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Randolf swore fiercely "We’re slaves Slaves don’t fight"

Jared watched Randolf closely "You fought during the a back when the rest of you were tearing the place apart, was there?"

"There isn’tback now, either"

Randolf slapped his hands down on the table hard enough to make it rock "Yes, there is Do you knohat happens to slaves who fight? What they’ll do to any of the villagers who survive the first strike will be a slap on the wrist compared to what they’ll do to us"

Jared’s control snapped "We’re not slaves!" he roared "We haven’t been slaves since we left Raej"

Randolf stared at hih

"We’re not slaves," Jared said, struggling to leash his teerous, even if that bitch Dorothea hasn’t realized it For the past few years, she’s bought slaves at the auction andset theo home, Randolf Or they make a new horoped for a chair and sat down, his eyes never leaving Jared’s face "Why didn’t Lady Lia tell us? Why this ga We’reRinged "

"The Rings don’t work," Blaed said "Just enough poas put into the ring But they aren’t Besides, Lia has no idea how to use one"

Randolf rubbed the back of his hand across his ht psychic touches Talon’s and Blaed’s signals that they were descending to their full strength-- and ready to rise to the killing edge

"Because," Jared said quietly, "once she brought us all together, Lia sensed so, but she couldn’t find the source So she continued the pretense of bringing slaves to Dena Nehele, and she s as difficult as she could for whichever one of us serves the High Priestess of Hayll while trying to get the rest to safety"

"One of us serves that bitch?" Randolf’s hands curled into fists

Jared rested his hands on the table "If Lia had told you in the beginning that you were free, that you could catch the Winds and go hohtly before he stopped hi at the children

"No," Randolf said after a thoughtful silence "No, I wouldn’t have I’ve got tooQueen wander around without an escort" A dangerous gleam filled his eyes "Do you knoho it is?"

"It’s Garth," Brock said, wincing as he straightened to his full height and tucked his thumbs into his wide leather belt "It’s Garth"

Jared turned to face Brock at the same moment Randolf exploded out of his chair

"I warned you!" Randolf shouted, throwing hih force to send them both to the floor "I told you that bastard was tainted! Daotten her home if you’d listened to me!"

Randolf threw a couple of punches before Blaed and Talon pulled hiot to his feet, Brock had disappeared

"Hold hi Brock walking purposefully down the road in the direction of the landing place, Jared ran to catch up to him "Brock! Brock!"

When Brock turned around, Jared stopped abruptly, stunned by the bitterness in the other man’s face

"Even nohen he’s barely half of what he used to be, you choose to believe hiret cut deep into Jared’s bones "I trusted you"

"Not enough to be useful," Brock snapped "You trusted the Warlord Prince whelp and the Black Widow enough to tell theht have been different if you’d trusted me"

"It wouldn’t have made any difference," Jared said coldly "You’d already chosen whoht have," Brock insisted His face twisted with conflicting emotions "Do you kno I came to be a slave? MyQueen soldold, and the bitch I served wants to rule more than a small Province So she traded twenty of her bestthe next Territory Queen She sold our freedom, ourlives for ambition"

"When a male serves, he puts his life into his Queen’s hands," Jared said "It’s hers to do with as she pleases That’s the risk we all take, Brock" Re Talon, he added, "His life, but not his honor You had that much choice"

"Who are you to talk about honor? You’re a pleasure slave, a non to be a WarlordA Queen killerWhere were you hiding your honor when you butcheredher ?"

"I ned by her I didn’t serve her" But the verbal thrust hurt ashairs, Jared," Brock said harshly "But if that’s how you want to split it, then as far as I knened by the Gray Lady What’s the difference between you killing the bitch ned you and h Priestess get rid of a rival? All I had to do was lead the marauders to her if she escaped the trap at the Coach station"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>