Not Really the Prisoner of Zenda

by Joel Rosenberg

  She shook her head.

  “A good choice, as it would make me unhappy, and I would make you very, very unhappy.

  “So let it all go. Jason Cullinane has no designs on your son’s throne, and you don’t need him as an enemy; you will soon have a grandson of your own — I do have a little foresight, you know? — so just let it be.

  “You can talk privately with Tyrnael, if he wants to, and apologize to him for having been taken in by such a clumsy imposter.

  “But you probably want to advise him to let it be, too. You all get what you want, don’t you?”

  “And what do you get out of it? Why did you go to all this, all this …”

  “Trouble? Those who know me even little know that I like things to be complicated. Leave it at that, if you will.”

  The smile was gone now, vanished completely. “Or, if you decide to, think of it this way: Miron didn’t just endanger one of my friends. He and his mother were responsible for the death of another one of my friends, and, as I told you — and I don’t always lie, simply because I often like to — I haven’t had many friends.

  “My friend’s name was Durine. He never seemed to like me much, but, as I say, I’m used to that.

  “His name was Durine. You remember that name, Beralyn, and every time you put your head on your pillow, before you fall asleep, you would serve yourself well if you remembered that name, and made it a point to remember what happened to the son of the bitch that killed my friend.”

  He raised a finger. “You can think of Forinel and Pirojil as my friends, if you like, and their friends as my friends by concatenation.”

  Erenor took one step toward her, and gripped the front of her muslin dress, just below the neck. His grip was much stronger than it should have been. “You wouldn’t ever want to hurt my friends, my Empress.”

  He released her, smiled, and then he bowed — one last time — and muttered a quick spell.

  And then he was gone.

  Table of Contents

  Title page

  Copyright

  Contents

  Prologue

  Part 1

  1

  2

  3

  Part 2

  4

  5

  6

  Part 3

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  Part 4

  17

  Part 5

  18

  19

  20

  21

  Part 6

  22

  23