Sometimes, he admitted honestly, but
But I would be executed for such speeches in Vinor, she chuckled shortly. Its a simple power mechanism, to execute all those who displease you before they revolt against you. If I were the ruler of an earthly country, I could easily decide everything without executioners, without sentences, without advisers, with just one fire.
She lowered her palms, and the fireball hung in the air, shining like the sun. Now it would explode with a million glittering sparks, or fly to ignite a dry fallen tree, her choice. Rhianon stared at the fire and wondered what she should do with it. Ferdinand beside her held his breath.
I try to be fair, he whispered softly, but it did not sound very convincing.
There can be no justice where you want to keep power, Rhianon remembered Manfred, and all the traitors in Loretta. If she hadnt been so soft and weak and prone to justice, she could have defeated them all. All it took was a little cunning, to seduce Conrad, to get him to kill his father, and then to condemn him himself. A thousand cunning plans could have been devised, and she had simply decided to escape. Nothing more elaborate than that occurred to her. It was a pity
No, there was nothing to be sorry about. She had met Madael, after all. If things had gone differently, she wouldnt have recognized him. Shed come to know Dennitsa himself, and the consequences didnt matter. Fire and eternity united. It was worth everything.
I really try to make sure that at least others dont break the laws.
Your established laws, and are they all just, she interrupted defiantly. She wasnt at all afraid that he might want to blow her head off, or at least intimidate her with his power. She was sure he wouldnt do that.
When you hold someone in your arms, like this ball of fire that now hung in the darkness in front of her, you dont worry about anything anymore. Tame fire is your element; there can be no rebellion in it. The ghost of the School of Witchcraft knew what he taught her. All you need is to know how to control fire, and it will not frighten you.
I want justice, Rhianon, I want no unhappy people in my realm.
And I dont want outside threats either. It is not only from men, but also from the evil of the forests. For this you are even ready to conclude a new political marriage, this time not with a mortal princess, but with a fairy queen out of the woods? You believe that an alliance with her would make the borders secure and the wicked obedient.
Rhianon saw the blush on his cheeks. It pleased her. It was nice to see someones embarrassment.
Now she even understood why Orpheus so often joked and mocked others, he liked to feel like a winner. The joker is always on top, and the one who believes the joke is his plaything. Thats how jesters rule over kings. She laughed involuntarily. If Orpheus appeared to her now, she would not allow him any more such liberties. She must hold him in her hands.
Dont take everything so seriously. You, the ruler, are responsible for the people, for the nobles and for your own head. Just one conspiracy you didnt watch out, and itll be off your shoulders. One mistake, one oversight, one failure to follow through, and you are no longer a king. Politics is a perpetual balance, life is black and white, there is no wholly white and wholly black even in heaven. God is also a ruler, sometimes very cruel, and the Devil is only his servant. The devil does evil only when he does Gods will, not when he wants to. We humans, ordinary and crowned alike, resort to belief in God only in order to protect ourselves from the devil. All is hypocrisy, and we live with it. So why should we, mere mortals, strive to be nobler than deity. After all, we are his creatures and we think in his image.
He looked at her and didnt even dare raise his hand to wipe the burning sweat from his forehead.
Are you excusing me or condemning me?
People are just trying to survive in an unjust world. And you also have great responsibilities. But I condemn all those who, instead of doing the work, indulge their own ego the Inquisition and men of the rank among them. I despise them. And the evil one is not afraid of them. Think about it, can those who themselves stood in the ranks of the angels of God be afraid of divine symbols. Besides, these symbols were invented not by God, but by people. There is a belief-the serpent and the cross. I often imagine a crucifix wrapped around a serpent. It is said that such symbols are stamped on the covers of witchcraft books. But does the dragon run from the cross. Show him the cruciform shape of your sword and he will disappear. When you went into battle, you counted on it.
Not quite! More like a sword blade, he admitted honestly. Not really, he admitted honestly. We had archers, a lot of men who died in the swamp, cannon on a gun carriage, chains, maces
Not even a catapult would have done you any good. Not many cannons, dragons are invulnerable.
Its their scales. Theyre like jewels, arent they?
Rhianon gave him a hard look.
You are very observant. You noticed that too, didnt you? She stared at his face for a long moment, the straight, graceful nose, the seductive lips, the thoughtful, big eyes. Hes smarter than she first thought, yet he can be so sincere.
The ball of flame was still hovering in the air, but it had already begun to cast sparks. One of them fell on Rhianons dress, but it did not burn the thin silk. The cloth woven by fairies hands was not flammable, nor could it be damaged. Rhianon smoothed the ruffles with her fingers. It was as if sparks hadnt touched them. The air around the balloon grew hot. She could feel the heat, but it didnt hurt, and it was harder for Ferdinand, who was sitting beside her, to bear it. He was tense, but he wasnt about to leave. He liked to sacrifice his own comfort to be near her. Rhianon leaned back and leaned her head against the trunk of a beech tree. Her golden hair laced the bark. She could feel the roughness of the wood in the back of her head, hear the woodworms crawling up and down the trunk, and hear the superhuman life bubbling up and down the leaves and the roots. Oh, she suspected it was there. There were supernatural beings everywhere, even if they remained completely invisible to mortals. No Inquisition could help against them. Ferdinand is somewhat ridiculous. But he could be so loyal and understanding. Just the kind of friend she had always dreamed of.
Madael hid his secrets. With him, understatement was acceptable. He was an angel, he was a mystery himself. Humans are simpler. Someone mortal could get closer and even say goodbye to life because of you. But a beloved demon is still no substitute for him. The handsome young man beside her dreamed of shared love, of mutual warmth, of trust. She could only offer him scalding fire.
She purposely loosened her grip for a moment, and the fireball burst into a myriad of sparkling sparks. Some of them burned Ferdinand. Other sleeping warriors, now reluctant to wake, muttered a curse and hurried to extinguish the items that had begun to ignite, or even the dry branches beneath them. A torrent of sparks fell into the grass and the driftwood, and even touched the trees, but there was no fire. Rhianon now knew how to neutralize the destructive force. Tiny sparks of fire reluctantly subdued her and went out, flying away harmlessly.
So she knew how to do some things without needing the advice of her mentor. Both Rothbert and Clive were right. They each said, in their own way, that he who has a priceless gift must learn everything on his own. So Rhianon was learning. She liked to master her talents the way others mastered the arts. To control the power that dormant in you is wonderful.