The Sorcerer's Ring: Book 05 - A Vow of Glory by Morgan Rice Page B

below, how many looked
to her to save them. She hoped that she would be able to.
    “Hiding
again?" came a voice.
    Gwen
felt an immediate sense of repulsion at the sound of the voice. She turned
slowly, but did not need to turn all the way to know who it was. She recognized
that voice, and it put a pit in her stomach. As she saw his despicable face, it
confirmed her suspicions: Alton.
    Gwen
couldn’t believe it. Here he was, this despicable aristocrat, this excuse of a
man, who she hated more than anything; here was the boy who had tried to tear
her apart from Thor, who had filled her head with lies, who had plagued her
half her life. Somehow the little weasel had followed her caravan here, and
somehow he had managed to talk his way past her guards. She was not surprised:
he was persistent, relentless, and an excellent liar. And he was very good at
convincing others that he was royalty.
    Of
course, he was not royalty. He was third-class royalty at best, her parents’
distant cousin. Yet that didn't stop him from feeling otherwise. She had never
met anyone who had felt more entitled.
    She
flushed with rage. How dare he show up here, of all places, of all times? He had
marched up here and had assumed he could just have an audience with her
whenever he wanted, and could speak in such casual terms—as if refusing to
acknowledge her new post now. His very presence, so brazen, unannounced, was
offensive to her.
    "What
are you doing here?" she asked coldly.
    "I
tagged along with half of King's Court,” he said. “To be with you.”
    "I
doubt that very much,” she said, seeing through his lies. “You came to save
your life.”
    Alton
shrugged.
    "Perhaps
I had a duality of purpose. True, Gareth is unhinged, and King’s Court is vulnerable.
You could say I was tempted by a certain form of self-preservation."
    He smiled
and took a step forward.
    "But
I also came for you,” he said. “To give you another chance.”
    Gwen snorted,
outraged by his arrogance.
    “To
give me another chance?" she echoed.
"Do you not recognize the lunacy of your words? You can recognize madness
in Gareth—but not in yourself?”
    Alton
shrugged, undeterred.
    "The
past is the past," he said. "I forgive you your mistakes. But we both
know that whatever happened between us does not apply now. Circumstances have
changed. Here you are—a queen without a king, a ruler without a court. Every queen
needs a king. Rulers find strength in pairs. Do you really think you can run
this great city, rule all these armies by yourself?”
    Gwen
shook her head. She could not believe how pathetic he was.
    "I
suppose that you fancy yourself to be the one to come to my rescue, to be my
partner to rule?" she asked, mockingly.
    "Who
else?" he answered proudly, his smile widening. "You and I have known
each other since we could walk. We are both royalty. The masses love us both.”
    Gwen
laughed again.
    "Do
they?" she asked. "I had no idea that the masses loved you. In fact,
I had no idea that they even knew who you were.”
    It was
Alton's turn to flush with embarrassment.
    Before
he could open his mouth again, Gwen held up a hand. She’d had enough. She
didn't have time to waste for this. She had more pressing matters to deal with.
    "I
don't want to hear another word,” she said. “I'm not interested in you. I have never
been. And I'm certainly not ruling anything with you—not that I think you're
capable of ruling anything. Not even yourself. Not to mention, I am committed
to Thor, and he to me. So you can leave now.”
    Alton
laughed, a short, mocking laugh.
    "Is
that it?” he asked. “Is that what’s standing between us? Thor? You can't be
serious about him. He has abandoned you, on that foolish little quest of his.
He's deep in the Empire by now, and we both know there is no possibility of return.”
    He
stepped closer, pleading.
    “Admit
it, Gwen. You know the truth. You know that he is gone. That he is never coming
back. That he has left you alone. So, you