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The Province Queen’s guards, e, had spotted Gray and taken him to the Territory Queen, who had kept hirabbed hiues who frequented the village when they had captured such a prize--and not realizing there had been a second boy

They’d thought they had captured the Grayhaven bloodline, and Gray never told the different, never revealed that he wasn’t the descendant of the Shalador Warlord who had been Lia’s husband

They worked him--and they tortured hiet him back to the mountains

Gray was fifteen when he was taken

They didn’t break his Jewels or castrate hiht be a threat But they broke hireen eyes so full of fear, Theran wondered if taking Gray back to Grayhaven would be the ultiht?" Gray asked "You’re not hurt?"

Didn’tinto a village to spend a couple of needed hours with a woman; the questions were always the same because, for Gray, the last ti he was

"I’ive his cousin’s hand a friendly squeeze

"But so bad has happened"

Too perceptive

"Not bad, no" How to say this to cause the least har with Talon about that?"

"A Queen?" All the color drained out of Gray’s face

"Fro to rule Dena Nehele"

"She’s co to be living at Grayhaven" Theran took a deep breath and let it out slowly "And I’ there with her"

"You can’t!" Gray leaped up, giving Talon a desperate look "He can’t! If she’s at Grayhaven and knohowho he"

The keening started as Gray sank to his knees That horrible keening of a boy in terrible pain

"Gray" Dropping to his knees, Theran wrapped his arms around his cousin "Gray, I have to do this For all of us"

"She’ll hurt you, she’ll hurt you I’m Grayhaven I’ scream that echoed the pain rerim and sad The old Warlord Prince had searched, and searched hard, to find the boy But Talon didn’t find Gray soon enough

Talon went down on one knee and put a hand on Gray’s shoulder "You don’t have to go down there You can stay up here in the ht you that And there will be others staying up here You don’t have to go back to Grayhaven"

"He can’t go," Gray whispered as he sagged against Theran "Theran can’t go"

"He has to," Talon said "That’s part of the bargain"

Gray pulled away from both of the? Theran wondered The past? The present? Was he here with them in this cabin in thefor the next bit of cruelty?

"I like growing things," Gray said quietly, ood, parched of what it needed, but still good I could work outside"

"Gray"

"I wouldn’t have to live inside, would I?"

Shock kept Theran silent for athe mountains Not really

"No, you wouldn’t have to live inside," Theran said "There’s an old stone gardening shed" He looked at Talon

"Probably filled with broken tools and such," Talon said,"but soardener," Gray said "I could take care of the land But I couldn’t serve her"

"No, you wouldn’t have to serve her," Theran said But if the new Queen showed any inclination toward playing with a das to the Lady

"Then I’ll go"

"Gray"

"I’ll go" Gray turned and looked at hi as bleak as the look in his cousin’s eyes "I’m Theran’s blade"