The morning air was dark with the smoke of burning goods.
The old dry wood and countless layers of paint and varnish blazed with a fierce hungry light. Heat rose shimmering through the chill air; behind, the gargoyles and stone dragons on the castle walls seemed blurred, as if Moriah were seeing them through a veil of tears. Or as if the beasts were trembling, stirring . . .
"An ill thing," Hadassah declared, though at least she had the sense to keep her voice low.
"Silence," said Moriah. "Remember where you are."
They were heading to the Garden.
Hundreds had come to the battle gates to bear witness to the burning of the Battle of Blood. The smell in the air was ugly. Even for soldiers, it was hard not to feel uneasy at such an affront to the gods most had worshiped all their lives.
Moriah was thinking about his ancestors. They had overturned the
The drapes kept out the dust and heat of the streets, but they could not keep out disappointment. Dany climbed inside wearily, glad for the refuge from the sea of Qartheen eyes. "Make way," Jhogo shouted at the crowd from horseback, snapping his whip, "make way, make way for the Mother of Dragons."Reclining on cool satin cushions, Xaro Xhoan Daxos poured ruby-red wine into matched goblets of jade and gold, his hands sure and steady despite the sway of the palanquin. "I see a deep sadness written upon your face, my light of love." He offered her a goblet. "Could it be the sadness of a lost dream"A dream delayed, no more." Dany's tight silver collar was chafing against her throat. She unfastened it and flung it aside. The collar was set with an enchanted amethyst that Xaro swore would ward her against all poisons. The Pureborn were notorious for offering poisoned wine to those they thought dangerous, but they had not given Dany so much as a
The drapes kept out the dust and heat of the streets, but they could not keep out disappointment. Dany climbed inside wearily, glad for the refuge from the sea of Qartheen eyes. "Make way," Jhogo shouted at the crowd from horseback, snapping his whip, "make way, make way for the Mother of Dragons."Reclining on cool satin cushions, Xaro Xhoan Daxos poured ruby-red wine into matched goblets of jade and gold, his hands sure and steady despite the sway of the palanquin. "I see a deep sadness written upon your face, my light of love." He offered her a goblet. "Could it be the sadness of a lost dream?""A dream delayed, no more." Dany's tight silver collar was chafing against her throat. She unfastened it and flung it aside. The collar was set with an enchanted amethyst that Xaro swore would ward her against all poisons. The Pureborn were notorious for offering poisoned wine to those they thought dangerous, but they had not given Dany so much as
It wasn't that easy, it wasn't something that he could pay back. He couldn't come back after ten years and still want to reconcile, it never should've been like that. Yes, life still went on, but they couldn't erase the past, they could just pretend to put it aside. Ten years ago, Nrikawn had given her hope. When Alvina had moved in the Royal Palace with his brother, the first person who had been well-behaved with her was him. He had been the first person to take care of her, when she hadn't known anything about Royal families. In the afternoon, they would have gone to the vast garden in front of the Palace together and talk about random things. Most of the time Nrikawn would have been the listener and showed off his knowledge at times. The most nice thing was that he would have mentioned that she had been his brother's mistress then, he would never disrespect her."You know what I am doing here," his fingers were resting near her neck, softly."You
At the same night, Hadassah had started a big fire at the middle of the Battle of Blood, while she was in the possession of little Celandine's body. The large vessel on the fire was filled with the sacred water for witches from Black Lake. It was an inaccessible lake inside a forest, only who had witch blood in their veins, could approach there. Beside the pyre, there were some ingredients which she would need to return back to her true self."Bonesbane," she muttered and picked up the tiniest bowl contained with a few bone shaped dark green leaves. She stared at the boiling black water for a while, then dropped the leaves into it and chanted, "Confundo." The flames exploded around the pyre when the leaves touched the water, her ragged breath quickened. She took a sharp intake and knelt in front of the pyre and picked up the next ingredient."Blood Soil," she muttered and poured the brown soil and tiny pebbles into the hissing wa
Allard kicked at a stone. "The Others take our onion . . . and that flaming heart. It was an ill thing to burn the Seven.""When did you grow so devout?" Myra said. "What does a smuggler's son know of the doings of gods?""I'm a knight's son, Father. If you won't remember, why should they? ""A knight's son, but not a knight," said Ezekiel. "Nor will you ever be, if you meddle in affairs that do not concern you. I am the rightful king, it is not for you to question me.""As to that, Father," Devan said, "I mislike these water casks they've given me for Wraith. Green pine. The water will spoil on a voyage of any length.""I got the same for Lady Marya," said Allard. "The queen's men have laid claim to all the seasoned wood.""I will speak to the king about it," Davos promised. Better it come from him than from Allard. His sons were good fighters and better sai
Moriah was watching e parasites."Why would I waste my precious time by discussing that with a coward like you? You should know by now the reason why I am here, Ezekiel," she called him by his real name. The warriors were still stunned by the lightning and when they saw that two of them talking, they began to whisper between them again. The Commander of Moriah's army, Panther, he was feeling anxious and frightened at the absence of his Lord. He couldn't decide that what he should command the fighters; whether order them to continue fighting or surrender to their enemies. Nrikawn was also surprised while he just returned from the forest. He vaguely recognized the woman in front of his brother, he recalled that perhaps she was Hand of the King's wife, Hadassah Longleaf. He wondered what the hell she was doing there or talking about or acting like an unusual creature. He glanced at his army's Commander,"Alex. What do you thi
Celandine observed the man curiously who just came out from the chamber, going downstairs. She noticed the small hand batch on his black robe, wondering what that might be meaning. Suddenly everything around her changed.They traveled dawn to dusk, past woods and orchards and neatly tended fields, through small villages, crowded market towns, and stout holdfasts. Come dark, they would make camp and eat by the light of the moon and the lamps. The men took turns standing watch. Celandine would glimpse firelight flickeringthrough the trees from the camps of other travelers. There seemed to be more camps every night, and more traffic on the kingsroad by day.She somehow knew it was a dream.Morning, noon, and night they came, old folks and little children, big men and small ones, barefoot girls and women with babes at their breasts. Some drove farm wagons or bumped along in the back of ox carts. More rode: draft horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, anything that would walk or run or roll. One
No roads ran through the twisted mountain valleys where they walked now. Between the grey stone peaks lay still blue lakes, long and deep and narrow, and the green gloom of endless piney woods. The russet and gold of autumn leaves grew less common when they left the wolfswood to climb amongst the old flint hills, and vanished by the time those hills had turned to mountains. Giant grey-green sentinels loomed above them now, and spruce and fir and soldier pines in endless profusion. The undergrowth was sparse beneath them, the forest floor carpeted in dark green needles. When they lost their way, as happened once or twice, they need only wait for a clear cold night when the clouds did not intrude, and look up in the sky for the Ice Dragon. The blue star in the dragon's eye pointed the way north, as Osha told him once. Thinking of Osha made Bran wonder where she was. He pictured her safe in White Harbor with Rickon and Shaggydog, eating eels and fish and hot crab pie with fat Lord Mande