fs.thethirdbookofswords-第35部分

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；　would　have　to　be　something　planned　as　carefully　and　coldly　as　an　army's　march。
　There　had　been；　naturally　enough；　other　lovers；　from　that　day　almost　twenty　years　ago　till　this。　Amintor　was；　she　supposed；　the　most　durable　of　the　bunch。　Lovers　was　not　really　the　right　word　for　them　though；　useful　bodies；　sometimes　entertaining　or　even　useful　minds。
　But　the　Emperor；　yes；　he　had　been　her　lover。　That　fact　in　some　ways　seemed　to　loom　larger　as　it　became　more　distant　down　the　lengthening　avenue　of　years。
　But；　she　thought　now　（as　she　usually　did　when　the　thought…cycle　had　reached　this　point）；　how　could　any　woman；　let　alone　a　Queen；　have　been　expected　to　live　with；　to　seriously　plan　a　life　and　a　career；　with　a　man　like　that。。？
　The　Silver　Queen's　thoughts　and　feelings；　as　usual；　became　jumbled　at　this　point。　It　was　all　done　with　now。　It　had　all　been　over　and　done　with；　a　long　time　ago。　The　Emperor　might　have　made　her　immortal；　or　at　least　virtually　ageless；　like　himself。　Well；　as　a　strong　Queen　she　could　hire　or　persuade　other　powerful　magicians　to　do　the　same　for　her；　as　they　did　for　themselves；　when　it　began　to　seem　important。
　Only　after　she　had　refused　the　Emperor's　offer　of　marriage；　and　after　she　had　banned　that　impossible　pretender；　that　joker　and　seducer；　from　her　thoughts　（the　banning　had　been　quite　successful　for　a　time）　…　it　was　only　then；　of　course；　that　she　had　realized　that　she　was　pregnant。
　Her　first　thought　had　been　to　rid　herself　of　the　child　before　it　was　born。　But　her　second　thought　…　already　she　was　beginning　to　pick　up　more　hints　of　the　Emperor's　latent　power　…　was　that　the　child　might　possibly　represent　an　asset　later。　As　usual　in　her　new　life　as　Queen；　far…sighted　caution　had　prevailed。　She　had　endured　the　pregnancy　and　birth。
　There　was　no　doubt　of　who　the　father　was；　despite　the　baby's　fair　skin　and　reddish　hair；　unlike　those　of　either　parent。　The　Emperor　had　been　her　only　lover　at　the　time。　Besides；　the　Queen　could　find　redheads　recorded　on　both　sides　of　her　own　ancestry。　As　for　the　Emperor's　family。。。　who　knew？　Not　any　of　the　wizards　she　had　been　able　to　consult。
　One　thing　certain　about　him；　he　had　been；　still　was；　a　consummate　magician。　The　Silver　Queen　appreciated　that　more　fully　now。　At　the　time；　as　a　girl；　she　had　only　begun　to　recognize　the　fact。
　And　even　now　…　actually　more　often　now　than　in　those　early　years　of　her　reign　…　the　idea　kept　ing　tantalizingly　back：　what　if　she　actually　had　married　him？
　That　would　have　been　impossible；　of　course。　Quite　socially；　politically　impossible　for　a　Queen　to　marry　one　that　the　world　knew　as　a　demented　clown。　No　matter　that　the　wise　and　well…educated　at　least　suspected　there　was　more　to　the　Emperor　than　that。　But　what　if　she　had　done　it；　used　her　new　royal　power　to　make　it　work？　There　would　of　course　have　had　to　have　been　a　strong　concurrent　effort　to　revive　her　husband's　title　in　its　ancient　sense；　one　of　well…nigh　supreme　power；　of　puissance　beyond　that　of　mere　Kings　and　Queens。
　Would　she　have　been　acclaimed　as　a　genius　of　statecraft　for　marrying　him　and　trying　to　do　that？　Only；　of　course；　if　it　had　worked。　More　likely　she　would　have　bee　a　laughingstock。
　In　any　case　it　was　nonsense　to　think　about　it　now。　She　had　been　only　a　girl　then；　unwise　in　the　ways　of　ruling；　and　how　could　she　ever　have　made　such　an　attempt　succeed？
　But　he　might　have　been　able　to　make　it　work。　What　if　she　had　let　him　rule　beside　her；　had　let　him　try。。。
　Maybe；　she　thought；　it　was　the　memory　of　the　Emperor's　fierce　masculinity　that　was　really　bothering　her　tonight。　On　top　of　everything　else。　There　had　been　something　stronger　about　him　in　that　way　than　any　other　man　she　had　ever　invited　to　her　cot；　though　physically　he　was　not　particularly　big。
　Enough。　There　in　the　dark　privacy　of　her　tent；　not　giving　herself　time　to　think　about　it；　she　clasped　her　right　hand　firmly　on　Soulcutter's　hilt　and　drew　it　halfway　from　its　sheath。　Still　there　was　no　glow；　and　still　no　power　flowed　from　it。　Rather　the　reverse。　It　was　as　she　had　feared　and　expected　it　would　be；　but　worse；　worse　than　she　had　thought　or　feared。　Still　she　could　bear　it　if　she　must。
　Queen　Yambu　slammed　this　most　terrible　of　all　Swords　back　into　its　sheath；　and　sighed　with　relief　as　the　midnight　around　her　appeared　to　brighten　instantly。　Then　she　closed　the　ornate　case　around　Soulcutter；　and　got　up　and　went　to　the　tent　door　to　cry　orders　to　break　camp　and　march。
　Chapter　12
　Of　course　the　Dark　King　knew　better；　when　he　stopped　to　think　about　it。　But　through　the　visualization　provided　him　by　the　demon　he　had　been　able　to　see　Shieldbreaker　in　Sir　Andrew's　distant　hands　only　as　a　kind　of　war…hammer　rather　than　a　Sword；　a　picture　matching　the　sound　that　reached　Vilkata's　ears　from　that　distant　bat。　Soulcutter　Vilkata　had　not　yet　seen　at　all；　but　he　knew　that　it　was　there　now；　somewhere　behind　him；　in　the　hands　of　the　Silver　Queen。　He　knew　it　by　his　magically　assisted　perception　of　an　emptiness；　a　presence　there　to　which　he　was　truly　blind。　Any　Sword　that　he　did　not　own　could　frighten　him；　and　he　owned　only　one　out　of　the　Twelve。　And　now　he　found　himself　between　two　enemies　armed　with　two　Swords　that　seemed　to　him　particularly　powerful。
　Between　the　Mindsword　in　the　Dark　King's　hands　behind　them　and　the　Dark　King's　cavalry　in　front　of　them；　Sir　Andrew's　little　army　had　certainly　been　destroyed。　That　much　had　been　acplished。　Under　ordinary　conditions　a　victory　of　such　magnitude　would　have　been　enough　to　make　the　King　feel　truly　optimistic。　But　conditions　were　not　ordinary；　if　they　ever　were。　There　were　the　two　Swords　Shieldbreaker　and　Soulcutter；　and　himself　between　them。
　When　the　report　came　in　that　the　Silver　Queen　was　advancing　on　his　rear；　Vilkata　sent　a　flying　messenger　to　recall　most　of　his　advanced　cavalry；　and　set　about　turning　his　entire　army　to　confront　her。　It　was　a　decision　made　with　some　reluctance；　because　he　longed　to　go　instead　to　search　personally　on　the　battlefield　for　Shieldbreaker。　A　flying　scout　had　reported　seeing　from　a　distance　that　Sir　Andrew　hurled　the　Sword　away　from　him；　when　the　fight　at　last　was　over。　And　what　subordinate　did　the　Dark　King　dare　to　trust　with　succeeding　in　that　search？　…　but　at　the　same　time　he　dared　not　fail　to　meet　the　Silver　Queen's　advance　with　the　Mindsword　in　his　own　hands。　He　could　not　be　in　two　places　at　once。
　Anyway　Vilkata　did　not　really　believe　the　report　about　Sir　Andrew　throwing　Shieldbreaker　away。　Whether　the　Sword　of　Force　would　be　dropped　and　abandoned　by　any　living　person　on　any　battlefield　was；　in　his　mind；　very　doubtful　to　say　the　least。　In　the　end　he　ordered　certain　patrols　to　the　place　where　Sir　Andrew　was　last　seen；　to　search　for　the　Sword；　or　to　make　what　other　valuable　discoveries　they　could；　while　he　himself　turned　back　to　meet　the　advancing　columns　of　Yambu。
　As　it　turned　out；　Yambu's　main　army　was　not　nearly　as　close　as　had　been　reported。　The　flying；　half…intelligent　scouts　often　had　trouble　estimating　horizontal　distances；　but　the　King　could　not　take　chances。　He　had　not　much　more　than　got　his　army　into　motion　in　that　direction；　when　additional　disquieting　reports　came　in。　These　told　of　gods　and　goddesses　seen　in　the　vicinity　of　Tashigang；　doing　extravagant　things　in　the　Dark　King's　name；　and　proclaiming　him　their　lord　and　master；　the　new　ruler　of　the　world。　That　in　itself　would　have　been　well　enough；　but　the　reports　also　told　of　the　deities　offering　him　human　sacrifice；　and　holocausts　of　grain　and　cattle。　Besides　the　waste　of　valuable　resources；　it　made　Vilkata　uneasy　to　realize　that　the　divinities　who　had　pledged　loyalty　to　him　were　not　really　under　his　control。　Should　he　send　word　to　them　of　his　displeasure？　But　he　did　not　even　know　where　they　were　right　now。　Or　where　they　were　going　to　be　next；　or　what　they　might　be　intending　to　do。
　The　trouble　is；　he　thought；　they　worship　me　but　I　am　not　a　god。　Having　arrived　at　that　thought　he　felt　as　if　he　had　made　some　great；　vaguely　alarming　discovery。
　Mark　and　his　escort　had　not　been　many　days　out　from　Tasavalta　when　they　were　forced　into　a　skirmish　with　a　strong　patrol　of　the　Dark　King's　troops。　This　fight　had　cost　them　some　casualties。　But　Coinspinner　in　Mark's　hands；　altering　the　odds　of　chance　in　his　favor　at　every　turn；　saw　him　and　most　of　his　small　force　through　the　fighting　safely。　He　had　experienced　the　workings　of　the　Sword　of　Chance　before；　and　he　trusted　it　…　to　a　degree；　it　was　really　the　least　trustworthy　of　the　Twelve　…　and　felt　almost　familiar　with　it。　The　soldiers　of　his　escort　had　done　neither　until　now。
　When　the　skirmish　was　over；　the　enemy　survivors　driven　into　flight；　Mark　and　his　troops　rested　briefly　and　moved　on。　He　was　confident；　and　the　soldiers；　who　earlier　had　only　grimly　obeyed　orders；　now　picked　up　that　attitude　from　him。　Since　what　he　truly　wanted　now　was　to　locate　the　Emperor；　then　to　the　Emperor　Coinspinner's　luck　would　lead　him；　in　one　way　or　another。
　As　they　rode　Mark　paused　periodically　to　sweep　the　horizon　with　the　naked　tip　of　the　Sword　of　Chance。　When　he　aimed　it　in　a　certain　direction；　and　in　that　direction　only；　a　quivering　seized　the　blade；　and　Mark　could　feel　a　faint　surge　of　power　pass　into　his　hand　through　the　hilt。　In　that　direction