Free Angels Blood by Gerard Bond Page B

fixed him with a steady look and spoke in a firm voice, 
    “ I am Nightwing, Daughter of the Earl of Windere and I seek a moment with the king’s personal counsel on a private matter of great importance.”
    “ Very well milady,” he had better address her properly. 
    He knew a lot of the ladies of the King’s interest, but even he couldn’t keep up with all of them and maybe this was another the king was about to add to his collection?
    “ You must have some form of identification on you?”
    Nightwing produced her hand and showed him her signet ring bearing the mark of the Earl of Windere. The Captain bowed a little and addressed her more formally now,
    “ I shall inform the Counsel Borlynn that you are here.”
    He turned on his heel and headed back towards the larger tents at the center. Nightwing turned and gave Loranda a wink and a little smirk.
    Counsel Borlynn was spending his time in light conversation with the widowed baroness Adra, a vacuous woman who constantly giggled.  He found her tiring but she was rich so he found the patience to deal with her constant attentions, he would smile at her from time to time as she talked and giggled away. The Captain approached and stood to one side of the lounge they were sitting on,
    “ Yes what is it?”
    “ A Lady Nightwing, daughter of the Earl of Windere wishes a word your honor.” 
    Earl of Windere? Was there such a place? Oh yes, it was in the northeast, one of the outlying precincts that no one ever heard from.  The Earl was probably asking for some favor of the King.
    “ Very well give it a few minutes and then send her in would you?”
    “ Yes your honor it shall be so.” 
    ‘ My ass, he was going to send her in straight away,’ Borlynn thought. The Captain retreated bowing as he went.
    “ I am sorry my dear, matter of state, I hope you and I can do this again sometime soon?”
    'Not too soon please.' passed through his mind. A gracious curtsy and farewells then she was gone.  Now if the Captain really did wait a few minutes he could get a quick drink in. 
    “ Ahem”
    “ No such luck.” 
    “ I beg your pardon your honor?”
    He turned to see a road weary traveler, tall for a woman and yes her stance told of bearing, was this Nightwing? Maybe he should introduce her to the King; he certainly would take an interest in this one. There was another behind her too, a bit shorter but proud as well. 
    “ Nothing milady, too many thoughts, I believe you were seeking audience with me?”
    “ I actually wish to give word to the King of an incident that has grave consequences for the Kingdom.”
    Well, she didn’t mince her words and he wasn’t sure he liked the fact he wasn’t being pandered to.
    “ I’m afraid that is out of the question.  The King is a very important man dealing with issues of the state. One does not just walk in and get to see the King, you really should have made contact through the proper channels weeks ago if you were seeking an audience with him.”
    “ But your Honor this issue only came to light a couple of days ago and it needs the King’s full attention immediately to deal with it!”
    “ Come now, what could be so pressing that would need such urgency?”
    Nightwing took a deep breath.  This was the moment to put her case and make it happen,
    “ We have just traveled from the southern outlands and have seen many towns burning.  This I saw with my own eyes, they left nothing standing!”
    “ Who my dear?”
    “ Enemy soldiers, I didn’t recognize their colors and they didn’t carry any standard.”
    “ Then they must have been bandits.” 
    “ No your honor, there were hundreds traveling in columns.” 
    “ Hundreds you say?”
    Now this was a curious state of affairs, people running around burning towns, marching about without a banner, this just wouldn’t do. No, it was preposterous. 
    “ Really my dear, I think that if something so serious had happened we would have heard something about it.