City of Snakes - Book 2 The Council of the Light

-Two-

The party from Ironnook was not due to arrive at the court for a week, so Clarence decided to use his time as wisely as possible and research the world and its history. People liked to say he was a waste of space who only thought about the drink, whores and who he could fight but they forgot the fact he could rival the best musicians on the violin and piano, speak over twenty languages and wasn't averse to reading a book every once in a while. People only judge on what they can see, that was one of Grendal's favourite mantras, "Rumour and speculation are the foundation upon which we build our fragile reputations."

Clarence knew for a fact that Grendal was an insomniac who spent every hour awake reading, plotting, researching and poking at things until they unravelled for him. Was it any wonder that his old tutor's teachings had rubbed off on him too?

The Leprechaun library in the Inner Sanctum was surprisingly hard to find, and only people of a certain birth status were allowed to visit it- such were the secrets held within. As a child, Clarence spent hours in its dusty embrace. Every moment he wasn't being tutored, schooled in the fighting arts or with his music and language tutors he squirrelled away trying to learn about life outside of his pretty little birdcage. When he ran away, he ran with knowledge. How to hunt, how to make a shelter and a fire, how to track, who owned what world, how to get there, what the geography was like, what the societies were like and how they were structured. Grendal encouraged him to learn it; as a second son of the High King, Clarence's intended function was to serve as a diplomat. To be sent across the worlds negotiating in his father's name he needed to be good at understanding the vices of other cultures. The training had come in handy, but for other reasons.

Annoyingly, Freddie had decided to follow him around and had been present since his servents dressed him that morning. His cousin spoke about court gossip as he chucked his dagger into the air and caught it over and over. He'd lost twenty gold coins the previous night to the Queen of Terra and he'd had to beg Grendal to release funds from the crown estate to pay his debt.

"Don't you have an income?"

"From what land?" Freddie asked rather sullenly. "When I killed my father the Dragon Lords took our lands from us and they are held in Moot until Goiza reincarnates and chooses another human to bond with. My mother and I are no longer welcome in the Blackember Dreadmount, we can't access our hoard and If I were to go back, the Dragon Followers, who used to be so loyal to my family, will just run us out."

"Aunt Elisa must have something?"

"The O'Leary estate pays her an income, but my mother won't give me any of it," Freddie grumbled. "If I want money I have to ask the Steward, it's embarrassing."

Clarence watched the knife turn in the air and land in his palm again.

"Where are we going?" Freddie asked, his hair glinted in the light from an arched window and Clarence looked, then looked again.

"Have you oiled your hair?"

His lips cracked into a wide grin, he looked practically wolfish. "The Queen of Terra, it is said, is rather partial to curled, oiled dark handsome princes such as myself. Do you find my moustache to be rather well curled too?" He twisted the ends.

"You look like a pirate."

"Good," Freddie caught the knife again and studied himself in the reflection. "She's a lucky woman to have this handsome rogue's affection you know."

One of Clarence's guards gave an imperceivable snigger.

"She's betrothed to the second son of the king of Greymoot," Clarence reminded him.

Freddie shrugged, "Doesn't stop her having a bit of fun," he said. "They say when she spreads her legs men fall right in and get lost for days."

"That sounds trying," Clarence stuck his hands in his pockets, "We're going to the library."