Ranger's Apprentice 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan Page A
Authors: John Flanagan
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stepped forward, his hands out to her. As an old friend and adviser, he didn’t feel the need to bow to her. After all, if she chose to be incognito, she wouldn’t expect any royal treatment.
She smiled when she saw him and took his hands in hers. ‘Hello, Halt,’ she said. ‘It’s good to see you.’
‘You too, my lady,’ Halt told her.
Evanlyn glanced around the room. Her smile faded slightly as Alyss rose to greet her.
‘Welcome, your highness,’ Alyss said.
Evanlyn waved the title aside impatiently. ‘Not on this trip, please, Lady Alyss. I’m not travelling in my official capacity. Evanlyn is good enough.’ Her gaze moved on and her smile regained its original warmth as she saw Will.
‘Hullo, Will,’ she said and he stepped forward to hug her. He knew Alyss wouldn’t like it, but he had a genuine affection for Evanlyn and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. He and Evanlyn had gone through too much together for him not to greet her that way. At the same time, he was wise enough to make the hug a brief one.
‘Welcome to Toscana,’ he said.
But Evanlyn’s gaze had swept on. The room wasn’t brightly lit and it was only now that she made out the identity of the fourth person present.
‘Seley el’then!’ she said, the pleasure evident in her voice. ‘How wonderful to see you!’ Selethen, noticing her correct pronunciation of his name, made the ritual Arridi greeting, touching his hand to his mouth, brow and mouth again, and bowing slightly.
‘Lady Evanlyn. I am delighted to see you again.’ He paused, then added, with a mock frown, ‘Unless you have discovered that I owe you money?’
She shook her head, laughing at his sally. Then, realising that the others were standing by, waiting to hear why she had arrived so unexpectedly, she gestured to the chairs and couches around the central table.
‘Please. Sit down, everyone. I need to talk to you.’
Selethen hesitated as the others resumed their seats.
‘Perhaps I should leave you?’ he suggested, sensing that this might well be a private matter for the Araluans. But Evanlyn considered his suggestion for a second or two, then shook her head.
‘No need for you to go, Selethen. This is nothing secret.’ She noticed the coffee pot on the table and added, ‘I’d happily kill for a cup of coffee, however. It’s been a long trip.’
‘Of course! My apologies!’ Alyss leapt to her feet again, irritated that her sense of hospitality had been found wanting. No doubt about it, Evanlyn’s sudden appearance had flustered her. She quickly poured Evanlyn a cup and handed it across the table. The princess smiled gratefully, their mutual antipathy forgotten for the moment.
‘Thanks, Alyss,’ she said. Her omission of the formal ‘Lady Alyss’ was sign enough that her gratitude was genuine. Alyss nodded acknowledgement and resumed her seat. Evanlyn took a deep draught of the coffee, then looked appreciatively at the cup.
‘I take it you supplied this coffee, Selethen?’
He smiled and she drank again, draining most of the remaining beverage. She set the cup down, paused for a second or two to gather her thoughts and plunged in.
‘Long story short,’ she said. ‘Horace has gone missing.’
There were exclamations of surprise around the room. Will was the first to voice the thoughts of all of them.
‘Missing?’ he said. ‘Missing where?’
‘Nihon-Ja,’ Evanlyn told them. ‘My father sent him on a military mission some time ago. He was to present himself at the Emperor’s court – he had letters of introduction from my father – and then spend some time studying Nihon-Jan military techniques and weapons.’
‘What’s happened? How did he go missing?’ Will asked.
‘To be accurate, I don’t know what’s happened. Look, let me explain,’ she said, hastily cutting off Will’s next question. ‘Horace was travelling with George –’
‘George Carter? George from the Ward? Our George, you mean?’ Will
She smiled when she saw him and took his hands in hers. ‘Hello, Halt,’ she said. ‘It’s good to see you.’
‘You too, my lady,’ Halt told her.
Evanlyn glanced around the room. Her smile faded slightly as Alyss rose to greet her.
‘Welcome, your highness,’ Alyss said.
Evanlyn waved the title aside impatiently. ‘Not on this trip, please, Lady Alyss. I’m not travelling in my official capacity. Evanlyn is good enough.’ Her gaze moved on and her smile regained its original warmth as she saw Will.
‘Hullo, Will,’ she said and he stepped forward to hug her. He knew Alyss wouldn’t like it, but he had a genuine affection for Evanlyn and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. He and Evanlyn had gone through too much together for him not to greet her that way. At the same time, he was wise enough to make the hug a brief one.
‘Welcome to Toscana,’ he said.
But Evanlyn’s gaze had swept on. The room wasn’t brightly lit and it was only now that she made out the identity of the fourth person present.
‘Seley el’then!’ she said, the pleasure evident in her voice. ‘How wonderful to see you!’ Selethen, noticing her correct pronunciation of his name, made the ritual Arridi greeting, touching his hand to his mouth, brow and mouth again, and bowing slightly.
‘Lady Evanlyn. I am delighted to see you again.’ He paused, then added, with a mock frown, ‘Unless you have discovered that I owe you money?’
She shook her head, laughing at his sally. Then, realising that the others were standing by, waiting to hear why she had arrived so unexpectedly, she gestured to the chairs and couches around the central table.
‘Please. Sit down, everyone. I need to talk to you.’
Selethen hesitated as the others resumed their seats.
‘Perhaps I should leave you?’ he suggested, sensing that this might well be a private matter for the Araluans. But Evanlyn considered his suggestion for a second or two, then shook her head.
‘No need for you to go, Selethen. This is nothing secret.’ She noticed the coffee pot on the table and added, ‘I’d happily kill for a cup of coffee, however. It’s been a long trip.’
‘Of course! My apologies!’ Alyss leapt to her feet again, irritated that her sense of hospitality had been found wanting. No doubt about it, Evanlyn’s sudden appearance had flustered her. She quickly poured Evanlyn a cup and handed it across the table. The princess smiled gratefully, their mutual antipathy forgotten for the moment.
‘Thanks, Alyss,’ she said. Her omission of the formal ‘Lady Alyss’ was sign enough that her gratitude was genuine. Alyss nodded acknowledgement and resumed her seat. Evanlyn took a deep draught of the coffee, then looked appreciatively at the cup.
‘I take it you supplied this coffee, Selethen?’
He smiled and she drank again, draining most of the remaining beverage. She set the cup down, paused for a second or two to gather her thoughts and plunged in.
‘Long story short,’ she said. ‘Horace has gone missing.’
There were exclamations of surprise around the room. Will was the first to voice the thoughts of all of them.
‘Missing?’ he said. ‘Missing where?’
‘Nihon-Ja,’ Evanlyn told them. ‘My father sent him on a military mission some time ago. He was to present himself at the Emperor’s court – he had letters of introduction from my father – and then spend some time studying Nihon-Jan military techniques and weapons.’
‘What’s happened? How did he go missing?’ Will asked.
‘To be accurate, I don’t know what’s happened. Look, let me explain,’ she said, hastily cutting off Will’s next question. ‘Horace was travelling with George –’
‘George Carter? George from the Ward? Our George, you mean?’ Will
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