The Black Star (Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

move forward.
    Dilliger showed up dressed and fed at one o'clock. His dark hair was wavy in the way of so much Gaskan royalty; he wore a simple blue doublet with white piping, and a heavy-lidded smile that suggested he'd started the day with the same bottle he'd ended the night.
    "Lord Pendelles," he said scratchily. "How's your morning?"
    "Over!" Pendelles grinned. "And I trust you're glad to see it gone."
    Dilliger waved one hand. "If mornings want us to enjoy them, then they shouldn't be so bright. But yes, I'm up. Ambulatory. And of the belief the best way to stir my sluggish blood is a game of Run."
    "Run?"
    "A game—a sport—invented by my dear departed brother Yonnevan. Would you do me the honor of a match?"
    "Naturally," Pendelles said.
    Dilliger smiled. "Know the rules?"
    "How would I? But that's my favorite sort of game. I find that having no clue what I'm doing relieves the awful pressure of having to do well."
    "That's the spirit."
    Dilliger turned from the window. Without another word, the servants vanished into the house, scurrying to make preparations.
    "Shall I change into sporting gear?" Pendelles said.
    The duke shook his head. "The help will bring the hats."
    He led the way to the base of a long, high hill. Down its center, the grass had been clipped in a forty-foot-wide swath. Fine mesh fences bordered it on both sides. A canal ringed the finish of the trimmed trail. Dilliger sat at a table shaded by a pagoda. A servant materialized with a tray of strong drinks. Dilliger winked at Pendelles. The staff dragged out a straw-stuffed cart that smelled like a barn. Other servants retrieved curious vehicles: broad planks with four high wheels and a rib-high, T-shaped steering column.
    Lastly, a rack of long-handled mallets was rolled beneath the pagoda. Dilliger nodded cursorily and the servants began to drag the diverse equipment up to the top of the hill.
    Pendelles leaned back and sipped his drink. "Why do I have the suspicion Run was fathered by a heavy dose of wine?"
    "Because you are wise in the ways of sport," Dilliger laughed. "Now where are our hats?"
    He had no more spoken the words than a servant arrived bearing two hats, their brims as broad as platters. Pheasant feathers jutted from the crowns, iridescent green.
    Dilliger screwed one onto his head, smoothed the felt brim, and frowned, face creased with gravitas. "They may strike you as silly, but the first rule of Run is if you lose your hat, you lose your bet."
    "Wagers?" Pendelles said. "Now I know we're playing my kind of game." He smiled, sly. "What are the stakes?"
    "Since it's your first round, I'll take it easy on you. I'd thought to send you home with a couple bottles of my finest. Bottled right here on these grounds by my brewmeister. But should you lose..."
    "Then you get first pick of the cabinet in my carriage." He cocked a brow. "Challenge accepted."
    Dilliger clapped his thighs, stood, and headed up the hill. "Have you deduced the premise?"
    "Attempt to ride to the bottom without breaking my neck?"
    "Oh, that would be far too easy." Dilliger pointed to the crown of the hill, where four servants had wheeled the planked vehicles. "There's our starting line. You'll be given a few moments to get your legs under you." He pointed to the gamey-smelling hutch positioned a third of the way down the slope. "Then, the rabbits are released. We shall be equipped with one of the fine mallets you saw earlier. Your task? To prevent the rabbit from reaching the ditch."
    Which they were crossing via a board bridge at that moment. Pendelles shaped his face into amusement. "Delightful."
    "I had the feeling you'd approve. And that your physical skills would be up to the challenge. I don't invite just anyone to play a round of Run."
    "I can imagine," Pendelles said. "Considering the guts some of our lords lug around, you'd need more than a plank to bear them down the hill. You'd need a mule team."
    Dilliger chortled. Pendelles kept the rest of his thoughts