Lord of the Hunt Read Online Free PDF Page B

time, he was looking forward to dinner.
    ***
    Verden made his way back to the Hall of Mirrors, hoping that the Prince was still there. He was and he was now alone, studying a mirror. Verden took a nearby seat and waited. Eventually the Prince let the mirror go and turned around.
    “Are you seeking a game or me?” There was no warmth in his eyes.
    Verden smiled his best courtier’s smile that meant nothing and yet implied whatever the viewer wanted. “Both.”
    Felan gave a single nod and sat down, sweeping his deep-red, ankle-length waistcoat out of the way as he did. He was dressing more and more like the Prince should. Just how close was he to taking control of Annwyn? Not close enough to have announced an heir and wedding. Perhaps close enough to be choosing a wife and thus the attraction of the Hall of Mirrors. Without a mortal woman willing to give up her soul, Felan couldn’t take the throne.
    “How would you like to lose today?” Felan pulled out the drawer and looked over the games stored there.
    “Dice. I feel like testing my luck and not my strategy.”
    Felan withdrew two thirteen-sided dice and placed them on the table. Verden picked them up and rolled them a few times to see if they were weighted. They rolled true, but it always paid to check the cards and dice before agreeing to play any game. Fortunes and ranks were made and lost by the roll of the dice or a hand of cards. He knew that from experience.
    “My father sent you to inquire about what I am up to?” He made a couple rolls and nodded, satisfied with the dice.
    “Not in as many words.” When dealing with the Prince, Verden had learned that honesty went a long way.
    Felan met Verden’s gaze. “You still his loyal dog?”
    “I swore to serve him. Would you rather a loyal man on the wrong side or a liar on your side?” Anyone who’d sworn to the King and was now swearing to Felan wasn’t worth the weight of his promise.
    “Then what are playing for if you aren’t here to vow support? Or am I to gain your loyalty if I win?” Felan smiled.
    “I would never gamble what I can’t give freely. But know I wouldn’t act against you unless you act directly against the King.” In his heart, he hoped Gwyn would step aside when asked and there would be no battle. No one, fairy or mortal, would win if Annwyn went to war. “How about we play for answers, one question answered truthfully to the winner.”
    “Very well.” Felan rolled the dice onto the table. They fell within the inlaid circle, one in the quarter marked as spring, the other in autumn—cusp seasons and the most dangerous at Court.
    Best of thirteen rolls, the number and the seasons all coming into play.
    Verden scooped up the dice and took his turn. They rolled in winter. Double thirteen, a good score but an ill omen given the recent events at Court. “A good thing we aren’t reading fortunes.”
    “Only a fool uses dice to predict the future. Cards are much more reliable.” The Prince’s lips curved, but both men knew that many fairies tried to predict their fortunes and favors using dice and cards.
    The next roll fell outside the circle, a wasted turn. The Crown Prince of Annwyn was throwing the game. He had to be. A skilled player could almost direct the dice to fall in the required season. Verden glanced up, but Felan’s face was unreadable.
    “Your father wishes to speak with you.” Verden risked speaking his mind.
    “I know what my father wishes to discuss and I have nothing to say.”
    A leaf fell next to the table and a shadow servant picked it up, but both men glanced at it. While some pretended the problem didn’t exist, it wouldn’t be long until Castle Annwyn had no leaves left to form a roof. Verden looked at the Prince.
    Felan pressed his lips together and took his turn with the dice. When he spoke, it was quietly and firmly. “It is not as easy as people seem to think. In the mortal world, a King would age and sicken. My father is the same man he was