Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor

deserve treating like this, but he had to do it. She was quite right, she did know Viktor well. Too well. It wouldn't have taken her long to work out who he really was. He'd have had to break off with her anyway, and her making a scene had solved the problem nicely. He wouldn't have felt half as guilty if he hadn't enjoyed it so much . . .
    'I'm sorry that happened,' said Taggert, tentatively.
    'I'm not,' said Jordan. 'We were never really suited. It was bound to happen, sooner or later. Now let's make a start for the Hall, before something else happens to delay us.'
    Jordan hurried down the Castle corridors with Cord and Taggert at his side. His company of guards moved before and behind him, making sure that everyone kept a respectful distance. Gawaine and his guards had done their best to open up a route for him, but there was chaos everywhere. Rumours were spreading like wildfire, half of them contradictory, and no one knew where they stood any more. No one wanted to commit themselves to anything until they were sure which faction was going to come out on top, and of course there were always those ready to take advantage of the chaos for their own reasons. A good many people wanted to swear allegiance to Jordan when they saw the crown on his head, but he didn't have time to stop. He just smiled and waved and kept on running. A growing crowd followed on behind his guards. Jordan tried to step up the pace, and found he couldn't. Air was burning in his lungs, and his breath rattled in his throat. A stitch ached in his side, but he didn't dare stop for a breather. He didn't think he'd be able to get started again if he did. And besides, Lewis could still get to the Hall before he did . . .
    For a long time he was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn't notice what was happening to the corridor around him. In the end, Taggert hit him fairly hard on the arm to get his attention. He looked at her in surprise, and she jerked her head at the corridor walls. Jordan looked closely, and his skin began to crawl. The wooden wall panels were slowly writhing and twisting, as though they were alive. As Jordan watched, part of the wall split open like a rotten fruit, and something dark and spindly darted out into the corridor. The Steward's balefire sword appeared in her hand, but Cord got there first.
    He bludgeoned the creature repeatedly with his mace, and it struggled fiercely as it died. Its saliva spilled on to the floor, and steamed like acid. Cord glared into the opening in the wall, but Jordan just kept on going, and after a moment Cord hurried after him.
    'Someone else must have opened a gateway,' panted Taggert. 'The Unreal's broken through again.'
    'Great,' said Jordan breathlessly. 'That's all we need. Who's behind it this time? It can't be Dominic'
    'I don't know. This new one can't have been open long, but each time a gateway is opened, it gets that much harder to close. Our best bet is to get you to the throne, so you can use the Stone to control the Unreal.'
    Jordan was too short of breath to answer, so he just nodded and kept on running. Strange lights appeared on the air. Booming voices spoke in the earth beneath the Castle. A burning man stood to one side, and laughed unpleasantly as his flesh was consumed by the flames. Visions flickered at the corners of everyone's eyes, always just on the edge of becoming clear. Jordan stared straight ahead and ran on, refusing to stop for anything.
    Finally they rounded a corner, and there were the huge double doors that led into the Great Hall. And
    standing before the doors were Prince Lewis, Ironheart and a company of heavily armed guards. Jordan and his party came to a sudden halt, and for a moment the corridor was still and quiet, save for the gradually slowing breathing of the new arrivals. Lewis waited patiently for them to get their breath back before he began speaking.
    'You took your time getting here, Viktor,' he said calmly. 'As soon as I discovered you had Dad's will, I knew it wouldn't be long before you headed back here with the crown and the seal. You're really very predictable, you know. Especially since I introduced a spy into your people.'
    'Oh hell, not another one,' said Jordan. 'Who is it this time?'
    'No one important,' said Lewis. 'But someone with access to everything that was going on. After all, no man keeps secrets from his wife, does he?' Lewis snapped his fingers, and two guards hustled forward the Lady Emma. Gawaine groaned