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Sabr wore the garb of Avaric: a sark and trousers gathered into boots with upturned toes, a dagger in her belt, a hoop of white zinc-gold piercing the lobe of one ear Her face reminded Aeriel uncannily of soreeted her with more ardor than Aeriel had ever seen hihter of his father’s brother Though she had not yet been born when he had fallen into the Witch’s power, he hadhiht-stricken shore of Bern, Sabr had nursed hioyled Ions

All this he told the Lady Syllva excitedly by way of introduction Sabr smiled and allowed the Lady to kiss her brow Irrylath introduced his brothers and their Ions, to all of whoe, then Aeriel’s brother, the prince of Pirs--and only then did he re of the starhorse and turned, a sudden look of apprehension passing over her oddly fae dread at their h she could not say why

"Cousin," Irrylath began, he, too, uneasy see, "this is Aeriel" A pause More softly, "My wife"

Sabr put one palm to her shoulder Head bowed, the queen of Avaric went down on one knee before the pale girl in the wedding sari

"Dread sorceress," she ht the words, for she felt disconcerted, abandoned Irrylath did not stand by her, but across froside Sabr

"Already you have returned my cousin and the Avarclon to us," the bandit queen went on, now lifting her gaze, "for which all Avaric-in-exile rejoices Know that e to serve you in this war"

Aeriel shivered, finding the other’s proud blue eyes and the s Aeriel shook herself Everyone was looking at her

"I accept your fealty, queen of Avaric," she sta aard and unprepared--she could scarcely call the woman queen of bandits to her face--"and trust that your horseainst the Witch But do not honoryou I am only Aeriel"

Sabr knelt still, her expression cool and serious and slightly surprised: ht a co She found herself holding her breath No one a what to do in the end, Aeriel turned abruptly and left thelimpse the look of open relief on her husband’s face when he realized she was going

A day Holy an arh food was scarce, it ater that was their greatest lack, for the killing drought of the White Witch lay heavy on the land People came from far and wide, many simply to watch the arathered contingents from most of the lands of Westernesse--from Bern and nearby Zambul, from northern Pirs, from far Rani and Elver, even Terrain--by the time they reached Pendar There a dozen tribes of the desert folk waited, a them, the Ma’ambai Aeriel fell into their arrown so tall that now they are calling you a sorceress," their leader laughed

"Chieftess, it is not so," Aeriel said, wiping tears from her eyes Of all people, truly her old friend the desert wanderer ought to know she was no sorceress Laughing herself now, she eood to see you again"

The arrow When Irrylath’s mother, the Lady Syllva, appointed Sabr to lead the forces of the West, the young queen brought her disparate new troops to heel with a swift, sure hand

Each directing one wing of the great army, Sabr and her cousin the prince perfectly mirrored one another: both proud, intense, aloof Aeriel could only adant assue, soon to set out across the pale amber sands for the distant Waste and the Witch’s Mere Aeriel felt a growing anticipation, led with dread She sat with Erin in the cool lee of a dune It was nightshade, tents and pavilions pitched all around theht of blue Oceanus Her friend had found them this quiet spot far frolad to get away

"What baffles own, "is that we have seen not one glimpse of the Witch’s catspaws in all the time we have been in Westernesse"

She lifted free the pearl and cupped it in her hands like a faint, azure coal Standing in the teht--though its wan gloas difficult to discern except in shadowy darkness such as this, away fro, nor one black bird Why has the Witch sent none to spy on us?"

The dark girl laughed, leaning back on one elbow and poking at the dry sand "She scarcely needs spies and catspaws to tell her the whereabouts of an army this size"

Aeriel put the pearl away She felt one corner of her hten "Does she not wonder at our nu in the sand and held it up It was deeply reddish, with a hole bored through one end, and carved of sandshell The dark girl shrugged "She knows our destination well enough Perhaps she doesn’t care"

"But she should care,"unconcern uneases me"

Erin tossed the blood-colored bead aside and sat up, studying Aeriel "Perhaps that is her intent, to unease you This whole business hangs on you--soood chance has put irl shook her head "More than chance, my true and only friend There is a kind of power on you"

"What power have I?" insisted Aeriel "When Irrylath generals the Lady’s Istern troops, Sabr the forces of the West--"

"None of which would now be gathered but for you," Erin cut in gently "The tales you told and the Torches you lit upon your quest to rescue the gargoyles have awakened half the people in the land You have opened their eyes to the Witch and shown the her--today, to to death"

Aeriel ran her hand over the fine, crusted sand It felt cool and sht starshine

If only it ater, she thought gri lorelei were not stopped soon, the whole world would succuain Aeriel shook her head

"I don’t even know the rest of the rio to riddle all this out and show us how to un back against the dune oncein a voice that was low and true:

"On Avaric’s white plain,

where an icarus noings

To steeps of Terrain

fros,

And damozels twice-seven

his brides have all beco road fro-hoof of a starhorse

e is to plunder