights them?” I demanded. “You cannot expect me to believe the Ring of Shadows is allowed to do as they please and the individual kingdoms do not intervene.”
“Some have fought back,” Taelon answered. “Soravale for instance. My father has never tolerated lawlessness. But Tyrn has forbidden the army to get involved with the Shadows. He claims that the rumors are exaggerated and falsified and that if we send armies after common men, we will incite civil war. While Tyrn is in the Seat of Power, we remain helpless. If something is not done soon, the entire realm will burn.”
“Are these rumors or are they facts?” I asked breathlessly. “If there is no substantial proof that my uncle is behind the Ring of Shadows, I don’t know how you can—”
Hugo cleared his throat. “Your uncle is one of the vilest men I have ever met. He is too concerned with lining his pockets to notice the suffering of the people he’s sworn to protect. He might very well be the reason the Ring has infiltrated our lands. He does nothing to protect the border between your homeland and Blackthorne. Whether or not he has perpetuated the Shadows’ devastation of the realm or not, I cannot say. But he