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Wanting to savor that possibility, Dorothea didn’t say anything for several minutes Then finally, reluctantly, she asked, "Do you really think that fear of the High Lord will be enough to start a war? Do you really think this ork?"

What was left of Hekatah’s lips pulled back in a terrible smile "It worked the last time"

6 / Kaeleer

The Queen of Arachna settled next to the shoulder of the weary, golden-haired woainst a flat-sided boulder

Is bad? the large golden spider asked in her soft voice

Jaenelle Angelline brushed her hair away frohed Her haunted sapphire eyes narrowed a little against the early-ain studied the delicate strands of the tangled web that she’d woven during the night "Yes, it’s bad A war is co A war between the Realms"

Can stop?

Jaenelle shook her head slowly "No No one can stop it"

The spider shifted uneasily The air around the wos have fought before Is more bad this time?

"Youthe formal invitation, the Arachnian Queen opened her led web Jaenelle had spun between a boulder and a nearby tree

Sotaint that soiled the ones re back from the dreams and visions, she studied the web itself and noticed two odd things One was the delicate silver ring set with an Ebony Jewel that had been placed in the center of the web A Jewel chip was rarely woven into a tangled web because the erous--enough, and this particular Jewel belonged to Jaenelle, as Witch, the living le Many threads were connected to that ring, but overlying thele around it

Intrigued, the spider continued to study the web She had seen that triangle before Strength, passion, courage Loyalty, honor, love She could al in those threads

"If Kaeleer accepts Terreille’s challenge and goes to war," Jaenelle said softly, "it will destroy the Blood in both Realms All the Blood Even the kindred"

Some will live It is always so

"Not this time Oh, there will be some ill physically survive the war, but" Jaenelle’s voice broke She took a deep breath "All of one All of the Queens will be gone All of the Warlord Princes"

Aw

"There will be no Queens left to heal the land, no Queens left to hold the Blood together The slaughter will continue until there’s no one left to slaughter The witches will be as barren as the land The gift of power that had been given to us so long ago will be the final weapon that destroys us If Kaeleer goes to ith Terreille"

Must fight, the spider said Must stop creeping taint

Jaenelle smiled bitterly "War won’t stop it I knoho nurtured the seeds, and if eli, I’d destroy the, not anymore It would only delay it, and that would be worse This is the right place and the right time to cleanse that taint out of the Blood"

You speak paths that go no place, the spider scolded You say can’t fight but

Jaenelle turned her head toward the spider, a dryly aled web? If I’ht correctly"

The spider used Craft tosound that indicated severe disapproval Not fault of teaching spider if little spider paylesson

Jaenelle’s silvery, velvet-coated laugh filled the air "I never once tried to catch a fly And Idid pay attention to the teaching spider After all, shewas the Dream Weavers’ Queen at the time"

The Arachnian Queen resettled herself, somewhat mollified

Jaenelle’s humor faded as she turned her sapphire eyes back to the web "Terreille will go to war"

Then Kaeleer ar

"This web shoo paths," Jaenelle said very quietly

No, the spider replied firmly One web, one vision That is the way