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"Telemakos!" The voice he kneell rapped out his na bark "Telemakos, I am not Abreha!"

Tele that it had slipped his er brother

"Ras Priauessed

"Peace to you, Telemakos Meder," said Pria his own name Telemakos was so aith relief that he stu on the deck By force of habit he climbed to his knees and tried to ently pushed him back down

"Sit Rest Why have you been released? Are you arope "Abreha had not yet agreed to our contract!"

"I ran away" Telemakos let the corner of his mouth quirk into its crooked smile "I put the najashi and his men all to sleep with opiuht broke up the angry look of his heavy brow, just as it did Abreha’s "Ah, heroic!" He was still laughing as he looked Teleht "Never in my life have I had the upper hand over my brother! You’re not hurt, are you?"

"Just wet The prison warden gave h it"

"Have mine Take off your kilt so it can dry out You’ll have to do without shoes till we reach Adulis, I fear" He took Telemakos by the wrist to help hiainst Telemakos’s dark knuckles

Pria, shaking sigh When he brought himself to speak, it was in a whisper "That is ed to my father, Ras Anbessa, the Lion of Wedem"

"So it did," Teleht of that, when he took it

"I last saw it on the hand of ainst Abreha in the past conflict with Hio now Abreha’s men must have delivered it to him when Hector was killed How have you come by it?"

"I took it from the najashi, just now, as he slept I took it because--I don’t knohy I took it Petty vengeance, I suppose He had--he used it to brand me He burned the mark into the skin at the back of my neck"

Pria so suddenly that Tele

"Shine a lantern here, soht while Priamos pushed back the wild hair

"Mother of God I did not believe him--Not you, boy, I did not believe Abreha He says he does not want to release you because he has made you his heir How should any of us believe such a fantastic tale, when all we know is that he has held you imprisoned and helpless in a tower of Solomon’s palace for two years?"

Tele none of this

"Telemakos Meder, if Abreha has put this mark on you, it means he counts you as his own son"

Telerip and said sharply, "Do not mock me!"

"I don’t Look"

Priaht

"Look well," he said, and pulled his shirt away from his neck His hair was cropped close to his skull, and the lines of the scar shone clean against his dark skin, the familiar lion’s head within the five-rayed star

"But--" Still itto Telemakos "But you aren’t Abreha’s son!"

"I am Priamos Anbessa," Priamos said quietly "I am called lion, Anbessa, after my father, as is Abreha Anbessa I am marked with the lion seal of Solomon as are all Ras Anbessa’s sons The man who branded you bears the mark himself"

"So he does" Tele back into Aksuht…" He felt suddenly idiotic that he had not realized his full worth to Abreha "The najashi isn’t allowed to appoint an heir without his council’s approval, and they have not tested ation … And he led me to believe I was on trial for treachery!"

Telehts toward Abreha’s ship

I did not need such proving, ht have been more faithful if you had been kinder