The Grave Thief: Book Three of The Twilight Reign Read Online Free PDF Page A

the former Lady Oterness Bekashay, but her intellect was far beyond that of any of the other potential wives, and her help in governing his kingdom remained invaluable. But the green wax was different; it denoted messages concerned with his war with Azaer, the shadow, and that matter he was determined to spare her.
    ‘It’s up on your desk,’ said Oterness with a nod toward the spiral stair behind him. The pulpit-like mezzanine was shrouded in shadow, for Jorinn knew not to set foot on the stair, let alone go up, even to light the lamp on the king’s desk.
    Emin helped his wife into her chair before going to retrieve the letter, which was folded up so small that it could be concealed in the palm of a hand. He opened it, and read the message inside, his eyes darting towards Oterness as he finished. Without speaking he went to the bell-pull by the fire and gave it a sharp tug to summon Coran, his white-eye bodyguard.
    ‘Can’t it wait? You need to eat and rest, give yourself an hour at least,’ Oterness said, concerned, though she knew he would ignore both his own needs and the hurt he was feeling and attend instead to the demands of his position.
    But will you never let it out? Your rage at Ilumene’s betrayal was buried deep, but it’s still there - and now? You’re asking too much of yourself, my Emin, far more than any man should.
    ‘I will rest soon,’ the king replied at last, gripping the back of her chair and resting his hands on her shoulders. Coran stormed in without knocking as usual, his expression blank.
    ‘Give this letter to Anversis Chals; tell him to draft a plan for Midsummer’s Day.’
    ‘Anversis? Your uncle?’ Oterness interjected with a puzzled look. ‘I thought he was no part of your war - doesn’t he spend his days researching migration patterns?’
    ‘True enough.’
    ‘Surely you’ve not found a use for his obsessions? The man is so indiscreet - you can’t possibly trust him with your secrets!’
    ‘Also true,’ the king sighed, ‘but he has applied his theories to the movements of Harlequins and this letter is the first sign of something we’ve feared since Thistledell.’
    ‘ We? ’
    ‘Morghien and I. You remember when I first met him?’
    Oterness nodded warily. ‘Something about a ghost in the library your father had sponsored, and Morghien saving you from it.’
    Emin scowled. ‘It was no ghost, it was Azaer. The shadow was unable to resist the lure of a library open to the whole population, all that knowledge, available to everyone, and it started to rewrite some of the books, changing our history. At the end of that week I had declared war against an intangible immortal, and I had a sister to bury. There is one group of people better equipped than any other to edit history, and Rojak showed us at Thistledell the power a minstrel can wield.’ He raised the letter before handing it to Coran. ‘This is a report from Helrect: a Harlequin passing through there in late summer made a mistake when telling a story!’
    ‘A mistake?’ Oterness said, surprised. ‘But Harlequins have perfect memories, don’t they? That’s the whole point.’ She ignored Coran as he offered the pair a perfunctory bow and hurried out.
    ‘Exactly. And now we need to pay great attention, to see whether any other instances crop up.’
    The queen froze. ‘You said “draft a plan for midsummer”. What sort of plan, exactly?’
    Emin crouched down at her side and put a protective hand on her swollen belly. ‘If they have become the servants of Azaer, even unwittingly, the damage they could cause could be incalculable. In Scree, Azaer’s disciples turned the citizens against the Gods - what if that happens across the whole Land? We have had so few opportunities to derail the shadow’s cause, and I must not flinch now.’
    ‘You would kill them all?’
    ‘It seems,’ said Emin slowly, ‘that there is nothing I will not do.’ He bowed his head, a man defeated by his own