"Feist, Raymond E - The Riftwar Legacy 02 - Krondor- The Assassins" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

see him get killed when I wasn t around to watch. "

"Sorry you re going to miss the commissioning, " said William.

James grinned. "Don t worry, Willie. I ll find you a celebration, and
even without this knave s vaunted reputation as a lodestone for the
girls, we ll find us some pretty faces to look upon you in awe as you
sport your new badge of rank. " William couldn t help blushing at that.
"Take care, Locky, " he said.

Locklear bid him farewell, and as William ran off to his duties Locklear
said, "Did you see that blush? I warrant the lad s never been with a
woman.

James elbowed his friend in the side. "Not everyone is as precocious as
you were, Locky. "

"But he s nearly twenty!" said Locklear in mock astonishment.

"He s a bright lad and fair to look at. I suspect things will have
changed by the time you return, " said James.

"You think? "

"Certainly, " said James as they entered the palace. "I m sure I can
find him an agreeable girl to bed him in the next five years.


39 Locklear s grin vanished. "Five years!" With wide eyes he said, "You
don t think Arutha s going to keep me up there for five years, do you? "
James laughed at his friend s distress. As the two young men hurried
along to their Prince s chambers, Locklear threw an elbow at James which
James adroitly dodged and for an instant they were boys again.

James and Locklear reached Arutha s private council room just as the
Prince was approaching after his brief visit with his wife and children.
He moved purposefully down the small hallway that connected his family s
private apartments with the council chamber and the formal court. James
hurried to fall in behind his liege lord, with Locklear one step after.
A pair of court pages flanked the council chamber door, and one quickly
opened it so that Arutha might enter.

Arutha arrived to greetings from Master of Ceremonies Brian de Lacy.
Standing at his right hand was his assistant, Housecarl Jerome. Jerome
and his supervisor bowed as one to the Prince; the housecarl gave a
fleeting nod of greeting to the two squires. Jerome had been a member of
the company of squires with James and Locklear as boys, and James had
been the first one to stand up to the older boy, who had been the
resident bully. Now Jerome was studying to succeed de Lacy as the man in
charge of the daily business of the court, and serving as the chief