Free The Dead God's Due (The Eye of the Lion Saga Book 1) by Matt Gilbert Page A

merely
courtesy; there were no thugs or robbers in the hills of Nihlos
where House Elders held their estates, though there were plenty
amongst the commoners. Aiul shuddered at the thought. Better to
be a slave .
He immediately thought of Lara and felt ashamed.
    Ariano
seemed to sense his discomfort and patted his arm as they walked. “It was kind of you to accompany me. And it was
good to see you again. We were so close when you were young, but
since Lothrian died….” She trailed off and looked at
the ground.
    Aiul felt uncomfortable
discussing his grandfather. The man was a wicked criminal, a shame
on House Amrath, but Ariano clearly still loved him. Aiul would not
disrespect that. “Grandfather loved you very much,” he
said with a sad smile.
    Ariano looked up at him again,
her green eyes full of unidentifiable emotion. “Even after all
these years, I still dream of him, of our time together.” She
sighed wistfully. “He was a great man, Aiul. I know you think
otherwise, but you’re wrong. And he loved you dearly, too.”
    Aiul nodded, and resolved to
change the subject before he said something hurtful. “And I remember those games we played in the parlor, even if Mother
doesn’t.” He grinned, thinking back. “What did you
call that one, where you would say something silly, and I was
supposed to argue why you were wrong?”
    “’Iconoclast.’
Too big of a word for one so young to remember, I think. It’s
an old game. Some say Amrath invented it.”
    Aiul chuckled. “It would
certainly fit him, wouldn’t it?”
    They walked on in silence for a
while, Aiul still brooding on his mother’s cruelty. Below
them, in the bowl of the hills that surrounded the city, lay the
heart of Nihlos, a brilliant, shining jewel sparkling beneath orange
clouds. Not for the first time, Aiul considered how isolated the
Houses had become, sitting in their manses here upon the hill, apart
from Nihlos proper.
    Shimmering spires rose from the bottom of the valley, reaching for the sky with
all the arrogance and power of the Founders, twinkling with a
million points of light. Arches and spans ran between them like
spider webs, stark and limned against the luminous sky. The river
Sanguinus, which surfaced only briefly near the center of the city,
seemed more like a lake from afar, though it’s flow was the
life’s blood of the city. It was hard to look upon Nihlos
proper and not be moved, if not for the mighty works of the
ancients, then for the tragic loss of such skill and artistry over
the years. We are but frail shadows of what they were.
    When they arrived at Ariano’s
home, she took her arm back with a slight bow. The place was even
larger and more ornate than House Amrath’s ancestral estate, a
work of art, like everything House Talus touched. Topiary beasts
frolicked on the huge lawn, so true to form one could almost expect
them to move. In their center was an enormous gazebo where the
musicians of the house performed shows. Flameless lights, carefully
arranged to cast accenting shadows, lit the landscaping. The house
itself was made of white marble, fully four stories tall, each level
slightly smaller than the previous. From the roof rose a great tower
that was House Talus’s own wonder, the highest point in
Nihlos, offering spectacular views of the city.
    When they arrived, she released
Aiul’s arm and bowed slightly. “You have grown to be
quite the handsome and courteous gentleman, Aiul.” Her face
took on a wistful look. “Sometimes I miss the unruly boy you
were.”
    Aiul smiled sheepishly,
chuckling. “My mother would argue he is still here.”
    “I suspect she would!”
Ariano giggled. After a moment of sharing his humor, Ariano grew
serious. “You mustn’t hate your mother for her decision
tonight, Aiul. She’s had a very hard life.”
    “I know. But why must she
make mine so difficult? It is as Maranath said. I am no young fool,
I am a respectable man. She should support my decisions. I will be
in