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"I’ll give you another," she told hi and rolling the parchment up

He moved away from Sabr, but only a step She followed, and boldly laid one hand--just so--across the scars that threaded his cheek Astonishripped Aeriel She clenched her teeth to keep fro out She expected Irrylath to pull instantly away fro, to look at her

"Can’t you love me, cousin," she asked hie, then blinding jealousy Irrylath would never have per he would strike Sabr, push her roughly aside, revile her, but he only shook his head, and the look in his eyes was a desperate sadness, not anger

"I can love no woman while the Witch’s enchantment is on me," he answered "I have told you that"

He had told her! Incoers on the pole beneath the pavilion silk tightened She had thought only she and perhaps the Lady Syllva privy to that secret All Erin and the camp could knoere rumors Yet he had told Sabr Why? She whom many still called the queen of Avaric dropped her hand fro

"Yes," she said quietly "And the only satisfaction it gives me is that you cannot love her either"

"Don’t speak of her so," whispered Irrylath Sabr turned abruptly away

"She frightens you, doesn’t she?" the prince’s cousin snapped "Alreen eyes see everything" Sabr snorted "Do they? Do they see us now?"

Only half hidden by the corner of the tent, Aeriel stood riveted, too stunned toin plain view Yet neither her husband nor the so-called queen of Avaric took note of her, their eyes on one another

"She stood in the temple fire at Orm," continued Sabr bitterly "It has burned her shadoay She wears a pearl on her breast that is full of light What sort of mortal creature is that?"

The bandit queen turned back to Irrylath, seizing his arm This time he did not move away

"I tell you, she is no , Ravenna’s sorceress How could you love her? Surely the Witch’s spell is simply what you have told her to keep her at bay"

The prince shook his head His voice was hoarse "Would that it were"

His cousin did not see Her knuckles were pale where she clenched his arm "But I am a mortal woman I would be content with just your heart Truly--"

At last, at last he pulled free of her Watching, Aeriel held her breath Her knees felt shaky, weak

She clung to the pavilion pole

"I aive it," said Irrylath "My heart is not my own"

" She took it, didn’t she?" Sabr snapped

The prince bowed his head, looking away froilded it with lead"

"I wasn’t speaking of the Witch," the bandit queen replied "When she rescued you and took the Witch’s gilding off, she didn’t give you back your own heart, did she? She kept that for herself"

Sabr strode around to face him and laid her hand upon his breast

"The heart that beats here is not yours, is it?" she pressed He would not look at her "How then can you say," Sabr insisted lowly, "that she did not seek to e surge in her again, dangerously Not true, not true! She had only wanted to save hi heart in his breast It had been Talb the Mage who had taken the enchanted darkangel’s heart, purged it of the Witch’s lead, and placed it into the dying Aeriel’s breast

"I love you," said Sabr

"Don’t say it"" The prince’s voice was ragged

Sabr’s hand remained upon his heart She answered, "I don’t care whether you can lie with me or not

I only want you to love me in return"

He looked up, then hard away Aeriel saw the despair in his eyes "I can’t," he whispered to Sabr "I don’t kno The Witch has got her talons in me still I can’t love you, or her, or anyone while the White Witch lives"

The sky seemed to spin over Aeriel There, he had used it, Sabr’s word, that nameless her Sabr reached to cup the prince’s face in her hands, but Aeriel hardly saw<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>