Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor

time being anyway. Dominic's threat had to be at least partly bluff. Jordan relaxed a little as he thought it through. Roderik had assured him he was perfectly safe in the suite, and when he had to leave it he'd have Gawaine and the others to protect him. On the other hand, all that protection hadn't done much to keep out the apparently endless stream of visitors he'd had all evening. Didn't anybody sleep in this Castle?
    There was a knock at his door.
    Jordan jumped to his feet and stared at the main door, his head down like a cornered stag. His hand twitched beside his swordhilt. 'I don't care who it is!' he yelled. 'I don't care if you're my long-lost rich uncle from Hillsdown, a ghost looking for his missing head or a phantom with piles, you can go to hell! I am tired and I don't want to be disturbed! Now beat it or I'll fricassee you!'
    The door swung open, and the Lady Gabrielle Howerd walked in. 'Really, Viktor; is that any way to talk to your own sister?'
    Jordan ignored her and glared at the lone guard standing outside the door. 'You're not making any friends here, you know. This is not helping your career at all. If one more person comes through this door I am going to do something extremely unpleasant to you, probably involving boiling oil and a funnel!'
    He slammed the door on the heavily perspiring guard and turned back to face the Lady Gabrielle. 'All right, you're here. I take it you've got a message for me. Everyone else has. Take a seat. If you can find one.'
    Gabrielle looked round at the shattered furniture, and raised an elegant eyebrow. 'Been throwing another of your parties,
    Viktor?' She picked up one of the overturned chairs, tested the seat carefully, and then put the chair down facing Jordan and sat down on it. She smiled brightly at him, and laced her fingers together in her lap. 'I don't have any particular message for you, my dear. I just thought you and I should have a little chat. It's been four years since we last spent time together, and a great many things have changed since then.'
    'So they have,' said Jordan. He sat down on his chair and smiled politely at her. You call her Gabby, said a quiet voice in his mind, a memory he'd acquired from Viktor. It's a pet name between you. You could have been very close, if you hadn't both been so ambitious and competitive. 'I had a visit from your husband earlier on, Gabby. He seems a solid enough sort. Quite decent, in his way.'
    'He's an honest man,' said Gabrielle. 'Father thought well of him.'
    Jordan grinned. 'What did Dad have to say about your marriage?'
    'I don't use language like that,' said Gabrielle primly. 'He came around, eventually. Which is more than can be said for Lewis or Dominic.'
    'Stuff them,' said Jordan. 'From what I can tell, William's made a good enough Regent. But he shouldn't
    have proclaimed the Rite of Transference. It'll cause more problems than it solves.'
    'Perhaps,' said Gabrielle.
    'I liked the way you took care of those Unreal birds at Court,' said Jordan. 'It must have taken quite a bit of nerve to just stand there and trust to your magic to see you through.'
    Gabrielle smiled gratefully. 'Thanks for noticing. People tend to forget I've got air magic in my own right.
    They tend to think of me either as Malcolm's daughter, or William's wife.'
    Jordan looked at her thoughtfully. 'As I recall, you were never much of a one for little chats, Gabby.
    Why don't you just say whatever it is straight out? I've had a long day and a longer evening, and I'm really not in the mood for subtlety.'
    'Your time in exile has sharpened your wits,' said Gabrielle
    approvingly. 'I'm glad some good came of it. You want it straight; fair enough. Our time is over, Viktor.
    The present royal line simply isn't worthy to sit on the throne of Redhart. Lewis is degenerate, Dominic is insane, and you ... to be honest, Viktor, you've never really shown any interest in what being King means.
    It was always too much like hard work for you, and duty and honour were just words.
    'The Unreal is stronger now than it's ever been, and it's fighting to break free from Castle Midnight.
    Redhart needs a strong King on the throne, to hold things together and put down the Unreal. The Rite of Transference could give us such a King. Providing you and our brothers don't interfere. I'm sure William has already told you that Lewis and Dominic have declared war on each other. Don't get involved, Viktor. Their troops and my husband's guards are more or less