"Dave Duncan - A Man of His Word 4 - Emperor And Clown" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duncan Dave)

At the center of Pandemia, Shandie thought, is the Impire. At the center of the Impire is Hub. At the center of Hub is the Opal Palace-although that
isn't quite true, because it's too near the lake to be really in the center--and at the center of the Opal Palace is Emine's Rotunda, and at the center of
the rotunda is me.


Am I, he amended hastily.




file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/D...His%20Word%204%20Emperor%20And%20Clown.html (1 of 266) [10/31/2004 11:34:08 PM]
 Emperor And Clown

And that wasn't quite true, either, because the exact center of the great round hall was the throne, and he was standing one step down from the
throne, on Grandfather's right.


He must not move. Not a finger. Not a toe. This was a very formal occasion.


And Moms had warned him: Ythbane was running out of patience with Shandie's continual fidgeting at state functions. Princes must know how to
behave with dignity, Ythbane said, not twitch and shuffle and pick their noses on the steps of the throne. If he couldn't learn how to stand for a
couple of hours, at least he would be stopped from sitting down for the rest of the day. Not that Shandie had ever picked his nose on the steps of the
throne. He didn't think he really fidgeted enough that any of the audience could see. He didn't think he'd earned his last few beatings, but Ythbane
had thought so, and Moms always agreed with anything the consul said. And Grandfather didn't even know who Shandie was now.


Grandfather was on his throne, so he was the center of the rotunda, and the palace, and the city, and the Impire, and the world. From the sound of
his breathing, he was asleep again. Moms was on his far side, also on the first step; but she had a chair to sit on.


Dad had stood here once, he remembered. Where he was. Moms didn't talk about Dad now, not ever. Keeping perfectly still would be much easier if
you could sit down to do it. Shandie's knees were shaking. His left arm was a torment of fire ants from staying bent, holding up his toga. If his arm
fell off, would that be counted as moving?


Ythbane would probably beat him anyway. He was still sore from last time.


Grandfather snorted and snuffled in his sleep. Lucky Grandfather!


One day I will sit on that throne, and be Imperor Emshandar V.


Then I will kill Ythbane.


That was a wonderful thought.