The King's Sons (The Herezoth Trilogy) (42 page)

Thank
the Giver! Kansten withdrew to arm’s length, and only then noticed the part of
Zacry’s face that had been hidden from her. She fell back a step. “Uncle Zac!”

“It’s
just some scarring.”

Zacry’s
niece nodded, horrified, as he stepped through the doorway and asked, “Where’s
Francie?”

“In
the living room.”

Francie
had more tact than Kansten when it came to Zacry’s scarred visage. She didn’t
mention it at all, just squeezed his hand when he came close to ask how she was
doing. “Better than I expected,” was her response. “Did everyone else make it?”

“Everyone
you’d know except Gratton and the king.”

At
Zacry’s back, Kansten failed to contain a small shriek. Francie’s face fell;
the sorcerer told her, “This doesn’t change your situation. The Magic Council
will be fine without you, and I would know. I’m on it. If we needed you to
stay, I’d ask you to.”

Kansten
reminded herself to breathe. The king, Hune’s father, was dead. At the same
time her heart broke for the prince, she knew this meant nothing good for a
blossoming royal romance. She had to speak with him; she had to express her
sympathies, had to know whether he might continue to see her after this.

Teena
rushed over from the kitchen for news. Zacry gave it. Each second that passed
before Kansten could pull her uncle aside was a torment, until finally she
dragged the sorcerer to a corner by the door.

“You
have to take me to the Palace,” she said.

“I’ll
do nothing of the….”

“You
were right about Hune. I saw him more than once after you warned me not to, and
I think, like you suspected, he’s falling hard for me. I have to see him, one
last time, to tell him I’m sorry about his father. To tell him I’m sorry I let
anything get started between us. He should know I understand we have no future,
not after his father’s passing. He’s got enough on his mind right now, Uncle
Zac. He doesn’t need to be worrying how to break things off with me.”

“I
can’t get you into….”

“I have Vane’s coin still, the one with the Phinnean crest.
Listen, I have to see Hune.”

“To
tell him you can no longer see him?”

Kansten
nodded, looking him in the eye, ignoring the right side of his face. She had
never lied so blatantly, and was astounded she found the task so easy.

Zacry
brought her to the Palace. He was annoyed Kansten’s willfulness made that
necessary, and told her so, so she acted appropriately sheepish until she found
herself with Hune.

He
was in his antechamber; the room was oddly dark for late morning because his
windows faced west and he’d drawn the curtains. He wore black, all black, and
appeared to have been sitting alone, thinking. Grieving. As soon as he shut the
door, tears sprang to Kansten’s eyes, and she hugged him as she would have any
friend.

“I
heard this morning. I made my uncle bring me here. I don’t know what to tell
you, I….”

He
pulled away and led her to a set of adjacent armchairs.

“My
father’s gone. I watched Gratton die, and my dogs, I sent them to their deaths.
I can still hear them howling. Poor Adage, he vanished before my eyes. Just
vanished. Thank God he did, or it would have been Walten. He took some kind of
killing spell for Walten.”

Kansten
paled. She took Hune’s chin in her hand, to direct his gaze into hers. “My
family, they…. I’d be lost without Walt. And I know what your dogs meant to
you. I can’t…. I’m so, so sorry for all you’ve lost. The dogs aren’t the half
of it.”

“It’s
been so quiet in here. Adage slept in this room. I can’t remember the last time
I was here without him.” Hune explained, “Thinking of the dogs hurts less than
thinking of my father. Kansten, I don’t know that I’ve ever felt this alone.”

“You’re
not alone.” She kissed him to prove the point, on impulse. That was either the
perfect response or one so horrible it would destroy any chance she had with
him; she couldn’t say which, and she chose not to dwell on that. “You’re not
alone, not unless you choose to be. Even if you tell me you and I can’t speak
again—and I’ll understand, I will, if that’s the case—you have your
brothers, and your sister, and Vane.”

Kansten
bit her lip, waiting for him to say something. He needed some time, and she
began to fear she had, in fact, destroyed everything with that kiss.

“Even
my horse is dead,” he told her. “At the stables. That’s where the king….” Hune
gulped down the rest of that thought. “Kansten, I can’t lose you too. I have to
find out where this leads. I’ll serve my brother in everything I can, but I
won’t give you up to better do my part. Tell me you’re not walking away. Tell
me….”

She
kissed him again, put a hand behind his head at the same time. When they drew
apart she said, “I hope that answers that.”

The
prince smiled. “I can’t think my father would want me to push you away because
your mother’s Kora Porteg. But he’d want me to tell Valkin. Yes, Valkin has to
know. If he found out from someone else….”

Kansten
swallowed out of fear. She felt the back of her neck grow wet, but she said,
“Then let’s tell Valkin. We should see him together, and we needn’t take much
of his time for this. Where is he, do you know?”

“My
father’s office.”

They
had almost reached the door when Kansten clutched at his arm to hold him back.
“What about your mother?”

“Leave
my mother to me. It’s really the king whose sanction I must have. No matter
what my mother thinks, she can’t overrule Valkin. Not anymore.”

“Are
you sure this is wise? I don’t think we should…. I don’t mean to cause tension
within your family, not now.”

“You
won’t, I promise. Kansten, will you trust me on this?”

“I
don’t know, I…. Hune, I need to hear something from you. Before we bring your
brother into this, I need you to tell me that I’m what you care for: me, as I
am. Not the idea of someone who’s separate from your life here, not the idea of
turning court on its head. Me. I’ll never think you used me knowingly, but
maybe you haven’t realized what you’re really attracted to is the simple idea
of….”

Hune
kissed her. He leaned her against the door and he kissed her, with such fire in
his gaze that it melted her lids together; she shut her eyes, off-guard and
overwhelmed. When the moment passed and she looked at him again, he said, “I’ve
met women who weren’t noble:
 
kitchen
maids, seamstresses, cooks. None of them’s made me feel the slightest thing. I
couldn’t care less what you represent, Kansten. I care about you. And that,” he
said, breaking out in a childish grin, “should answer that, I hope.”

“I’ll
say it does,” she replied. To see him smile through his pain, there was nothing
more wonderful.

“So
will you trust I know I’m doing, taking you to my brother?”

Kansten
nodded, and Hune eased open the door. He led her through narrow, carpeted
corridors and past portraits, past a tapestry that depicted an old map of
Podrar, up stairs, down more hallways, until he finally stopped before a wide
mahogany door. Hune knocked, and someone bade him enter.

Valkin
Phinnean, clad in black like his brother, stood in the center of the room. He’d
flung a black robe on the circular table, and a small, bound scroll lay on the
desk.

Hune
bowed. “You remember Kansten Cason.”

Kansten,
her cheeks hot, sank into a graceless curtsy. Valkin asked, sounding more
surprised than contemptuous, “What’s she doing here?”

Hune
said, “I need to tell you something.”

“With
her listening?”

“Yes,
Your Majesty. I owe you the courtesy of a full disclosure. I’ve seen quite a
bit of Kansten since she arrived in Herezoth, and I intend to see more of her.
In fact, I intend an honorable courtship. I don’t ask your permission for this.
I’m informing you of what I’ll do, because it’s not my intention to cause you
trouble. Because I value an honest relationship between us.”

Kansten
clenched her jaw and stared past Valkin to the suit of armor that hung behind
his desk. The king’s voice, with no small degree of resentment, said, “You
don’t ask permission?”

“I’m
informing you, because you have the right to know.”

 
“And if I forbade you to see her?”

“I
repeat, I’m not asking your permission.”

Even
Kansten knew this was a charade. How much more, then, must Valkin? Hune would
never disobey a direct order from his king. What was he doing? And how was the
king reacting to this?

Kansten
dared a glance at Valkin. Blood had rushed to his face, and he studied his
brother with mixed insult, respect, and even, perhaps, a fair amount of
jealousy of what Kansten might come to represent in Hune’s life. He said, “You
must really want to see where this relationship leads you, to barge in here
like you’ve done.”

Hune
said, “You won’t take this from me.”

“No,”
Valkin conceded, “I won’t. Your aim is nothing base. But hang it all, take
things slowly, won’t you? Be discreet. And don’t you even consider something
like elopement, not with the station you hold. You know how that would reflect
on me?”

“You’d
look powerless to rule even in your family. Valkin, I don’t mean to complicate
your reign with this, I swear. This is not me being selfish. This is me
claiming one thing in life for myself, just one.”

Valkin
sighed, a dejected sigh. A surrendering one. “You deserve to have it. I won’t
make you choose between your heart and your sworn oaths to the crown, Hune. I
can’t afford to do that, to push you away. Thank you for, eh, informing me of
this.”

“I
wanted you to hear it from me.”

“I’ve
heard. Now I suggest you leave before you give me time to contemplate what just
happened.” Hune bowed, and, “Listen,” the king continued, as his guests turned
to the door. They looked back at him. “You may be my brother, but if you
ever
try to force your will on me
again….”

“I
shan’t,” Hune swore. “This case was unique, and….”

Valkin’s
voice was sharp, though it lacked true ire. “I told you to get out.”

Kansten
was quick to oblige, and was in the hallway before Hune. She didn’t waste the
time to bow or curtsy. She let Hune overtake her, and he led her back to his
antechamber, where she said, “If I’d known you’d go about it like that….”

Hune
seemed less troubled. Not troubled at all. His smile soothed Kansten’s lurid
shame, even before he patted her arm. “You agreed to trust me. We got what we
wanted, or didn’t we?”

“That
could have been disastrous. What if the king resents you for this?”

“He
won’t.”

“What
if he’d told you it was me or your family? You’d have chosen your family,
Hune.”

“And
you wouldn’t have a thing to do with me if I’d choose otherwise. If I’d abandon
Valkin in the middle of all this. You can’t imagine how he’s reeling.”

Kansten’s
voice was soft. “No,” she admitted. “To be king, in the blink of an eye….”

“He’ll
be all right,” said Hune. “He thanked me outright for coming to him, and he’s
stingy with those words. You’ve caused no rift between us.”

Kansten
sighed. “My uncle will murder me if he finds out about this.”

“So
don’t let him find out,” Hune suggested. “Not right away.”

Kansten
said, “I don’t intend to,” and her shame attacked again, with guilt and fear as
reinforcements. Her stomach twisted at the thought of facing a storming Zacry,
at the mere remembrance of his newly scarred face, until Hune kissed her again.
That calmed her, completely, instantly, and she found herself kissing him back,
smiling when they separated.

“That
face suits you much better,” Hune said. “Listen, I won’t claim we’re in for an
easy time of it. We’ll have to slow things down; Valkin’s right about that.”
Kansten nodded, and Hune continued, “It’s funny, I don’t feel bad for barging
in on my brother like I did, but the thought of having to give you less than
the attention you deserve….”

“I’m
a big girl, Hune.” She put a hand on his shoulder.

“You
stayed with Vane’s aunt last night? Will you join him at the Palace now?”

“Unless
Vane returns to Oakdowns. I imagine he won’t be able right away.”

The
prince’s expression turned grim. “He won’t. Kansten, it was an outright
slaughter. Oakdowns isn’t in shambles, but a major staircase fell, and the
blood, blood everywhere…. Vane will be at the Palace for a while.”

“It’ll
help the king to have him at hand, won’t it? Herezoth couldn’t be in finer
hands than your brother’s. I mean that. I won’t deny I find him a bit… uppity.”
That brought a chuckle out of Hune. “But Herezoth couldn’t be in better hands,
not if you respect him the way you do.”

“I’ll
have to tell Valkin that.” When a look a horror crossed Kansten’s face, he
said, “Not the uppity part. But the rest of it. It would mean something to
him.”