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"Is this a dagger which I see before me,

The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee

I have thee not, and yet I see thee still"

- Willia MacGil stu had way toofroht&039;s festivities A wo to his side, one ar hile towards his bed Two attendants closed the door behind them and disappeared discreetly

MacGil did not knohere his queen was, and on this night he did not care They rarely shared a bed anyhts of feasts, when the ences, and she did not sees had always ruled with entitlement

But as MacGil aimed for bed the room spun too fiercely, and he suddenly threw this woer in the mood for this

"Leave me!" he commanded, and shoved her away

The woman stood there, stunned and hurt, and the door opened and the attendants returned, each grabbing one ar her out She protested, but her cries were muffled as they closed the door behind her

MacGil sat on the edge of his bed and rested his head in his hands, trying to get his headache to stop It was unusual for him to have a headache this early, before the drink had tied so quickly The feast had been going so well; he had been settling in with a fine choice ofcask of wine, when that boy, Thor, had to surface and ruin everything First it was his intrusion, with his silly dreaoblet out of his hands

Then that dog had to appear and lap it up, and drop dead in front of everyone MacGil had been shaken ever since The realization had stuck him like a hammer: someone had tried to poison him To assassinate hiuards, past his wine and food tasters He had been a breath away fro dead, and it still shook hieon, and he wondered again if it had been the right command On the one hand, of course, there was no way the boy could have known that goblet was poisoned unless he himself had poisoned it, or was somehow complicit in the crime On the other hand, he knew Thor had deep, mysterious powers, toothe truth: maybe he had indeed envisioned it in a dream Maybe he had, in fact, saved his life, and eon the one person truly loyal

MacGil&039;s head pounded at the thought, as he sat there rubbing his too-lined forehead, trying to work it all out But he had drank too hts swirled, and he could not get to the bottoht, his body overheated with hours of food and drink, and he felt hi

He reached over and threw off hisbut his undershirt, and reached up and wiped the sweat off his brow, then his beard He leaned back and pulled off his huge, heavy boots, one at a time, and curled his toes as they hit the air He sat there and breathed hard, trying to regain his equilibriurown today, and it was burdenso his head on the pillow He sighed and looked up, past the four posters, to the ceiling, and tried to get the roo

Who would want to kill hiain He had loved that boy, Thor, like a son, and a part of him sensed that it could not be hiht have - and on&039;s pronouncerow heavy, as he sensed the answer just outside of his rasp If his mind was just a little clearer, maybe he could work it all out But his ht of ation The question in his mind was not anted him dead - but who did not want him dead His court, he kneas filled with people who craved his throne Ary nobles and lords; spies; old rivals; assassins from the McClouds - and maybe even from the Wilds Perhaps, even closer than that

MacGil&039;s eyes fluttered as he began to fall into sleep; but soht his attention which kept them open He detected movement, and looked over to see that his attendants were not there He blinked, confused His attendants never left him alone In fact, he could not remember the last time he had been alone in this roo theer: his door ide open

At the same moment MacGil heard a noise from the far side of the roo the wall, coht, was a tall, thina black cloak and hood, pulled over his face MacGil blinked several tis At first he was sure it was just shadows, flickering torchlight playing tricks on his eyes