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"McCauley seebranch mused "He is just a boy, after all"

"You sure it’s not Hastings?" D’Orsay asked, suppressing a shudder

Wylie shook his head "As far as we know, Hastings and Downey are solanced over their shoulders, as if the pairup on the, "perhaps we can just walk in and take it, then"

Now there were smiles all around

The wind howled over the Ravenshead and the pavilion shuddered under its force Fat droplets of rain splattered against the canvas D’Orsay gestured, and the flarate burned hotter

"Father" Devereaux spoke up again "Why should we give the to trade"

Clever boy, D’Orsay thought fondly

"We offer you the freedoo," Jessamine said "As your father no doubt realizes If we secure the Dragonheart on our own, your Covenant is worthless Join us, and we’ll negotiate an a us It see, while we’ve been slaves to old ons There’ll be no need to adhere to the old restrictions, to share power outside our circle" She fingered the e around her neck "The possibilities are limitless"

Claude D’Orsay s field, at least Another proposed wizard agreeotiated later With assassination and bloodshed, no doubt And, given the fact that he held no cards at all, not even the Covenant, it was attractive

"Surely we can work so at each of the players in turn

"Father," Devereaux protested "We can’t just let…"

"Later, Dev," D’Orsay said, raising his hand

Dev subsided, his hands twitching with irritation

D’Orsay turned to the others "My son and I will inventory the hoard and arrange for an in-person survey"

Following discussion of a fewbroke up The D’Orsays sent the Roses on their way, and set the servants to dis the pavilion D’Orsay and Dev descended into the ghyll, eager to retire to the fireside in the castle

"So," D’Orsay said, when they’d reached the valley floor, "You don’t like the idea of sharing the hoard with the Roses"

"Why should we? It belongs to us Our fahyll, Dev Whatever the Dragonheart is, whatever it does, we have to get it back Then, we’re players We’ve not heard from Alicia in weeks So it’s not likely we can succeed without the Roses"

"What do you think happened to that girl? Alicia?"

"Hard to say It’s risky out there, Dev That’s why I’ve kept you close"

"She goes wherever she likes She does whatever she pleases," Devereaux said enviously

"And she may very well be dead," D’Orsay replied testily What had gotten into Dev lately?

Dev paused at the foot of the gardens leading up to the castle "That’s weird," he said "The drawbridge is up and the gate is shut"

D’Orsay blinked away rain and peered up at the castle The drawbridge had been littleof the Covenant centuries ago

In fact, he’d last closed the drawbridge the night Jason Haley broke into the ghyll After all, he had wards and sentries to warn hie was closed now

"What the devil?" D’Orsay iven our visitors"

"Well, he should be looking out for us," Dev said "He should have noticed ere coate" Dev was intolerant of poor service fro up the road, probably ive Stephen a piece of his mind

"Devereaux! Wait!" D’Orsay hissed, but the boy was already way out ahead of hiarden shed near the top of the garden He leaned on the wall of the shed, glancing inside as he did so, and noticed, tucked beneath one of the benches, a body, stripped to its undergarments And, further in, another

D’Orsay peered into the di his eyes "Stephen?" he muttered Then he turned and sprinted after his son, as out of sight by now When he topped the hill, he saw Dev standing on the near side of the atehouse

"Stephen! Open up, you pathetic imbecile, or I’ll…"

"Devereaux!" D’Orsay bellowed "Come away!" He slammed his son aside just as a blast of wizard fire erupted froround where Dev had been standing

D’Orsay threw up a shield in time to turn three e of their absence frouard turned on hi all about the fortifications, powerful barriers to anydown the walls Not that D’Orsay intended to knock down his house if he could help it