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The rooe and filled with Lucien’s papers and possessions, as well as a strong sense of the va in that essence, as if Lucien hilass doors on the opposite wall and stepped out onto the balcony Walking right up to the blackened iron railing, he gripped the cold nature that was Lucien

What he found didn’t surprise him He’d suspected as much from the moment he’d crossed the border with its weakened defenses But the expectation did nothing to lessen the concern that confirht be worse

He felt Duncan’s presence behind him "Do you feel it?" he asked

Duncan moved up next to him and shook his head slowly "It’s odd, my lord I feel a definite presence, but it’sweakened somehow I don’t knohat it is"

"No," Raphael said "I doubt you’d recognize it I myself have experienced it only once before, hundreds of years and thousands of miles from here"

"What is it?" Sophia’s voice ca," Raphael said

"What does that mean?" she demanded "I’ve never heard--"

Raphael spun around to face her "Lucien is dying"

Sophia heard Raphael’s words and saw the absolute certainty in his black eyes And she felt her heart squeeze nearly dry in her chest Lucien couldn’t die She wouldn’t allow it

"You will find hi "If you can feel hi her back inside by the si forward himself "I’m afraid Lucien does not want to be found"

"Of course, he wants to be found My Sire would never accept death that easily He loves life far too reed with an irritating cal around Lucien’s study, picking up objects and studying the them back down in the precise position he’d found the the place for new furniture--his furniture--and suddenly regretted letting hiht

"Tell aze on her "Why do you suppose Lucien sent for you?"

Sophia stared at hiaze every bit as flat as his "I would assue his people" It sounded weak, even as she said it

Raphael gave her a patronizing smile "Why you? Why not Darren? He is Lucien’s lieutenant, after all, and he’s already here He knows the city better than you, and probably the people, as well For thatLucien would have known to be useful So why you?"

Sophia bristled with anger that he persisted in quizzing her, as if he knew sory at being forced to confront the truth No longer She drew herself up and aze directly

"I’m e, I’ed "Is that significant here?"

Sophia glared at Raphael with so sense of self-preservation kept her fro out at him as she snarled, "Lucien intended me to be his successor If he dies, I need to be here"

That srew, but there was no humor in his voice when he pinned her with those silver-struck eyes and said, "Then I suggest you act Lucien’s fading is already weakening his borders Before long, you’ll have contenders fro to fill the vacuuhbors for now I have no desire to expand my territory and Raj his power He has no energy to spare for anyone else But that won’t last forever And as the vulnerability grows, the signs of it will spread"

He glanced around the roo the territory’s invisible boundaries "Someone needs to reinforce Lucien’s defenses before it’s too late For now, several of you can work together, if you can get along well enough But eventually, one person will have to step into the breach If it is not to be you, it will certainly be someone from outside, because Darren Yamanaka is not up to the task He’ll fall to the first contender"

Raphael signaled his security people and headed for the doors to the hallway