The king's angry glare was perceptible even to Shadow at the far end of the room.
"If you studied bloodlines, in birds or in people, as I do," Aurolron said, "then you would know that such resemblances can turn up in quite distant relatives, and they are related, distantly."
"Closely, I suspect."
The royal fist thumped on the desk, and then both men turned to look at the back of Shadow's chair. The king half rose and then settled back uneasily. To order Shadow out of the room would be unprecedented, and therefore cause for speculation.
"You realize," the king said, "that any other man who said that would be guilty of high treason. However, I suppose that it does concern you, so I shall be lenient--just this once. We will discuss it, and then the subject will never be raised again! Is that clear?"
"Certainly," Jarkadon said. "If I may make a couple of comments afterward? Please explain, Father."
Now the king's face was white with anger. Anyone else in the kingdom would be groveling at this point. Shadow was shaking and perspiring as though he had a fever.
"I also talked with the courier. Of course your mother knew, and that is why she is so upset. Obviously there is going to be gossip when it becomes known. I have never doubted your mother's honor--and I am appalled that you would. I have accepted Vindax as my son, and I shall continue to do so. Resemblance or not, I can assure you that it was physically impossible for the duke of Foan to have fathered him. Your mother is notoriously unpunctual but even she could not carry a child for five hectodays. She was a virgin when we married, anyway. Foan has never been to court. Yes, there will be gossip when Vindax and his party return. But not in my hearing."
The king leaned back and glared.
"Why did you let him go?" Jarkadon asked, still unruffled.
"Because it must come out eventually. It is a miracle that it has not already done so." The king paused and then spoke reluctantly. "He was born blond; his hair grew in dark. The facial resemblance became obvious only when he reached adolescence, although the duchess came to court when he was a child, and she noticed even then, I think. She could not take her eyes off him. That was when I...when I suspected."
Jarkadon nodded. "You have met the duke, though?"
"Never," the king said.
The prince chuckled. "And you didn't warn Vindax, did you?"
"No." Again the king paused. "Perhaps it was unfair, but it is his problem, and I thought it would be a good test for him. He, I am sure, will not think evil of his mother. But then, he is a man of honor."
Jarkadon's fair-skinned face reddened.
"I am the fount of justice," the king said. "I try many cases myself, and invariably I try cases dealing with inheritance among the nobility. The law is quite clear and quite universaclass="underline" A child born in wedlock is legitimate unless the husband can prove beyond doubt that he could not have fathered it. In this case, I can prove beyond doubt--should anyone have the temerity to ask me--that Foan could not. There is nothing left to discuss."
Shadow was paralyzed with terror and yet more fascinated than he had ever been.
"Oh, we are not talking certainty," Jarkadon said. "I do not claim so. But we are talking of a direct male line unbroken for forty generations--on so polished a scutcheon, even a fingermark will show up. Especially one made by the wrong finger."
"Be careful!" his father warned between clenched teeth.
Yet Jarkadon seemed to relax even more, and clutched his knee with both hands. "Around day 1108 of your reign would be the fateful moment, wouldn't it? 266 from 1374: I have been doing research, you see. Or later, possibly--he was a small baby."
The king did not speak.
"Schagarn," the prince said. "And Kollinor?"
There was a long silence while the monarch stared at his son and Shadow wondered who or what or where Schagarn and Kollinor were. Obviously the king knew and they were words of power--the silence was very long, and when Aurolron broke it, his tone had changed.
"How did you find out about those?"
Jarkadon slipped a hand into his doublet and produced a piece of paper. "All those interminable records you keep of your feathered pets, from egg to pillow. I never could see the point of them--until now. This is a copy, of course, but you can call for the original. It is an extract from the journey record on a bird called DeathBeak, one of your mounts in those days, apparently, I see that you rode it to Schagarn and then it went to Ninar Foan. It returned later--with a message, I suppose, or else it had started pining. The name of the rider who took it from Schagarn has been scratched out, but it must have been a very short name. 'Foan,' perhaps?"
He laid the paper on the desk, and the king stared at it. Then he almost snarled. "Your mother was never at Schagarn," he said. "And the duke never went to Kollinor. I know that for granite fact!"
"Quite possible," Jarkadon agreed. He pulled out a second paper and laid it beside the first. "Another copy, of course. WindStriker. Remember her? Day 1165?"
Aurolron was always most dangerous when he was quiet, but now the silence dragged on, and it seemed to be the king who was at a loss for words.
"I think you did meet the duke, Father?"
There was an even longer silence, and then Aurolron sighed. "Yes. But you will not report that to anyone--anyone at all, is that clear? Many men have died to keep that secret."
The unseen eavesdropper shivered, but the prince was undeterred.
"Is it fair to me, Father? Look at me. Look in a mirror. When--in a long time, we all hope--you die, you are expecting me to kneel in homage to a bastard, sitting on your throne? I am your son! Would you do that?"
"What are you suggesting that I do?" the king demanded in a low voice.
"Obviously if you disown him, then you would have to put Mother to death," Jarkadon said, "which would certainly provoke gossip. Also Foan, which would mean a military campaign to catch him. I think you already found an easier solution."
Shadow shivered again.
"What are you hinting?" the king asked.
"Ingenious and simple, Father. All you had to do was say yes! But you are a perfectionist for security," Jarkadon continued. "Yet you let Vindax go off along the Rand, and you putNinomarin charge. He sent out proclamations announcing the plans! His family tree is very solid, but his head was carved from the trunk. You were not in character there, Father! And Mother--she detests scandal, I know, but even scandal could hardly upset her like this. She suspects!"
The king was still looking down at the papers. "She fears for his welfare, naturally."
"Naturally? But it would solve the problem, wouldn't it?" The prince was looking very pleased with himself. "However, they have been gone a long time, and they have singles. We should have heard. I began to wonder if you had overlooked something, Father, so I thought I would point it out."
"What?" the king asked, without raising his eyes.
"Harl."
"Harl!"The reaction seemed to astonish even Jarkadon.
"He's good!" the prince said. "I went along on a few of their practice flights, and I admit that I was impressed. And Vindax has put Harl-the-churl in charge. He lets him overrule Ninomar."
"Shadow?" the king muttered thoughtfully.
"Shadow," his son agreed. "Obviously he has kept Vindax alive this long. Perhaps he is too good for you."
A trace of the earlier anger flamed at that, but it was the prince who was in command now. King Shadow had never seen anything like this before.