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I’ht as he walked back to thein the dirt than taking care of the people?

It took most of the afternoon to meet the Warlords anted to be considered for the court Three belonged to her and were suited to serve in her First Circle The others wanted status, safety, so else Whatever it was, they wouldn’t find it with her

Several Warlords who lived in the town of Grayhaven would be an asset in one of the other twelve circles that made up a court, and she hoped they would accept the offer when the Steward made it on her behalf

Once she found a Steward And a Master of the Guard

And with every man asn’t accepted, Theran tensed a little more

Toward the end of the afternoon the first, and only, Prince arrived A ed as if he’d once been hefty but hadn’t eaten well in quite some time and whose left hand had been broken and badly healed

"What do you want, Powell?" Archerr asked in a challenging voice

"I would like to be considered for a position in the court," Powell replied courteously, looking at Cassidy "I’ood at skie of the Queen’s tithes," Archerr snapped

"That was never proved," Ranon snapped in return

Why would Ranon defend afrom a Queen? Unless the Warlord Prince knew, or suspected, so about Powell that the rest of the men didn’t know

"Did you steal from the Queen you served?" Cassidy asked

"Yes," Powell replied

Mutters from the Warlords and Warlord Princes who had remained in the room Snarls from several of the Warlord Princes ere in her First Circle, but she couldn’t tell if they were snarling at Powell or at one another

"Why?" Cassidy asked

"The Province Queen I served liked luxury," Powell said "Well, they all did, didn’t they? And it was the tithes from the District Queens that had to support those luxuries It was hard to walk through the tohere the Queen lived and see children ere hungry or earing clothes and shoes too patched and torn to be useful So sometimes a few coins would find their way back to a fa"

"I see," Cassidy said "Is that why your hand was broken?"

Powell nodded "Most people were careful to spread out the spending One iven the es, and the Queen couldn’t prove otherwise That’s why she had ht hand"

In Kaeleer, a tribunal of Queens would have known you were lying within ht But their wrath would have been aimed at the Queen who had mistreated her people and not you

"I have to trust that the people who serve ood of Dena Nehele," Cassidy said to Powell "I understand your reasons, and I can’t say you rong But everyone is going to be living lean for a while, and tithes will be necessary to support the court and take care of the expenses that co tithed unfairly, I need to know But the amount of the tithe, unfair or not, will be my decision Is that understood?"

"Yes, Lady That is understood," Powell said

"In that case, are you willing to wear the Steward’s ring?"

Silence Disbelief from Theran that he didn’t bother to hide Surprise from the other htful

"I would be honored to serve as your Steward," Powell said

A co fro fro shields to ploide path that left severalto keep their balance

Bad lanced at the platfor Vae off

A woman, a witch, approached the platform

"Your kind shouldn’t be here," Theran said at the saht, watching Ranon’s effort to remain neutral But he didn’t want her to coht to be here as you do, Theran Grayhaven," Shira said Her o his title was a deliberate slap in the face "You can trace your bloodline back to Jared I can trace my bloodline back to Jared’s cousin Shira So if I don’t belong here, neither do you"

Since that particular verbal slap left Theran speechless, Cassidy jumped in "What can I do for you, Sister?"