Read Online Stone Dragon (The First Realm) by Klay Testamark - Free Book Online

plate.
    “It brings in the young crowd.”
    He frowned. “Since when did our society become obsessed with youth? I expect you will change that once you take the throne. I have news, by the way.”
    I was having a sip of wine, so I gestured for him to continue.
    “I’ve just heard from our allies—they’re willing to support us once we go public with your lineage. And I’ve just devised a family tree that avoids any recent scandal.”
    “How’d you manage that?”
    “Did you know, even without the maid Rosemary you were high in the line of succession? If we suppose a few of your great-great-grandfathers were born on the wrong side of the blanket, your name rises to the top.”
    I stared at him. “So by making bastards of my ancestors, you make me the biggest bastard of all?”
    “Think of the glory,” said Valandil. “I’ll be announcing it at the Lord Mayor’s Ball. Wouldn’t that surprise Findecano?”
    I groaned. I’d been getting on so well with Meerwen.
    “Chin up, my dear apprentice. And I must thank you for the meal—that was an excellent fish.”
    “Caught it myself,” I said.
    * * *
    In a curtained booth across the restaurant, the spy finished his rare steak and listened to the pair of fools. Although the place buzzed with music and conversation, it was simple for him to internalize his water magic. He was seeing in black-and-white, but his senses of taste and hearing were excellent.
    The spy shook his head. They didn’t know shit about running a conspiracy. He would report what he’d just learned and with any luck Findecano would give him permission to kill at least one of them.
    He smiled and wiped his chin. He wished it would be the both of them, because then he could make it look like a lover’s quarrel, and those were always good for diverting suspicion. Everyone would be too scandalized to question the evidence.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 8
    The Royal Ball was okay, if you like extravagant luxury. All of the city’s glitterati wore their finest and their flashiest. Loads of silk brocade and lace, miles of fur and velvet, and everything garnished with rubies and pearls. And that was just the men.
    We were in the biggest hall in the royal palace. It glowed from the light of a hundred chandeliers. Each was gilt bronze (dwarves being expert goldsmiths) and boasted dozens of gas lamps. The light was warm and bright, the better to show off the costumes and the food.
    Normally I consider Biggo’s to be the height of cuisine, but jaded elven aristocrats demand so much more. Delicacies from all over the world, prepared with only the most expensive ingredients and served in ornate arrangements. There was roc pâté, slow-roasted wyvern, and wild halfling steak. The smell around the buffet tables was so rich and thick you could almost put it on your plate.
    For dessert, there were one thousand choices, each an epicure’s dream. There were marzipan swans, candied scorpions, and chocolates filled with brandy and venom. There were butterfly ices, civet cakes, and mango floats covered in gold foil. To keep everything from melting there were mages dressed as waiters—they stood behind the tables and extracted the heat from the dishes.
    Tari Elanesse kept things casual. Apart from a few opening speeches, there wasn’t much of a program. It was more of a giant cocktail party—everyone was free to circulate from the tables to the dance floor.
    Valandil came striding up to me, more than a little drunk. “Angrod, my boy, it’s good to see you. In less than an hour I shall make the announcement that will change history.”
    “Have you been hitting the rum balls?”
    “You could be more enthusiastic, but it doesn’t matter. Once you are king you can do anything . Within reason, of course. You can’t neglect the kingdom and you’ll have to produce a royal heir. An heir and a spare, if you can manage it.”
    I wrung my hands. “I don’t see how this can work.”
    “Oh, but it