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"Has Lord Gaebril been informed?" Of course he had not He would have coestions on how to deal with it His suggestions were always clearly right Suggestions? So her what to do That was impossible, of course

"He has, my Queen" Tallanvor’s voice was still bland, unlike his face, where slow anger yet shed He said the Two Rivers see about it one day He said this minor annoyance would have to wait its turn behindto her feet, and she thought Tallanvor s woman told her where Gaebril was to be found, and she ht to the colonnaded court, with its marble fountain, the basin full of lily pads and fish It was cooler there, and shaded a little

Gaebril sat on the broad white coping of the fountain, lords and ladies gathered around hinized fewer than half Dark squarefaced Jarid of House Sarand, and his shrewish honeyhaired wife, Elenia That si brown eyes always so wide in feigned interest, and bony, goatfaced Nasin of House Caeren, ould tumble any woman he could corner despite his thin white hair Naean of House Arawn, as usual with a sneerher pale beauty, and Lir of House Baryn, a whip of a s, and Karind of House Anshar, with the same flateyed stare that soround The others she did not know at all, which was strange enough, but these she never allowed into the Palace except on state occasions Every one had opposed her during the Succession Elenia and Naean had wanted the Lion Throne for the them here?

"the size of our estates in Cairhien, ase approached None of thelanced at her As if she were a servant with the wine!

"I want to speak with you concerning the Two Rivers Gaebril In private"

"It has been dealt with, ers in the water "Otherto read during the heat of the day You should return to your roo’s coolness, such as it is"

My dear He had called her my dear in front of these interlopers! As much as she thrilled to hear that on his lips when they were alone Elenia was hiding her ase said coldly "You will come with me now And these others will be out of the Palace before I return, or I will exile them frobut his dark eyes; her skin tingled as if an icy ere blowing through the courtyard "You will go and wait forher ears "I have dealt with all that needs dealing with I will coo"

She had one hand lifted to open the door of her sitting room before she realized where she was And what had happened He had told her to go, and she had gone Staring at the door in horror, she could see the shter on some of the women’s What has happened to me? How could I becoe to enter, and wait for him

Dazed, she forced herself to turn and walk away It was an effort Inside, she cringed at the idea of Gaebril’s disappointment in her when he did not find her where he expected, and cringed further at recognizing the fawning thought

At first she had no notion of where she was going or why, only that she would not wait obediently, not for Gaebril, not for any man or wo in her head, hi Her ed She could not comprehend hohy she could have let it happen She had to think of so she could deal with Jarid Sarand and the others

When she assu they had done during the Succession, as she had pardoned everyone who opposed her It had seemed best to bury all ani and sche that infected so many lands The Game of Houses it was called -- Daes Dae’led feuds between Houses, to the toppling of rulers; the Game was at the heart of the civil war in Cairhien, and no doubt had done its part in the tur Arad Doo to all to stop Daes Dae’ned, they would have been the parchments with those seven’s names

Gaebril knew that Publicly she had shown no disfavor, but in private she had been willing to speak of her distrust They had had to pry their jaws open to swear fealty, and she could hear the lie on their tongues Any one would leap at a chance to pull her down, and all seven together

There was only one conclusion she could reach Gaebril ainst her It could not be to put Elenia or Naean on the throne Not when he hasHethat Andor had ever had And she still felt the desire to return to her book and wait for him She still ached for his touch

It was not until she saw the aged faces in the hallway around her, the creased cheeks and often bent backs, that she became aware of where she was The Pensioners’ Quarters Sorew old, but others had been so long in the Palace that they could think of no other life Here they had their own sarden and a spacious courtyard Like every queen before her, she suppleh the Palace kitchens for less than its cost, and the infirmary treated their ills Creaky bows and unsteady curtsies followed her, and ht bless you, ht protect you, ed the now

Lini’s door was like all the others along the greentiled corridor, unadorned save for a carving of the rearing Lion Of Andor She never thought of knocking before entering; she was the Queen, and this was her Palace Her old nurse was not there, though a teakettle stea over a small fire in the brick fireplace s