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"Nephew?" cried Talb, starting forward to eht you had a faer of tales, a bard? Best go with the Lady Syllva then and learn her craft"

"Sooth!" exclaies him"

Whatstill, had reached and taken her hands His words were low, for her alone

"Aeriel," he whispered "What is this, all these others holding out to you crowns and inviting you to go with them? You mean to come with iving Heavily, she shook her head "I cannot"

His gaze grew baffled "But the war is over," he cried "The Witch is dead"

"And the pearl of the world’s soul broken," she answered "Ravenna’s sorcery scattered to the winds

It was all that stood between us and the winding down of the world That is the true war," she whispered, struggling "Our victory at Winterock has only won a respite We ather the lost soul of the world"

Irrylath’s grip on her hands tightened, his words, his look suddenly desperate "But not you Not you, Aeriel! You have already done far h Let another undertake the task"

"What other?" she asked "There is none Ravenna chose me"

The pearlstuff in her blood stirred uneasily Stand firm, it murmured You must not waver Did you rescue the world only to abandon it now?

"I lass," Aeriel whispered "I must learn to read the Ancient script…"

The pearl’s vision loomed before her Overwhelmed by the task’s ihly, the prince pulled her back to hio with you," he started, and for a moment his eyes burned with hope

"You cannot!" she cried "Don’t you see? You have sworn to obey the equustel’s charge, to be king in Avaric…"

He stared at her, his face stricken, his breath grown short

"Stay," Irrylath implored her "Only stay with aze, she looked past hih to overhear She stood watching the two of theuarded joy

Aeriel told Irrylath, "Avaric already has a queen"

He whirled to see to whom she looked, then turned back with a cry " You areher head, she touched his cheek "Two years were all we had, love," she whispered, "and we squandered the now Make an end to it, quickly, Ravenna within her warned If passion overrules you, all the world is lost

"Be king in Avaric," Aeriel ed, "and think no more of aze pounced on Irrylath

"No!" he cried "Don’t leave me Aeriel, you are my wife, the keeper of my heart"

Grief had her by the throat She could not speak The pearl’s radiance within her brightened dangerously Her breast ached where there should have been no pain Irrylath, too, see one hand upon his breastbone His gaze fell on the Edge Adaasped, astonished, like one pinned through with a sword She knew that shesorcery within her scathe him "Aeriel, what have you done?"

"Give your heart to Sabr," she ed "Of course you are drawn to her" Fool! she cursed herself

Fool not to have understood before "For you see yourself in her--your very iht have been if the Witch had never touched you"

Sabr started eagerly forward, but her cousin warned her aith a savage look "Never!"

Aeriel tried desperately to pull away, but he still held fiercely to her hands

"I’ll not wed Sabr"

The joy that lanced through Aeriel to hear him say it was almost too sweet to bear She wanted to savor it, so teet the world and go with him

She wanted to weep, to fall into his arms, but her eyelids were marked hite stars from the Witch’s touch, and she had no power of tears anyle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>