The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

his ears. Compared to the man, Matthias was a stick insect.
He looked up from a worn, leather-bound book to look at
him.
    “ Good afternoon,” the man said, standing. “My Lord?” he
ventured the title, looking at Matthias’ rich clothing. “Do you
require some assistance? Are you lost?” His pale blue eyes studied
Matthias intently through heavy lids and black – ringed
eyes.
    Matthias bowed his head and smiled. “Good afternoon. I do
need your help. That is, if it’s not too much trouble?” Politeness,
he had found, often got you everywhere. Well, perhaps not always,
but it was the best place to start.
    “ Please,” the man said, and beckoned to one of the empty
seats. Matthias took it gratefully, and could not stop a sigh from
leaving his lips at the relief of being off his feet for the first
time in almost two days. The man took the seat opposite, pulling
his trousers up to waistline level as he eased himself back into
the chair. He clasped his hands in front of himself and smiled.
“Well then, My Lord, how can I be of help?”
    Matthias took a breath. “Please, I am not a noble. You don’t
need to refer to me as such.”
    The guard nodded. “Of course. How should I address
you?”
    “ My
name will be enough. It’s Matthias Greenwald.”
    “ Very well then, Matthias Greenwald, I repeat my question: how
can I be of help to you?” he smiled.
    Matthias took a breath. “I am here to speak with King Arwell.
I would like to meet with him. As soon as is possible. Please,” he
added for good measure.
    The
guard’s brow furrowed. “The king?” he repeated.
    “ That’s right,” Matthias nodded.
    “ His
Majesty, King Arwell?” the guard clarified.
    “ Yes, that’s the one. Unless you know of another?”
    The
man looked away a moment, stared inwardly, and then addressed
Matthias again. “Why?” he asked.
    “ I
have some important information to bring to him,” Matthias told the
man. He knew what would come next.
    “ What sort of information?”
    There it was: the question he had dreaded being
asked because he knew he could give no answer. “Extremely private information,”
he tried, enunciating the word ‘private’ heavily.
    The guard scratched his rocky chin awkwardly. “You
are foreign?” he asked. Matthias nodded. “From where?” Matthias
opened the top of his coat and pulled his pendant from his shirt,
and indicated with it to the guard. “You are a wizard? ” the guard asked with a mix of
surprise and trepidation.
    “ I
am,” Matthias nodded. “But please, don’t roll out the red
carpet.”
    The
guard looked at him with astonishment. “You… I…” he shook his head.
“Are you an ambassador?”
    “ I
suppose you could call me that, yes,” Matthias smiled. “It’s as
good a word as any.”
    The
guard nodded as if trying to arrange the information in his mind.
“Ambassador, I must say that with all respect,” he began, tapping
the sides of his hands on the table awkwardly, “You cannot just…
pop in and request an audience with the king like this!”
    “ I
know it isn’t exactly proper,” Matthias nodded. “But I felt the
need to arrive unannounced.”
    “ For
what reason?”
    “ Because the information I bring is sensitive, and I didn’t
want it to be known by other countries or people that I am
here.”
    The
guard stared him in the eye, and stroked his stubbly chiselled chin
again. His look of absolute puzzlement would have been comical in
different circumstances. There was a moment of awkward silence as
Matthias and he sat whilst the man engaged in silent analysis.
Matthias sat patiently, his expression as fixed as a statue, and
awaited a response. The guard opened his mouth, but no words came
out, and so he shut it again, rethought what he was going to say,
and then, taking a breath again, continued.
    “ You must understand that I can’t just simply take
you to the king. Your identity has to be confirmed for a start.
Moreover, the king has to accept your