Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Trap

Borric watched the corner. Seeing that there were no more walking shadows, he motioned for his companions to follow him.During the last lucky hour they managed to evade many teams of soldiers searching for the intruders.But Neko, they hadn't seen him since he distracted the corpsmen.Several times they were extremely reluctant to avoid the search. Guda patted Borric's shoulder with his hand. "We've got nowhere to go," he whispered. "I think we'd better catch a servant and ask where your friends live. We can tie him first—it'll hurt him for a while— You can send someone to untie him until you find your friend and fix this mess. What do you think?"

Borric, "I don't have a better idea. Just do as you say." He glanced around, "Let's take a break first." Guda, "I'm almost limping." "Well, these rooms look empty." Borric pointed to the nearest hall door. "Let's go in and take a look." Borric pushed the hall door as carefully as he could; it was an ornate piece of ivory and vine, and it creaked open a small crack, Borric, "Maybe we should be more careful and try another door." Gu Da suddenly pushed open the door, and the door only squeaked.He then pushed the two into the house and closed the door behind his back.

Borric nearly stumbled, and when he turned, the old soldier put a finger to his lips for silence.Borric drew out his thin sword, Su Li also drew out his dagger, and Guda retreated and drew out the one and a half swords on his shoulders.He moved a few steps away from the other two companions so that his weapon could exert its power.Borric scanned the abandoned room, making sure there was nothing to fight.If this were not the case, there would be an infinite number of soldiers fighting until the three of them could no longer support them.He just wanted someone to believe he was really Arusha's other son before he was killed.

Fatigued, they sat down on the ground, and their waists and legs ached from hours of non-stop walking.Gu Da, "You know, madman, walking around the palace like this really makes people appetite. I really want to eat a Naike orange now." Just as Borric was about to talk, the sound of clothes rubbing caught his attention.The sound came from far and near, and Borric jumped up and moved to the door.Suri crouched behind Borric's ass, peering between his legs.Borric tried to push the boy away, but the approaching voices silenced him. Two people passed by the door.One is older and holds a cane in his hand.The other was a black cloak that completely covered him, but he turned as he passed the gate, and Borric saw his face.Both men were absorbed in their conversation, and Borric heard the old man say, "...tonight. We can't wait any longer. If the Queen's temper is over, she'll consider a more sane decision. I persuaded her to send Avery went to the border to take care of business there, but the ruse will be caught quickly. And today there are a few lunatics running around the palace who have not been caught. I don't know what's going to happen, but it doesn't look like Seems like a good thing..." The two turned a corner and their voices disappeared.

Su Li turned to Borric and yanked his cuff, "Master!" "What is it?" Borric asked, thinking they had been surprised. "That skinny man in the cloak is the man I saw at Governor's House in Deben—the same man with the collar. He works for the Fire Lord." Borric leaned against the door and nodded. "Things have gone from bad to worse." Gu Da put away his sword and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?" "I can see why the trouble ensues." "why?" "I'll tell you later. I hope you're rested. Now we'll go find a servant."

Borric yanked the door open with barely a click on the hinges.He walked out of the hall before Guda could ask another question.He waited for the companion behind him to walk out of the room, and motioned for Gu Da and Su Li to walk against the wall. At the next corner, there was only one curving passage, and Borric went down it.There was no light to illuminate this wing, and Borric guessed that the nobles of Cash must be stumbling here, so many people would not like to come here. When he came to the end of the room, Borric turned around and said in a low voice, "Someone is coming." He motioned for Gu Da and Su Li to lie in ambush against the wall, and he hid himself on the other side.

A tall girl hurriedly came around the corner, and Gu Da stepped forward to block her way, "What—" she just opened her mouth when Borric grabbed her from behind.The girl was quick and strong, but Borric overpowered her with ease, dragging her through the first hall door in the corridor. The lighting in the house is poor.With the girl still in Borric's hands, he whispered, "Speak out and you'll die, keep quiet and nothing will happen. Do you understand?" The girl nodded, and Borric let go. "How dare you—" She turned around and saw her kidnapper. "Elander? How—" Then she saw his clothes and his short dark hair. "Borric! How did you get here?"

From time to time, James is teaching Borric his experience as a thief in Krondor. The common thread of his legendary stories is "trouble is at your door".When trouble strikes, James can feel it.Now for the first time in his life Borric understood what James meant.Inside he was shouting that the problem was right in front of his eyes. He drew out his sword and held it against the girl in front of him.Guda, "Madman, it doesn't matter. This woman—" "Quiet, Guda. What's your name, madam?" "Mia, I'm your brother's friend. He'd be crazy to see you alive. What are you doing—" She smiled, and Borric knew it was acting, and her voice was sincere and heartfelt . "I'm getting incoherent. I'm really shocked—"

"Meet me in the palace." Borric finished for her. "What I want to say is that you are still alive." Miya said. Borric, "I don't think so. When you first saw me, you thought I was my brother. Then you realized I wasn't. Nobody who knew about my death guessed that quickly. You didn't say, 'You're alive!' you said, 'How did you get here?'. It's because you already knew I was alive and in the city down the hill." The girl fell silent, and Borric said to Guda and Suli, "This person is also involved in the plot to hunt down and kill me from Krondor to Kesh. She works for the Fire Lord."

Hearing this name, Mia couldn't help opening her eyes, but she didn't react to it afterwards, "If I call out, dozens of teams of guards will rush here immediately." Borric shook his head. "This wing has been searched. We're hiding behind the search line. Also, they're looking for a man." The girl blinked, moved back, and glanced at the distance between herself and the hall door. "Don't think about it," Borric said. "It's very close, but you and I are only four paces away." He pointed with the sword in his hand. "You're not going to get out of here alive, you know. Things have developed that can't be explained in a sentence or two. The blood has been shed, the army has started. Your father's men are assembled in the Vale of Dreams and are preparing to invade."

"Your father?" Gu Da said, "Who the hell is he?" Borric, "My father is Arusha, Prince of Krondor." Guda blinked like an owl exposed to sunlight, "Prince Crondo?" Su Li, "I am his servant, and I will be his servant after he ascends the throne." Guda stood quietly for a while, "Madman...Borric...Prince, no matter what your name is, when this matter is over, remember to remind me to beat you down again." "If we can solve this trouble, I will stand and be beaten happily." He said to Mia, "My father is difficult to talk about, but he is by no means a fool. He will not go through these trials and tribulations. Send an army into Kesh before the tribulation." Guda, "Yes, but from my point of view you have already experienced it." Borric, "She's lying. I need to meet my brother." To Mia he said, "You show us the way." "No." Borric stepped forward, the sword in his hand on the girl's throat.Without flinching, Miya said, "Aren't you afraid of death?" "You won't be a murderer." She spat. Pushing Borric away, Guda said, "He might not, bitch." A pair of big hands grabbed Mia's shoulders and pulled her over. From her expression, we could see her uneasiness, Borui K could imagine how rude that would be.Confronting Mia, Guda whispered "But I'm different. I don't care about your bloodline and your great traditions. I won't force a woman in a rage to go on the road. If you don't tell us we want to know Yes, girl, I'll kill you slowly, it's painful. But don't even try to scream." Gu Da's threat worked, and Miya was too scared to speak, "I will lead the way." Guda let go, and Borric saw two lines of submissive tears streaming down the girl's face.He put away his rapier and drew his dagger from his belt.Flashing his knife to her, Borric pushed her toward the door. "Remember you don't try to run. My knife flies faster." Mia opened the door, and the others followed her.Walking on the road, Gu Da asked, "What do you think she will do?" "I have a sense of crisis." "You never made me feel like you had this, really," the mercenary said, "but glad it's finally here." "I think so." "But you've sensed something," he said. "What is there to watch out for?" "She led us in the direction of the two people I saw just now, and one of them gave me a clue." "What's up with him?" "He's been following us since we left Krondor. He's one of the few Cashes who recognizes me." "Who is he?" They turned a corner and came to a brighter corridor. Seeing two guards standing guard in front of the door, Borric took a step closer to the girl to prevent her from escaping or calling for help.He said to the mercenary, "This man is the diplomat lord Torrenser sent by Kesh to my father's palace." The mercenary shook his head. "He's royalty. Some very important people want you dead, madman." "And there are big men who want to know the truth," Borric replied. "It will keep us alive longer." "God, I hope you're right." Gouda said.Mia led them through the palace, past a dozen pairs of guard posts.The guards concealed their surprise at seeing a servant walking around the palace with three figures in strange attire.Mia walked into a corridor and passed several unguarded hall doors. At the end, Mia walked towards a closed door, "Your brother is inside." Borric gave her a push. "Open the door, you go in first." The girl lifted the latch and pushed open the door.She went inside, and opened the door a little more for Borric.Borric followed into the room, followed by Guda and Su Li. She led them through a small reception room to another door, repeating what she had done at the previous door.But this time, when Suli entered the house, she slammed the door shut and shouted, "He's Borric of Krondor! Kill him!" The room was full of True Blood Guards in uniform. Hearing Miya's cry, the sword was unsheathed. The servant announced that the lord Nilom was visiting, and Eland let him into the house.The old man hurried into the room and bowed slightly to the prince. "Your Highness, Ms. Mia said that you have some urgent matters to discuss with me." Then Nilom saw James and Jamina, who were sitting opposite the prince, so he didn't see these two when he entered the room. "My lords. Ma'am. I didn't see you at first. My apologies." "He's a little nervous about talking to you alone," Jamina told Erlander, "actually he's upset that we're here." "Have you considered my opinion about Lord Locklear?" Nilom shrugged. "We thought about it, and you'll come to a conclusion in a moment. You know, many of us who sit next to the Queen are not unreasonable. The Mother of Cash lost her daughter, and we lost a Relatives. The mother and daughter often quarrel over state affairs, but we still feel that there is a deep bond between them. There may be a hundred times such a scene, and there is no logic in it." "I'm relieved." Elland said. "I am a pragmatic person, Your Highness. My task is to reconcile among the lords and nobles of the courtyard. Obviously, there are many people of all kinds in our empire. The Keshi people are a multi-ethnic group, and there are many more historical problems than your country. .You are an ancient nation. But there are only two main ethnic groups in the country, the Asian people and our former countrymen, the Keriti people, but Keshi is a country with thousands of languages ​​and ethnic groups." "He's stalling," James told Erlander through Jamina. "why?" Jamina replied, "He wants to talk to you alone...no, he wants to take you alone...his brain is racing...he's thinking about something else while you're talking to me...he's thinking Then...suddenly, Jamina's face changed, and a second later, James stood up abruptly and drew out his sword.Elland's expression made the old man notice or he heard the sound of James getting up, and he quickly turned around, using crutches in front of him to protect himself. "What's wrong?" Elland asked. Jamina, "Borric is alive. He's in this city. Nilom wants to take you somewhere in the palace so his buddies can kill you." Ailander couldn't believe this for a moment, "What did you say?" Nilom paled. "What is this lady talking about...?" James, "My wife has some powers, my lord. She can detect lies. Now, tell us what part you played in tonight's murder?" Nilom sprinted for the gate, but James blocked his way.Elland drew his sword. "Where is my brother?" Nilom wanted to find a way out, but when he saw that there was no hope, he was discouraged. "Forgive me, my lord, forgive me. I will confess, but please plead with the queen for me. I have only done something very unimportant for Avery's ambition. He planned the murder of his sister and planned Kill you and marry Sarana." "With his own niece?" Elander said. James swung his sword. "This has happened in past imperial history. When a surviving dynasty looks weak, rulers will consolidate their thrones by marrying with relatives or even siblings. The Queen has many relatives, so many grand The true blood of Cash is a family." Nilom, "That's what happened. We'll have to hurry if we're going to save your friend. He's imprisoned in the palace." James glanced at Jamina and she said, "I can't tell." "What?" Elland asked. "He's a wily man. He probably doesn't know that I can read his surface thoughts, but he's using some kind of magic to hide the part of his mind that he's talking to us about. It gives me the feeling that...he probably I lied, but I don't know how many. Be careful." Erland, "Now, tell us that Borric is alive." Nilom, "It is said that this is true. A slave who was robbed by bandits escaped from the slave camp in Deben. It is also said that he murdered the wife of the governor of Deben City in order to escape. From the description, he is your brother." "He... hid something somewhat." Eland, "I think we should find someone we can trust." At this time, a servant came outside the door, and Eland was distracted for a moment.Nilom swung his cane violently at him, the movement was too fast for a man of his weight, then dodged James' attack, and shouted at the maid, "Call the guard!" resisted with his cane. The girl only hesitated for a moment, then ran screaming down the corridor to call the guards.James grabbed Nilom's arm, but got a cane on his shoulder.Elland stepped forward and snatched Nilom's cane, forcing him back.When the prince's sword was pointed at the royal official, guards rushed into the room. For a while, swords and spears surrounded James and Eland, and a captain of the True Blood Guard in a white skirt shouted, "Put down your weapons or shoot to kill!" Eland thought only for a moment about the meaning of resistance, and then he handed his sword to a guard. "I will inform Her Majesty immediately. This is very important." The guards tied the hands of Eland and James, and the guard captain said, "Are we going to kill them?" Nilom, "It's not time yet. Take them to an airside hall, for our lives we must not let anyone see what you are doing! When I find Mia and Torrenser, we will to find you." Ailander suddenly understood everything. This polite old man had already placed people around Avery—of course, these people could murder Princess Sujana and frame Locklear. "You murdered Sujana," Erlander said, "and Locklear." Nilom changed his usual flattering face, serious and wily.Picking up a pine cone on the table, he crushed it with his hands in front of Eland's face. "You idiot. You are involved in things beyond your comprehension..." He stared at the prince, "Whether your brother died in Krondor fortunately, or your father threatened the queen, it doesn't matter .If you're cooperative and don't find any clues, I'll be more than happy to send you back alive to your father. I don't want to deal with an angry kingdom, and the queen has agreed to our plan, so you're useless .” He said to the captain of the guard, "Take them away now, and be careful with this woman. She is from Starport, and she has a certain ability to perceive your thoughts when you are not careful." He glanced at Jamina, "Maybe We're still keeping her. Need her powers. But if any of them give you trouble, kill them." The guards accepted the order without hesitation, and after a while the three of them were taken away from the suite without any chance of escape. These soldiers did not react to Miya's sudden alarm for a while.Borric didn't think; he acted.He threw out the long dagger and stabbed it into the chest of the first soldier who got up.His thrust killed another soldier five paces away, and the three hurried to meet the enemy with their weapons. A scream and the crack of a neck bone informed Borric of Guda's execution of the woman who had betrayed them.Then the mercenary yelled, "Get out of the way, madman." Borric knew that Guda was preparing to meet the enemy with his one and a half sword, and that the great sword needed more room to cast than his slender sword or Suli's short sword.Borric was a little worried about the boy, but he couldn't afford to be distracted from him.Now he has to deal with three angry soldiers at the same time. He used a long dagger to parry one person's assassination, and the sword in the other hand cut the throat of another person, and then squatted down to dodge the third person's weapon.The sound of slashing and the cessation of screaming behind him let him know that Guda had killed another opponent.The other party fell down four, but they still didn't organize themselves.Borric launched an oppressive attack.He slashed hard at the head of one opponent, taking his ear.The wounded man fell, too pained to fight any further, and Borric finished him off with the longdagger, and struck the remaining one with his sword at the same time. Borric heard the sound of a sword cutting through flesh and bone again, and judged that Guda had killed the fifth man.He dodges a blow to his head, and a thrust ends the fight. He turned quickly and found that Gu Da was kicking a man's crotch to draw out the one and a half sword stuck on his corpse.With his back turned to a corner, Su Li frantically swung his dagger, resisting the attacks of two people in the concave wall.But a third man rushed to his left.Borric hopped onto a table and jumped at the guy, killing the guy from behind just in time.Following his attack, another person who attacked Su Li was injured.But as he fell, one of the remaining ones stabbed his long sword, and the boy let out a scream. Borric slashed with the edge of his blade, nearly three feet into the man's neck.The guy squeaked pitifully like a rat, and fell to the floor.So everything was quiet. Borric pushed aside a dead body lying on top of Suli, and knelt beside the boy.The boy was covered in blood and tried in vain to cover a severe wound on his stomach with his hands.Borric had seen such injuries in battle and knew the boy's time was short. He grabbed the boy's palm and felt the coldness he had never felt before.Su Li struggled to breathe, his eyes gradually lost their light, his face was pale, and he tried to speak with difficulty.Finally he said, "Master?" Holding Suli's hand tightly, Borric said, "I'm here, Suli." "I am your servant?" the boy asked feebly. Holding Su Li's hand, Borric said, "You are an excellent follower." "Then Su Li will be written in the Book of life, he is a servant of a great man, a servant of a prince." The weak fingers slipped from the prince's hand. "Yes, little beggar. You fought and died as a servant of the prince." Borric had seen death before, but never so young.He was devastated by his inability to protect a child.He knelt for a minute, thinking about what he could say or do to bring Su Li back to life. Guda's voice sounded, "We can't be idle. There are 12 corpses here. If anyone passes by here, it will become a purgatory. Let's get out of here." Borric got up and moved.He knew he had to see his brother or the queen as soon as possible.In the hostile Palace of Cash, no one can be trusted. They hurried back and came to the corridor with the sentry.Borric nodded with his head, calmly walked past a pair of guards, and came to another dark corridor.Halfway there, he heard muffled voices approaching.At the same time, Borric and Guda flashed into a doorway, and two people hurried past there. It was the old man's voice that Borric had seen before, "Damn, they're starting to figure it out. Avory couldn't have heard of his sister's death so early. Find the leaker and make sure to get rid of him or She. He should have learned that on the way to deal with Arusha's mysterious invading army." Borric's eyes widened.Princess Sujana is dead!Maybe that's why there's such a frenzy in the palace, they're not looking for four nameless bums but for the murderer.Borric signaled Guda to follow him, and quickly ran to the other side of the aisle, slipping again to the distance where he could overhear the two people talking. "Avery is a stubborn idiot. He is sure to return to the city in a few days, and if he goes to the queen's chambers to claim his succession, the queen is still in a rage over her daughter's death, we will speak out against him; he must Will be sent north. That Aer must look guilty. Where are you keeping him?" A familiar voice from Borric answered him, "In a grain shed on the lower level near the servants' quarters," Torenser said. "Take him to an unoccupied servant's room and let the soldiers find him. Give the captain of the team the order to execute the man on the spot, and then spread the news that Aier is dead in the courtyard. Then let the man find him The mysterious death of the Captain of the Guard. I will accuse the conspiracy in the courtyard. By expanding the suspicion, we will dissociate from the matter. By the time everyone has doubts, it will be too late." "But will that get rid of the Ayers?" "No," replied the old Cashman, "but it will make everyone wonder who knows everything, who is involved, how far-reaching the conspiracy is. Every competitor in the gallery will be sure that his opponent is fighting The Allies are allied. I need two days of this confusion and doubt. I must take the time to ensure that Princess Sarana and Avori have equal support in the courtyard." The two walked past the door of the room that Borric and Guda had just evacuated, and walked to the end of the corridor. "Where is Miya?" The old man turned and opened the door.He must have caught a glimpse of the two figures behind him, and asked loudly, "Who's there?" Borric stepped forward, out of the shadows, and saw two Cashes standing in front of the door.The thin man exclaimed, "It's you!" Borric smiled evilly, and raised his sword flatly, "Guda, I am honored to introduce you to Lord Tollense, Her Majesty the Queen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs sent by the Cash Empire to the court of Krondor." The other person turned around and wanted to rush into the house, but Gu Da blocked his way one step ahead of him. "And this one." Borric. "It's a little strange to me, but judging from his clothes, he can't be mistaken for a member of Cash's royal family." Tollense, "If I shout, dozens of soldiers will rush here immediately." Borric, "Shout, you'll be dead when they get here." Torrance stared, "What do you want?" Stepped forward and put his sword on the diplomat's throat, "A tribute to the queen." "This is impossible." Borric wields his sword, and the sword is in Torrhon There was a whoosh of wind before Sether's chin. "I don't know everything that happened here," he said, "but I know very well that you will be almost dead when we live to see the Queen. If you wish to avoid such a fate, it is best now Tell me everything we need to know." The old man said, "We'll tell you what you want to know. But we'd better go inside and talk. Like civilized people." Without waiting for an answer, the old man stepped forward and opened the door. Guda's quick response allowed their faces to escape the door panel.The strong mercenary held the door hard, making it impossible to close. Suddenly the resistance disappeared, and he almost fell into the house.Borric grabs Toren Se's gold collar, twisting his gold-threaded neckline so he couldn't breathe, then pushed him into the room.Borric happened to see the old Cashman running towards the door at the other end of the room leading to the reception room at an unbelievable speed.When Guda rushed there, the Keshi people yelled, "Kill them!" Without hesitation, Borric hit the Foreign Secretary hard on the head with the hilt of his sword.Torrenser fell unconscious, and Borric sprinted for the door. When he felt the door, he saw that Gu Da was standing there in a daze, and the old man was off the ground, shaking his feet and unable to move forward.The room was full of immobilized soldiers of the Kesh Household Legion and some true blood soldiers.At the same time, James, Jamina and Eland were also lying here unconscious. Sitting at a large round table is Nike.While winking and wriggling, he pointed at the old man floating in the air with his finger.Seeing Borric and Guda, he stopped his murmur, and shouted, "Borric! Guda!" The old man in the air suddenly fell to the floor, Guda stepped forward to strangle him neck. Borric came to where his friends were lying. "Nike, what have you done?" "I had a great time with these guards, a nice game of 'hide and seek', but they lost track of me. So I went looking for them. And saw you, or I thought it was you, being escorted by the guards, I thought about how you got such a gorgeous dress, and where did you leave my friends Guda and Suli, where is Suli?" Guda looked at Borric, and the prince said, "Suli is dead." "It's sad," said Neko. "He's a good boy, and he'll be a good man. May he have a happy life. Is this your brother?" He asked, pointing at Elland. "Yes." Borric, "what did you do to them?" "Whoa, everyone looked excited when I walked into the room. Some of them were very upset to see me, which made me a little tired of the game, so it stunned everyone. I guess You're going to be here sooner or later, and look, I was right." Borric and Gooda couldn't help laughing. "Yes, you are right." The two couldn't stop laughing, and Naike also enjoyed the happiness with them.Laughing to tears, Borric finally said, "You stunned everyone? How did you do it?" Nike shrugged, "It's a trick." This made Borric laugh again, "What now?" Nike reached out and fumbled in his big pocket, "Want an orange?" "I never thought I'd say that to you," Erlander said. "I miss you." Borric nodded. "Me too. Now, what do we do with this mess?" While Jamina was still regaining consciousness, James had recovered from Nekle's stun.Guda stood watching over the recovered soldiers, looking happy to cut anyone who tried to move in half, so the soldiers sat quietly and dared not cause trouble. Eland was the first to recover, and according to Nike, he was the youngest.The two brothers exchanged what they knew, and finally all speculations led to conclusions. James, "Maybe we meet the Queen directly...?" "How?" asked Borric. "There is Gamina," Elland replied. Borric didn't seem to understand what his younger brother meant, Elland, "She can speak from the heart, remember?" Borric nodded, blushing, "I should have 'called' you to help with my thoughts when I entered the palace, and Jamina would have heard me." "Why didn't you?" James asked, as Jamina began to wake up. Borric smiled shamefully, "I didn't think of that." "But," James, "how did you escape her mind contact today?" Borric pointed at Nike with his thumb, "He noticed it, and used some method to seal it." James, "Are you a mage?" Nike is a little unhappy to be called a mage. "No, I'm Isalani. Mages are those shadowy people who work in the caves. They do things that are scary and important. They do great magic. People don't like wizards. I just do tricks to make people laugh. And so. This is me." Jamina fully recovered, James, "From the perspective of these guards and this fat guy, yours is not a little trick, and it's not always funny." Nike grinned, "Thanks. I'm pretty good at what I do, and I think it's hilarious." Jamina caught a glimpse of Borric. "You're alive!" "Obviously." Borric replied with a smile. Jamina gave him a hug, "Why, then, I didn't find you in the desert?" From the look on Borric's face, he didn't understand the question, and then he did. "Of course. Because of the scarlet robe I won before I left. The slaver thought I was a mage and used a handcuff to keep me from using magic." "Ha!" Nike said, "If the mages knew what they wanted to do, it would be impossible." James, "Maybe. Anyway, the next question is: How do we get from here to the Queen?" "It's very simple." Nike, "You just follow me. Take those guys with you." Gudha disarmed 12 guards before taking Torun, who was still unconscious, Ser dragged into the room.There were four armed guards here—Borric, Erlander, James, and Gooda, and fourteen captives who didn't look like they were going to cause any trouble.Nilom warned, "If we see soldiers, you will be prisoners. Avori's royal guards control the entire palace." Naike smiled, "Not necessarily." When they came to a corridor guarded by dozens of soldiers, Neko reached into his pocket, fumbled for a while, and took out something.Borric and Gooda were used to the magic pocket, but the others were amazed.For in the hand of the Isalani was a red falcon with gold spots, the royal eagle of Kesh, the most revered and most sacred symbol of the queen.It is a nearly extinct bird - only three female eagles survive in the Royal Eagle House.The falcon chirped and shook its wings, but stayed on the little man's wrist. Every guard yawned as the falcon passed.Nike said to every guard passing by, "Please come with us. We are going to see Her Majesty the Queen." Ignore Nilom and Torun Sir said something, and the soldiers seemed hypnotized by the great bird of game.As soldiers continued to join, a troop of more than 200 soldiers soon formed behind the islanders and their captives, and walked into the queen's hall. The ceremonial officer asked, "Who are you?" Borric and Alande stepped forward together, "Princes Borric and Alande of King Ayland wish to meet Her Majesty the Queen. We want to tell her about our rebellious behavior." All the nobles present in the courtyard were surprised by the entry of this team.When they came to the canopy, they all bowed to the queen, and Regisa on the throne rose slightly. "What are these lunatics up to?" Her eyes scanned the crowd below, and suddenly she spotted Borric standing beside his brother. "You—unless I'm mistaken—should be dead." Nike wanted to speak, "Your Majesty, these criminals—" 老人的肩膀上搭着古达的宝剑，“除非你得到允许否则不得发言。”他对女王说，“很抱歉，凯许之母。请您继续讲话。” 看起来蕾吉莎觉得这有些神秘而没有理会耐可的冒犯。“谢谢。”她干巴巴说了一句。“让我们从你开始，小个子。”她对耐可说，“你知道私养一只皇家猎鹰的处罚是死刑。” 耐可咧嘴笑着，“是的，陛下。但我不是这只飞禽的拥有者。我只提供了把它传送到你这里的服务。我给你带来了一份生日礼物。”没有等待允许，这个鲁莽的小个子伊萨兰尼就登上了华盖向宝座走去。两名黑甲伊兹玛里护卫上前想拦住他，但他却转向绕过了王座。在宝座后面是空置的太阳标志。他把猎鹰放在上面，鸟儿震动着它的翅膀。 女王，“只有雄鸟才能栖息在皇家标志上，伊萨兰尼。” “耐可知道这个，陛下。这是个男孩。它会为你繁殖许多只后代。去年的春天我在陶兹以西的山中捉到了它。那里还有一些它的同伴。如果你派你的皇家饲鹰者去那里，他会把它们带回你的鹰舍。这血脉会继承下去。” 自从她的女儿死后，女王就不见了笑容。现在她笑。小个子男人话中有些东西触动到她，她清楚刚才他所说的不仅仅是谈论这种稀有的飞禽，还包含着皇室家族。“这是个震撼性的礼物。” 靠近宝座站在的台阶上，耐可斜身对女王说道，“相信那两个双胞胎的话是很明智的，因为那边的两个——”他手指尼洛姆和托仑瑟，“是很坏的坏蛋。” 女王向华盖下打量了一阵，最后说道，“艾兰德王子，为什么你不开始，好让我们解开这谜团呢。” 博瑞克和艾兰德从那次沙漠中的袭击开始讲述，吸引了在场的每一位的注意力。他们毫无打断的说了将近有一刻钟，艾兰德讲述自己的最后一个推论，“最后一个能告诉我尼洛姆与苏嘉娜的死有关的事情是他用手指捏碎了一枚松果。苏嘉娜的脖颈是被折断的——只有握力出众的人才能做到。洛克莱尔是名剑术大师，但他缺少那种力量。”手指尼洛姆，“这就是那个凶手。那个神秘的火王！” 女王起身，“尼洛姆阁下——” 但这时门外传来一声大喊，“母亲！” 王子艾沃瑞走进大门，身后跟随着包括拉维和贾卡的一众武官。走到宝座前，他鞠躬，说道，“我听到的关于苏嘉娜的消息真是可怕。” 女王注视着儿子的面孔，看了一阵，“我们正要处理这个。安静的站在旁边。这也决定着你的命运。”转头注视尼洛姆，“我刚才问到的，尼洛姆阁下，你对这样一个变化要作何解释呢？” 老人，“我们的母亲陛下——” “对不起，”女王打断了他，“我不想再听到这个头衔，尤其是现在。” “很多伟大的君主，拥有仁慈的美德。我认为我所做的事情是对帝国最好的出路，就是把您的儿子推到首位。但伤害到任何人都不为我所愿。对博瑞克王子所施的诡计，为的是阻止艾而人来到这个城市。我们只是希望巴苏嘉娜的追随者的视线吸引到北方——这也是我们伪造了艾而人集结入侵报告的原因。但您女儿的凶手决不是我！是艾沃瑞想除掉他的对手。” 艾沃瑞王子脸色铁青，贾卡及时把他抽出一半的宝剑拦了回去。女王吼道，“够了！”打量一眼大厅，“有办法能判断这是否可信吗？”对双胞胎兄弟，“你们的推论很可信，但证据在哪里？” 她向下看到了嘉米娜，“你能读知人的思想？” 嘉米娜点头，但尼洛姆抢话道，“她是一个外邦人的妻子，陛下！她会为她的丈夫撒谎帮助艾而人。” 嘉米娜想要分辩，但女王说道，“我恐怕你会说谎，亲爱的。”她用手向围绕在她四周的所有贵族作了个手势，“但我想这里的其他人会十分愿意相信你。如果你还没有注意到的话，现在这是紧要关头了。” 一名佩戴武器的内务兵团军官急匆匆的走进大厅，在仪式官耳边低语了几句。仪式官马上打手势请求女王能允许他靠近华盖。女王同意，他飞跑上华盖。 当他讲述完军官的报告，女王向后坐倒在宝座上。“好啊，已经发生了。我接到了报告，两个联队的皇家卫兵正在封锁宫殿中的一个侧厅，他们公开拒绝了让其解除武装的命令，城市中的武装正规军也在移动。” “现在，”她从她的宝座上站起，“我们面对的是一支来自我们城市的叛乱武装！依照凯许皇室戒条，第一个抽出武器的人或某人的扈从，无论他的出身是贫民或是大贵族，都要被处以死刑。我说的够清楚吗？”她的最后一句是针对站在那一动不动拉维领主。 女王再次坐下，“我们再次面对背叛和不义，但我们并没有办法来辨别真相。” 耐可有所暗示的清了清嗓子。 “咦。”女王，“你想说什么？” “女王，有一个古老的伊萨兰尼方法可以辨知真假。” “我很想知道这个方法。” 耐可咧嘴笑着对古达说，“把那个胖官带出来，带到华盖前。”佣兵照做，耐可把他的口袋放在地上，开始在里边翻找。找了一会儿，他叫道“啊哈”，然后从里面拿出了一样东西。 所有在耐可身边的人都反射性的退开一步，因为他手中握着一条美得骇人的眼镜蛇。这条蛇足有六英尺长，粗细有人的前臂大小。背部的鳞片就像是一层金箔，七寸处和头的斑纹是最浓的绿色，如翡翠一般。眼睛是火红的猫眼石，一点惊愕中的蓝黑色在那团火焰中舞蹈。血红色的信舌不断从口中吐出。接着它张开锷，露出两枚可怕的毒牙，发出响亮的嘶嘶声。耐可把它放在尼洛姆前的地板上，蛇扭动着再次发出嘶嘶的声音。贵族退缩了几步，耐可说道，“这是真相神蛇沙孰（sha-shu），在她面前撒谎是送死。”然后很愉快的对尼洛姆说，“会死得很惨的。” 毒蛇向尼洛姆的脚边爬去，然后抬起了头颈，与真血老人面面对视。神蛇的额头闪耀着，金色背部上跳动着银色的闪光。 耐可，“只要你说实话蛇就不会咬你。只要有一点虚假你就死定了。没有警告。绝对可信。” 尼洛姆如同被面前的毒蛇催眠一般无法动弹。当毒蛇离他还有一步远时，他叫道，“够了！我全说！我计划了一切。” 许多廊院中的贵族开始窃窃私语。女王，“王子艾沃瑞在其中参与了什么？” 尼洛姆的恐惧转为愤怒，他转头面对女王，“艾沃瑞！这个自大的孔雀和傻瓜。他认为我只是一个他探求皇位时的垫脚石。我会把苏嘉娜死亡的责任嫁祸到他的身上，或者至少让他因此而无法登上王位。” “所以。”女王坐回她的宝座上，“你会让沙拉娜取代我，为什么？” 尼洛姆，“因为拉维和他的部下决不会同意有下一任女王。南方的民族准备着再次叛乱，战马兄弟会将控制凯许环带，那是小凯许的沦陷。贾卡领主和其他的真血也不会认可有一位非真血的女王配偶。所有的一切只有一个解决办法。” 莱吉莎点头，“显而易见。迎娶沙拉娜获得王位。在我死后以她丈夫的身份成为帝王。”她叹了口气，“还有谁是比伟大的协调人尼洛姆领主更合适的人选呢。唯一一位在廊院中不存在任何敌对，唯一一位同时受真血与非真血爱戴的人。” 女王用她的双手遮住面孔，看起来她要痛哭一场。但当她移开双手时，脸上没有一丝泪痕，只是眼圈有些红。“我们怎么会走到这一步，最佳的方案是为了他们自己的利益而不是为了帝国的繁荣。”她重重的叹了口气，“拉维阁下，这样一个计划有效吗？” 战马兄弟会的主宰一鞠躬，“陛下，我很抱歉背叛者所说的都是正确的。直到今晚，我们一直相信您的儿子，王子殿下与苏嘉娜的死有关。我们不会认可苏嘉娜成为我们的陛下，但我们同样不会让一个玷污真血的人统治我们。尼洛姆将是个合乎逻辑的选择。” 女王一下失去了力气，倒向了王座，“啊！”她几乎是在尖叫，“这一切都跌向了灭亡！我们在深渊的边缘战栗，但好运把这两位男孩送到了我们的宫廷！” 艾兰德，“陛下！我们请求您的恩准？” 莱吉莎，“你在这里曾不被我们接受（you have been as wronged as any here），艾兰德王子。你想要什么？” “问尼洛姆一个问题。”他对颤抖的贵族说，“洛克莱尔被诬陷为谋杀苏嘉娜的凶手。我说过，只有臂力和握力强的人才能折断她的头颈。是不是你杀死了她，并把这嫁祸给我的朋友？” 尼洛姆盯着那条盘在那里的大蛇低声道，“是的。” 詹姆斯，“洛克莱尔在哪？” 尼洛姆真想藏到身后的石头中，“他死了。他的尸体藏在低层的一个谷仓中。” 詹姆斯和两兄弟被这个消息惊呆了，嘉米娜眼中淌出了泪水。他们清楚洛克莱尔有很大可能被谋杀了，但他们一直希望这不会发生。博瑞克第一个讲出话来。“陛下，我知道我国外交官的死和帝国没有关系。艾而王国不会提出任何索求。”他的话语很冷静，但身边的人都看到了他眼中饱含的泪水。 起身，女王转身注视着全体贵族，“听我的裁决！”手指尼洛姆，“这个人，已经为自己做出了判决。”转头盯着那个叛国者，“尼洛姆，你不再是贵族，你坦白了你的罪孽，将被处死。” 老人的动作有些僵硬，“我以我的权利请求自杀！” “你没有权利请求任何事！”女王脱口而出，“你不再是真血的一员。等待你的决不是服毒自杀或在浴缸中割腕这样轻松的死刑。” “在很久以前，有一种针对背叛自己国家君王的刑罚。这个刑罚已经有几个世纪没被人提起，但现在就是使用它的时候了。尼洛姆，这将是你的命运∶今晚你会被关押在牢房中，去琢磨你的罪行和等待死亡，每十五分钟，都会有守卫大声重复你的死刑，你将不得安宁。破晓时，你将被带往神殿，守卫会向古斯瓦的高阶牧师宣读对你的处决，红髯猎人将聆听道你没有资格进入不朽的猎人殿（eternal hunt）。之后，你会被带往山下，剥去衣服。士兵将用鞭子驱赶你通过城市。如果你跌倒，他们会用滚烫的煤炭烙你的屁股，直到你再站起来奔跑为止。然后你将被装入木笼吊在城门旁，守卫会整小时的大声宣读你的处决，让所有过路人都能知道你的罪行。即使是最卑微的人也允许用竹杖折磨你，让你感受人们对你叛国行为的愤怒，你要忍受这些惩罚，没有人会同意你仁慈的死去。在你快要死时，你会被带出木笼，吃下掺了醋的苦水和涂满盐的面包。再把你用皮鞭和烙印驱赶到欧文蒂普的边界——第一代真血之王打猎的沼泽里。这是你自作自受。在那里斩下你的人头。你的尸体将被抛入到沼泽中，被鳄鱼吞噬。 " “在皇家的法令上，你的名字将被涂去，没有人会再提到这个人。代替这个名字的是'一个叛国者'，从此不允许有真血的孩子再叫尼洛姆这个名字。在那时，即使是神明们也不知道你是谁。无名和被遗忘的空虚让你的灵魂永远一个人忍受那禁闭。” “这就是我颁布的法令！” 仪式官大声的宣布，“凯许之母颁布了法令！现在，执行它！” 古达窜上前，但在眼镜蛇的前面停了下来。耐可做手势让大蛇不要咬他们，卫兵上前抓住了尼洛姆。“不要！”他大声叫喊着被拖出了大厅，叫声一直在长廊中回荡。 女王对托仑瑟说，“你，我曾经的朋友，也要称作这场阴谋的同谋，也许我应该对你仁慈些∶一次痛快的死刑或可能是放逐。否则就是领受和你同伴一样的刑法。” 托仑瑟一鞠躬，“仁慈的陛下。我认罪。” 当他被卫兵带走，女王指示耐可说，“处理一下那个。” 呵呵笑着的法师说道，“这个？陛下？”他伏身抓住了眼镜蛇的中段，当他站起来时，手中只是拿着一根普通的绳子。“这只是一根绳子。” 他把绳子卷起放进口袋中。艾兰德不由得瞪大了双眼，但博瑞克讲道，“这只是一个小把戏。”