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The Blood hadn’t recognized hi in that store As for praising his latest book…

Oh, they had liked hiht he was a clever landen who could spin a good tale, but when he had tried to show thehed at histon wasn’t just a character in a story Landry Langston washim A half-Blood raised by a landen h tobe Blood

He didn’t know their customs, didn’t know their Protocol, didn’t knohat it rown up in one of their precious villages, hadn’t grown up surrounded by this dance, as they called the constant ebb and flow of do trained all through his childhood and youth, as he should have been, he had topay for infore His "consultants" had been quick enough to take the gold e for "research," but he noondered about the accuracy of their inforh to make him look foolish

As for his other "consultant"…Well, he couldn’t trustthat cahed at his portrayal of the Blood, had laughed at him But they had done much worse here at the hotel Here, theypitied him

Thank the Dark he hadn’t used his real name when he checked in After that humiliation in the bookshop, he didn’t want anyone to knoas in this thrice-cursed city He al who he hen the clerks at the deskdid acknowledge him as Blood Then he looked into their eyes and listened to their carefully phrased words…and realized they thought he was abroken male, someone who had been stripped of so much of his power, he was barely one of theold marks No, his lack of power didn’t stopany of the to share

Like this rooone to a landen establishment in a nearby city, he could have had a better room for half the price But he’d wanted to stay at a hotel that catered to the Blood For what? The rooiven wasn’t any different from rooms he’d had in landen cities--was, in fact, stripped of al that required Craft On purpose Because they didn’t believe he was capable of being like them

And he wasn’t capable Not yet anyway

They thought they were so special, so powerful, so superior

Daemon Sadi, for example He’d personally sentPrince Sadi a copy of his new book The bastard hadn’t even had the courtesy to write a sentence acknowledging the gift Andcertainly hadn’t sent the desired dinner invitation

And then there wasLady Surreal He’d heard of her Whohadn’t heard of her? Nothing but a whore, but she could stand in a shop and publicly laugh at aneducated man for no other reason than because she wore aJewel

There was more than one kind of power The Blood made the rules and ruled the Realm, but they weren’t all-powerful, weren’t invincible A clever man could defeat the one kind of skill against another, a cleverthe the author of such a sche theelline herself had provided hi his tracks He’d been a little upset when he’d thought she had stolen his idea and spoiled the setting for his next novel, but now that only ston storybefore the tragic events took place

Yes, there wasa wonderful plot

He would give the Blood a story the SaDiablo faet

At least, the ones ere still alive

SIX

"No, witch-child I willnot saybwaa ha ha "

"But it’s for--"

"No!"Saetan slammed the books down on the blackwood table in the Keep’s library "If you choose to insult e are, that is your decision But I willnot participate"

Jaenelle stared at him, stunned "It’s just a little fun"

"Fun!" He choked on his anger, since it had no outlet that wouldn’t end in fierce destruction "You’re turning e are into a mockery, and you think this is fun?" He turned away frohter and his Queen, and pressed the heels of his hands against his teled for control

"Saetan…"

Bewilder and hadn’t been prepared for him to turn on her How could she? He wasn’t sure if he was lashing out at her as her father or as her former, and still unofficial, Steward

He turned to look at her, and he also wasn’t sure if it was Jaenelle or Witch who noatched him No matter He would have his say

"We are the Blood, the caretakers of the Realer a part of those races We have our own culture that spans those racial cultures We have our os, our own code of honor that landens don’t understand and couldn’t live by even if they tried We rule the Territories, and we control the lives of all the landens in those Territories But we are the minority, Jaenelle Despite the sometimes brutal e deal with each other, we seldoainst landensbecause we are feared Because we are aus into acheap entertains that he’d done, both good and terrible

"By letting some children dictate e are like, you turn us into a safe, insignificant fear Cobwebs and creaking doors and funny sounds We becoh at So I ask you, Lady What happens when those boys who find us anore the laws established for the landens? What happens when they challenge the Warlords who coes? What happens when they gather in force to attack the Blood and discover how vicious--and how co silence Then Jaenelle said, "Why didn’t you mention this when you first heard about it? You haven’t said anything in the past feeeks while Marian and I have been putting this together"

"It wasn’tAnd, frankly, it hurt toothis to us"