Elantris

CHAPTER 54

He did what?" Hrathen asked with amazement.

The priest, startled by Hrathen's sudden reaction, stuttered as he re-

peated the message. Hrathen cut the man off halfway through.

The Duke of Ial Plantation, dead? By Telrii's command? What kind of random move was this? Hrathen could tell from the messenger's face that there was more. so he motioned for the man to continue. Soon Hrathen realized that the execution hadn't been random at all-that in fact it had been completely logical. Hrathen couldn't believe Telrii's fortune. Roial was said to be a crafty man; catching the duke in the act of treason had been amazingly propitious.

What the messenger related next, however. was even more shocking. The rumors said that Prince Raoden had returned from the grave.

Hrathen sat, dumbfounded, behind his desk. A tapestry fluttered on the wall as the messenger closed the door on his way out.

Control, he thought. You can deal with this. The rumor of Raoden's return was false, of course, but Hrathen had to admit that it was a masterful stroke. He knew of the prince's saintly reputation; the people regarded Raoden with a level of idolizing adoration that was given only to dead men. If Sarene had somehow found a look-alike, she could call him husband and continue her bid for the throne even now that Roial was dead.

She certainly works quickly, Hrathen thought with a respectful smile.

Telrii's slaughter of Roial still bothered Hrathen. Murdering the duke without trial or incarceration would make the other nobles even more apprehensive. Hrathen rose. Perhaps it wasn't too late to convince Telrii to at least draft a warrant of execution. It would ease the aristocratic minds if they were able to read such a document.

Telrii refused to see him. Hrathen stood in the waiting room again, staring down two of Telrii's guards, arms folded in front of him. The two men watched at the ground sheepishly. Apparently, something had unsettled Telrii so much that he wasn't taking any visitors at all.

Hrathen didn't intend to let himself be ignored. Though he could not force his way into the room, he could make himself such a nuisance that Telrii eventually agreed to meet with him. So he had spent the last hour demanding a meeting every five minutes.

In fact, the time was approaching for another request. "Soldier," he commanded. "Ask the king if he will see me."

The soldier sighed-just as he had the last half-dozen times Hrathen had made the demand. However, the soldier opened the door and obeyed, going in to search out his commander. A few moments later, the man returned.

Hrathen's query froze in his throat. It wasn't the same man.

The "guard" whipped out his sword and attacked the second guard. Sounds of metal against metal exploded from the king's audience chamber. and men began to scream-some in rage, others in agony.

Hrathen cursed-a battle on the one night he had left his armor behind. Gritting his teeth. he spun past the fighting guards and entered the room.

The tapestries were in flames, and men struggled desperately in the close confines. Several guards lay dead at the far doorway. Some wore the brown and yellow of the Elantris Guard. The others were in silver and blue-the colors of Count Eondel's legion.

Hrathen dodged a few attacks, ducking blades or smashing them out of men's hands. He had to find the king. Telrii was too important to

Time froze as Hrathen saw the king through the melee, burning strips of cloth dripping from the brocades above. Telrii's eyes were wild with fear as he

dashed toward the open door at the back of the room. Eondel's sword found TeIrii's neck before the king had taken more than a few steps.

Telrii's headless corpse fell at Count Eondel's feet. The count regarded it with grim eyes, then collapsed himself, holding a wound in his side.

1-Irathen stood quietly in the melee, chaos forgotten for the moment, regarding the two corpses. So much for avoiding a bloody change in power, he thought with resignation.