The White Mists of Power Read Online Free PDF Page B

small library or bothering the grooms in the stables. Once he had tried to follow Lord Boton on his rounds, but the lord gently told Adric he had no place in the farthest recesses of the palace. As Adric watched the palace awaken, he saw the serving children cross the courtyard. Some carried buckets of water on their shoulders. Others ran on some kind of mission. All of them working, all of them doing something important. He wished that just once he could be as useful as they were.
    The smell of freshly baked bread filled the courtyard. Adric’s stomach rumbled. He had had a small breakfast–four stale biscuits and a soft apple–and he wanted something else. If he went into the kitchen, however, the carriage would arrive. Then Lord Boton would think that Adric no longer wanted to go.
    The double doors leading to his parents’ wing opened. Two retainers stepped outside and held the door back. Adric’s father emerged, his mother beside him. The sun fell on them, illuminating his father and leaving his mother in shadow. His father’s doublet sparkled, and he stood tall and slim. Adric’s mother looked small and fragile beside his father. She had one hand tucked in the crook of his arm. The other hand rested on top of her rounded belly. The royal physician had told her that the baby was in danger and that she must spend most of her time in bed. But she had been seeing the herb witches who lived in the kitchen. They assured her that good food and exercise would help the baby more than anything. So Adric’s mother walked in the morning and slept in the afternoon. Adric had heard some of the serving girls talk, saying that although his mother ate a lot, she couldn’t seem to hold much food. He was forbidden to see her except at the meals she attended, and his father refused to answer questions about her health. Adric worried about her. He wanted a baby brother, someone to play with, but he wanted his mother more.
    His father helped her down the single step into the courtyard. She said something and he leaned toward her to hear better. His father cared about his mother. Adric eavesdropped on servant’s gossip, since it was his only source of information, and he had heard more than once of a servant’s surprise at the king. His father never looked at another woman, unlike the lords of the council, and he banished those who even made such suggestions to scullery work or dungeon duty on the far side of the palace.
    As his parents crossed the courtyard, Adric stood up. He brushed the mortar chips from his pants, took a deep breath, and crossed into the sun. His father stopped walking when he saw Adric.
    “What are you doing out this morning, lad?”
    Adric felt a little shiver of shock run through his belly. “I’m waiting for Lord Boton. He promised to take me to Anda.”
    “The city?” His mother ran a hand over her face. Deep shadows circled her eyes and made her look older. “You’re too young to go to the city.”
    “Your mother’s right, lad. You’d best stay here.” His father put a hand protectively over the hand his mother had tucked in the crook of his arm.
    Adric swallowed hard. “But, Father, you signed the order. Lord Boton showed me the document yesterday with your seal.”
    His father blinked and stared at the sun. His eyes were small against the lines of his face.
    “I thought we agreed that Adric would see the city with you when he was older.” His mother’s voice seemed rough on the edge, tinged with panic. She had always been protective of him, saying the oldest child and heir was too valuable to risk.
    His father shook his head. “I’m sorry, lad. I had forgotten. Lord Boton brought the order to me and I did sign it. I think he’s old enough, Constance. And with Boton, he certainly doesn’t need me.”
    The edges of his mother’s mouth pinched together. “I don’t want you to go,” she said to Adric.
    “I’m the one who asked to go. I haven’t been off the grounds, Mama. I would