Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor

showed off the firm bony planes of the face. The eyes were a surprisingly mild brown, but the mouth was flat and uncompromising. Someone had broken the nose a long time ago, and it hadn't been set quite right. The owner of the face looked to be in his mid-twenties, but there was something about the eyes and mouth that made him look older.
    Yes . . . thoughtJordanfinally. I can do something with this face. This . . . Prince Viktor.
    He handed the mirror back to Argent, who replaced it carefully in his pocket.Jordanscowled at Count Roderik, and let his new right hand drop to the sword at his side.
    'When you said a glamour spell, Roderik, I thought you meant some kind of illusion.' The new voice sounded a little deeper than he was used to, but not enough to throw him.
    Roderik smiled atJordan, and shook his head. 'Illusions are too easily seen through, especially at Castle Midnight. This spell is fixed, until such time as it is specifically reversed. Physically, you are now an exact duplicate of Prince Viktor of Redhart.'
    Jordanlooked at Argent and Sir Gawaine. 'Well, what do you think? Will I pass?'
    Argent nodded stiffly. 'No one will be able to tell the difference. You even sound like him.'
    'The voice is right,' said Sir Gawaine, 'but you'll have to learn Viktor's way of speaking. The Prince has been away from Court for almost four years, and we can use that to explain away some differences in behaviour, but you'll have to study his background every chance you get. You screw up on this, and we're all dead.'
    Jordanlooked quickly at Roderik. 'I thought you said we had Prince Viktor's permission for this little masquerade?'
    'We do,' said Roderik. He shot an angry glance at Gawaine. The knight ignored him. Roderik looked
    seriously atJordan, and the actor tensed up inside. He knew that look. It was that particular mixture of sincerity and hesitation that meant he was about to be told something necessary but unpleasant.
    'The situation at Castle Midnight is rather complicated at present,' said Roderik. 'King Malcolm died four weeks ago, some say by poison. His daughter, the Lady Gabrielle, found him dead in his chambers.
    It's not clear yet which of his three sons will succeed him, so it's vital that no one finds out that Viktor is ill, and . . . vulnerable. Once he's well again he'll take over the necessary rituals and public appearances, but until then you'll take his place. It's really quite straightforward. However, should you be exposed as an imposter at any time, Viktor's brothers will undoubtedly have you killed. Princes tend to be very sensitive about the use of doubles.'
    'I can imagine,' saidJordan. 'Look, are you sure you can get me away safely afterwards?'
    'We'll take care of everything,' said Roderik reassuringly. 'You don't have to worry about anything but your performance.'
    Jordannodded slowly. 'So, King Malcolm is dead. All those campaigns he led, all those battles he fought in, and he finally dies in his own Castle, poisoned. A dirty way to die. How long before the news gets out?'
    'So far, the Regent's been able to keep a lid on things,' said Roderik. 'No one outside the Castle knows anything yet. It has to be that way. If the news gets out before the succession is decided, there'll be panic in the land. There might even be civil war, and none of us wants that.'
    'If King Malcolm was poisoned,' saidJordanslowly, 'who did it?'
    'There are several suspects,' said Argent. 'Not least Viktor's two brothers, Lewis and Dominic. But there's no proof against anyone, so far.'
    'I doubt there'll ever be any real proof,' said Gawaine. 'It was a very professional job. The autopsy couldn't find a trace of poison.'
    Jordanfrowned. He was getting too much information at once to be able to make sense of it. He decided to concentrate on the only details that mattered: those directly affecting the Prince he had to play. He sighed silently. He hated politics, and Court politics in particular. Intrigues made his head hurt. He supposed he just didn't think deviously enough. He thought hard about what he'd been told so far, and a question occurred to him.
    'Gawaine, you said Prince Viktor had been away from Court for four years. Where's he been all that time?'
    'The King sent him into internal exile,' said Roderik, before Gawaine could answer. 'A minor border city, called Kahalimar. Like his brothers, Viktor was never known for his self-control, and eventually he went a little too far. It was thought a few years in the