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"And the wide assortrandnieces and nephews that coave him a sharp look and her wrists a last shake "Well, at least you’ve finallyLorn an I-told-you- so look

"He wass not ready He wass too young"

Saetan would have protested but Jaenelle beat hier when you invited ainst his stomach and tried very hard to keep his expression neutral But the e up fro it very difficult

"I did not invite you, Jaenelle," Lorn said slowly

"Yes, you did Sort of Well, not as blatantly as Saetan did--"

Saetan claether and made a funny, fizzy noise

"--but I heard you, so I answered" She sood reason for a man to panic

Before he had ti so to be there for the toast, and Lucivar had a very strong hand clarandpapa is finished with you," Lucivar said with a feral smile, "I’d like you to come upstairs and lean hard on Karla because, Queen of Glacia or not, if she -spans, I’ to drop her into a deep nified occasion," Saetan said at the sarandpapa"

"No, you’re not," Lucivar agreed "But since no one was quite sure how enerations separate them from you-- and it’s different for each race or species--it was decided to condense all the generations into one ’great’ As for this being a dignified occasion, it was As for the party that’s waiting for Saetan toto be a lot of things and none of thenified" Lucivar looked at theh to know better And you’ve both known Jaenelle long enough to know better"

Saetan found hi steered toward the doors at the other end of the chaon get soons pile on top of hiht that the inner doors to the chamber closed just a little too quickly

"We will talk," Lorn said softly "There iss ht as he entered the upper chalass of yarbarah, and looked at the ani faces that now ruled Kaeleer

He wondered what Lorn thought about the many-strand web Jaenelle had woven over Kaeleer, the web that had called so many races out of the mist they’d hidden in for thousands of years

And he wondered what the Dark Council was going to think

4 / Kaeleer

Lord Magstrom rubbed his forehead and wished, violently, that this session of the Dark Council would end soon Lord Jorval, the First Tribune, had beenfirm promises since the first petitioner had stepped into the circle They all wanted the sa: assurance that the ranted as huhtered by these "Hell-spawned aniive such assurances

The stories told by the few survivors who returned froreat anger in the people of Little Terreille and demands for retaliation The piles of ed the main street of Goth a few days later when all the one into kindred lands were er into furious i done to make these unclaimed lands safe for hu in those "unclaimed" lands

"I assure you, Lady," Lord Jorval said to the strident petitioner, "we’re doing everything possible to rectify the situation"

"When I came here, I was promised land to rule and males who kne to serve properly," the Terreillean Queen replied angrily

Lord Magstrom wondered if anyone else had noticed that the majority of Kaeleer-bornin the First or Second Circle of a Terreillean Queen’s court, resigned with bitter animosity after a feeeks of service Terreilleanto serve in the Thirteenth Circle as a menial servant if that’s all that was available Over the past three years, he’d had a few tearfully beg him to approach minor Queens outside of Little Terreille and see if there was any way they could serve in a Territory like Dharo or Nharkhava They would do anything, they’d told hiht be acceptable to those Territory Queens, he’d written respectful letters pointing out the ness to adapt to the ways of the Shadow Realm Some had been accepted into service At each turn of the season, he received brief letters fro ht in their new life

But the pleas were getting more desperate as more and more Terreilleans flooded into Little Terreille And with every plea, with every story he heard about Terreille, he worried hter Even in his se incidents had already occurred, and it was no longer wise for a wo escort Was that how it had begun in Terreille, with fear and distrust spiraling deeper and deeper until there was no way to stop it?

"Your request has been noted," Lord Jorval said, esture that indicated dismissal "Will the next--"