The Sword Unbroken - SAMPLE CHAPTERS

Chapter Four Part II

Someone gently tapped his shoulder, and Rerdas looked up to see a full glass of wine hovering below his nose. It was not offered by Earl Heckly. Rerdas looked up to meet the Duke of Umber's eyes, somehow darker and softer in the shadow of the night. He took the wine glass by its delicate stem and stared hard at the tiny bubbles festooning the rim.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"You are most welcome," Umber replied. There was an awkward pause. Rerdas gulped at his wine as though he hoped to drown in it.

"So..." Rerdas began, casting around for something to break the silence. "Who will you send to fight against Imalroc, Your Grace?"

"I can hardly give away my strategy to my enemies," the duke replied smoothly.

Rerdas frowned into his drink. "I am not your enemy," he muttered.

"No? But you are not my friend."

"How can you know that?" Rerdas looked into the duke's face.

Umber smiled faintly. "Because my friends are never so deeply uncomfortable around me," he said.

Rerdas shook his head. "I am not uncomfortable because of you...but...this. I have no great love for all of this." He jerked his head back toward the sounds of talk and false laughter that spilled from the gathering hall.

Umber nodded and sank into a slouch against the terrace wall. Rerdas looked back out at the cloudy night. The wind carried the scents of lavender and rosemary overlaid with sweetbud blossoms. It sighed through his hair, cool against his clammy skin. He could feel the duke's gaze fastened on him.

"It's a pity your aunt could not attend tonight. I believe I've forgotten where you said she was?"

Rerdas looked up at him, far too sharply. It couldn't be a coincidence that a powerful ally of the Queen's was probing for information about Uralta. Dantin and Etiana might have misread everything.

He had let the silence run too long, and he realized belatedly that his expression was not exactly friendly. "I...don't think I mentioned it."

Umber gave him a smile that even Rerdas could tell was uncomfortable, still waiting for an answer. He could not ascertain whether the man really was just attempting harmless small talk, or if this was more sinister.

The duke reached out and snagged his wrist. His fingers curled against Rerdas' bare skin. "I seem to have disturbed you with the question. Is she...unwell?"

Rerdas' heart jammed up into his throat, his pulse leaping with it. The question was pointed, so very well-aimed, as if the duke already knew the truth. How could he possibly have discovered it? Rerdas clutched the glass, nearly swaying against the impulse to rip his hand free from Umber's grip.

He summoned a weak smile, dragging his unwilling mouth into the right shape. "Oh, not at all. Aunt Uralta is very well." A wild addition surfaced. "She's traveling. Researching tribal practices in the Southern Archipelago."

"Fascinating." Umber didn't sound fascinated in the slightest. He slid his hand up Rerdas' forearm with a gentle touch.

"Yes, it's...ah...well, I suppose it's intriguing if you prefer academic conversation." He was babbling. But better Umber think him an idiot than a lying traitor.

The duke laughed. He let go of Rerdas' arm, but only to set a hand against his shoulder. Rerdas twitched. Damn the earthbound gods, perhaps Dantin and Etiana had been exactly right.

"I cannot say that such lectures were ever my greatest joy," Umber said. "Tell me...what would be a more pleasing sort of conversation to you?"

"What other topics does Your Grace have in mind?" Rerdas hardly believed his own boldness.