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Froe point behind binoculars, the mansion on the far side of the Hudson River looked enormous, a massive stack-on-stack of floors that sat boldly upon a rocky bluff On every of its levels, lights glowed through glass panels, as if the thing had no solid walls

"Quite a palace," Zypher remarked in the thick, balmy breeze

"Aye," came a reply over on the left

Xcor dropped the binocs froht &039;Tis a roasting waiting to happen"

"Mayhap he kitted out the basement," Zypher said "With more of those marble tubs"

Given the tone of his voice, the soldier was i females of different sorts in water with suds, and Xcor shot hi the watch

Such a waste this was Assail - son of one of the greatest Brothers there had ever been - could have been a fighter, a warrior, mayhap even a Brother, but his fallen Chosen h one could argue if the bastard had had any cock at all, he would have forged his own destiny in pursuits other than those ofAs it stood, however, he was siht hile to do with his nights

Although that could all change this evening

Under these clouded skies, against the backdrop of flashes of lightning, this nificant, at least for a short tiht cost him his life, but if the history books served their purposes, he could well be re point of the race

Not that he knew any of this, of course

Then again, one didn&039;t expect chu the rolling grounds once again, Xcor decided the lack of trees and shrubs was the result of the clearing process prior to construction No doubt an aristocrat would want ardens; the fact that it et up close to was not the kind of thing Assail would consider

The good neas that although it was likely there was steel in the structure of the house - as part of support beaet in and out through all that glass

"Ah, yes, here is the proud ho out into the grand living room

Not even drapes to hide his presence It was as if he were a hae

Thethis stupid, and indeed, on Xcor&039;s back, his scythe began to hue

Xcor increased the binoculars&039;out of his breast pocket - a cigar And naturally, the lighter was a gold one He probably thought fire, like packagedto be a pleasure to kill hi with the others ould soon show up here

Indeed, the glymera&039;s Council had effectively stonewalled Xcor and his Band of Bastards No invitation to a e Not even an official response to the letter that had been sent in the spring

At first, this had frustrated hiun to chirp in his ear, and another path had been revealed

The best weapon in a as often not a dagger, a gun, or even a cannon It was soas It was soravity beyond measure

Information, solid, verified information, from a source inside your enemy&039;s camp, was atomic-bomb powerful

His missive to the Council had in fact been received, and as , whilst saying nothing, had i with the heads of all the re bloodlines - in person, at their places of residence

Bold e had a basis in reality: A king did not risk his life like that unless he was out of touch with his subjects and being forced to reconnect

In retrospect, it was even better than awith the Council There were a limited number of its members left, and all of them had known abodes Wrath had already had audiences with the majority, and, thanks to that little birdie, Xcor ell aware of as left

Shifting his focus around, he assessed the roof The porches The chi to Xcor&039;s source, Assail had arrived back in the spring, assumed ownership of this sieve of a homestead, and that was all the aristocrats knew Well, other than the odd notables that the ht no one with him - no family, no staff, no shellan - and that he kept to hilys fared in this new environ others of his ilk

There had been a younger brother, hadn&039;t there? Also coddled by that fallen Chosen mother of theirs Perhaps a half sister of some ill repute?

Behind hi, their weapons shifting Up above, storht, with the base dru as yet in the distance

He should have assu that it would cooing to have to do it hi randeur had been a mistake

At least he had his in on the Council In the after to need the support Fortunately, there were reed with hiurehead, and whereas in times of peace that was tolerable, in this era of war and strife it was insupportable

The Old Ways could keep thatIn the meantime, Xcor would wait for the proper moment, and strike decisively

It was tiotten footnote

"I hate waiting," Zypher muttered

" &039;Tis the only virtue that matters," Xcor shot back

In the foyer of the Brotherhood&039;s ht, the rand staircase, their weapons glea on their chests and at their hips, their brows drawn over cold eyes, their bodiesabout like those of stallions whose hooves could not be stilled

From the shadows outside the butler&039;s pantry, No&039;One waited for Tohr the first, but of late he had tarried longer and longer -