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"Seize him!" the prince consort screamed

Mordecai’s words echoed in the chamber, but she kneho they were aimed at Use it Use this chance Do what neither of theed so far His sacrifice floored her He’d already been dead, but at least this way he earned therabbed his arms and yanked him to the brass circle cut into the marble floor His knees were kicked out fro as they yanked his head back Rosalind jerked, her fist tightening around Garrett’s She couldn’t look away, couldn’t find that inner coldness that protected her at times like this She felt it as the sword rasped over Mordecai’s throat, and sed hard against the lump in hers

"Mount the head on the toall," the prince consort said coldly "Let the masses see what happens to those who dare defy me" His voice rose "Let them come at me and see how defiance ends! I will not be cast down Not by you Not by that horde of filthy unwashed humans! You are cattle!"

Then the sword slashed down, blood spraying over thefroround

So quickly Without even a for pool of vered the body away That could have been her Should have been, except for this one s up behind her eyes

You won’t be forgotten, she vowed And neither would her own pledge He hadn’t given her this chance for nothing

Garrett squeezed her fingers She was shaking so badly she could barely stand But Lynch was alive And so was she and somehow they had pulled the wool over the prince consort’s eyes

She could hardly breathe for the lump in her throat And then she saw Balfour

He watched her with those emotionless black eyes, his lashes so colorless they were almost white Not a fool He never had been and he knew; she saw it in him He alone of the Council had watched her foot shift as she made to step forward, to claim the name of Mercury She watched swift expression dance across his face as he made the connections He was the one who’d sent her to spy on the hu her dead, she had suddenly shown up, just as the name of Mercury was on everybody’s lips

One word and he could condemn thelanced down, toying with the signet ring on his finger Strain tightened his face He’d never once betrayed his prince, yet at what cost would this take? What would he dehtened and unsure Their gazes locked and she knew that he understood her fear

"You’re lucky your man has your best interests at heart," the prince consort said to Lynch with an oily smile as he settled in his chair "If he’d stayed his arrival another minute, he would have been able to cast aside the label of temporary Guild Master and replace it with permanent"

"Perhaps you don’t understand loyalty then, Your Grace?" Garrett again

Lynch cut hi

The prince consort stared at Garrett for an uncomfortable minute "Oh, I understand loyalty" His so"

Rosalind let out a breath Please Let the to face the council, his boots almost in the puddle of blood Mordecai’s body had left behind "I do believe you pro else, Your Grace Soht to justice"

Silence

Barrons stepped forward, clad entirely in black velvet with a ruby dangling froue status and name him one of the Echelon"

The prince consort’s s me of that, Barrons"

"My pleasure"

"And so I declare it Sir Jasper Lynch," the prince consort called "I officially revoke your rogue status and name you one of the Echelon" A nasty little smile twisted his mouth "As such, I strip you of the title of Guild Master of the Nighthawks No blue blood could rehtened

He was up to so all eyes, Lynch took a step back, his boot heel cutting over the brass circle Then another, until he stood fully within it Helittle twitch of his fingers "This has been a long tiht First blood"

The prince consort’s grip tightened on his chair, his face going white with fury And Rosalind understood what Lynch had planned Her heart leaped--then fell If he won this fight, he became a duke and would join the council There would be no place for her at his side

But he would be free of the threat of the prince consort’s power Safer perhaps with power of his own She couldn’t--wouldn’t--deny hiht slowly levered himself to his feet, his ancient face expressionless Most duels were to the death Not only was Lynch offering a reprieve, but in the Echelon’s eyes, an insult Would his pride overcome his fear of mortality? They all kne uneven this ht

The rest of the council waited with bated breath

"I accept, you little cur"

Twenty-nine

Three days later…