Ironcrown Moon Read Online Free PDF Page B

has spread like wildfire over the past two weeks among the fishermen’s taverns of the northwestern shore, and thence to the low dives of the Tarnian capital.”
    The hooded figure of the alchymist had given a great start as the king spoke his first wife’s name.
    “Saint Zeth preserve us—it’s not possible that Maude lives! The conjoined minds of the Brotherhood searched the entire island, virtually inch by inch, and failed to scry any trace of the Princess Dowager. Even Ullanoth’s Subtle Loophole detected nothing—and the sigil supposedly can oversee anyone, anywhere in the world.”
    “So the Conjure-Queen says. But her close scrutiny took place four years ago, shortly after Maude was thought to have drowned. At the time, Ulla admitted that her search might have been thwarted by Red Ansel Pikan. The magical capabilities of the Grand Shaman of Tarn are unknown to her. He might have been able to block the action of the Great Stone. The painful search effort so debilitated Ullanoth that she was forced to avoid using Loophole for many months. Since then, as far as I know, she has made no further attempt to look for Maude.”
    “What are we to do, Con?” Stergos’s voice was taut with shock. He and the king had found and read Maudrayne’s secret diary after her presumed death. In it, she had revealed not only that she had conceived Conrig’s child, but also her knowledge of her husband’s arcane taint. “If the princess lives and has birthed a son not possessed of talent, you are undone! She knows your secret and could divulge it at any time, with Ansel to testify to the truth of it. Even if your twin sons by Risalla are accepted as normal, the law says that Maudrayne’s boy must inherit your crown if you are deposed.”
    “If she lives! And she tells what she knows and produces the normal-minded male child. Here is where I require your advice, Gossy.
    if
    Would it be wise for me to once again enlist the Conjure-Queen in the search for Maude? I’m reluctant to do so, since it would give Ulla even more power over me than she has now. I feel I’d be jumping from the hot griddle into the fire pit.”
    “My God, yes. Her ambitions… Con, you know I’ve never trusted the woman.”
    “Yes, yes,” the king said impatiently. “Nevertheless, her Loophole probably holds out the best chance of locating Maude and any child she may have had.”
    “Perhaps not, if Red Ansel still keeps the Princess Dowager under his protection. But even the most powerful sorcery has limitations. For instance, Maudrayne and her child could not live permanently inside a spell of invisibility woven by Ansel. Such an existence would be insupportable to the healthy human temperament. Furthermore, a high-spirited woman such as Maude would never consent to be immured within some impregnable magical fortress for years upon end.”
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    May, Julian - Boreal Moon 2 - Ironcrown Moon
    Conrig gave a short mirthless laugh. “No, not Maude! She’d take her boy hiking on the tundra and sailing in her yacht on the arctic waters. She’d teach him to ski and to hunt elk and ice bears Page 14

    and sea unicorns. And if she does these things, there are bound to be local people who know about it. In my opinion, she might be sought and found by a clever and talented spy—such as my Royal Intelligencer, Snudge. What do you think, Gossy?”
    Stergos hesitated. “If Maude is hiding in Tarn, she would surely be protected by the magic of more than one of the local shamans. Ansel would hardly spend all of his time shielding her. He has other responsibilities. Deveron Austrey would have a special advantage over the lesser northern adepts, since his talent is imperceptible to all but the most powerful. Furthermore, he’s impossible to windwatch, so they would be able to observe him only with ordinary eyesight. But what will