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Lanthe couldn’t stop the grin that spread over her face "Why indeed?"

Nereus gazed at her set-down-to-business look "You want to get to know ht as well have cracked his knuckles "So tell me, what is the favorite pasti wine and watching TV" She illustrated the first with a deep draw frolass

"Adills?" he asked, as if he was ticking off a mental list of questions

"I’d wonder how to accessorize the males?"

"Generally not a fan" The dick was speed-date interviewing her! "I’h-maintenance, usually ht as well have said, "Preach"

"In five years, where do you see yourself?" Nereus asked "With more than a dozen spawn? Or fewer?"

"Absolutely fewer than a dozen"

"Pets in the bed Yay or nay?"

"Depends on the pet"

"For instance, a pod of Nereids"

--Yes, Melanthe, tell us Hoould you feel?--

--Gold preserve et a pass?"

Nereus hesitated, then let her off the hook on that one "If you could meet any Lorean, alive or dead, ould it be?"

Finally a question that wasn’t laden with skeevy undertones In all honesty, she would have liked a chance to talk to her mother

She wished she could tell Elisabet that she now understood how difficult it must’ve proved to be the vessel of an Accession, to be banished from her Deie Sorceri faet a child like Omort

Lanthe no Elisabet had done the best she could Their father, too

But Lanthe could never answer honestly So she glibly said, "Naturally, it would be you, Nereus"

If the god noticed that her ed, he didn’t indicate it Yet she felt Thronos’s penetrating eyes on her

"Flattering sorceress," Nereus fake-chided, but she could tell he was pleased The questions resumed "What’s your favorite art and music, across all planes and worlds?"

She felt herself relaxing This was an easy subject for her "For art, I enjoy the Helvitan round bloodroot on a canvas of cured flesh is nothing short of inspiring For enre called top one hundred Or, of course, classical Draiksulian Those fey kno to compose a jaunty tune I noticed earlier that your Nereids were playing thirteenth-century sirenades Lovely"

"They were indeed! I hadn’t thought anyone would notice" He narrowed his green eyes "You are clearly well educated How are you at trivia?"

Soa frouess I’, I’d often read to pass the time"

"Then answer this: Who was the leader of the Three-Century Rebellion in the Quondaod "Actually, that rebellion was in the Quandiatur the Battlecrafter"

Nereus gave a robust laugh, his oiled chest ruht I would stump you"

"My sister and I studied ruthless leaders to pick up pointers We were convinced ould rule the worlds in one great co-queendom"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thronos cast her a quizzical look --You know a great s--

--Maybe I earned ? I’m not an empty-headed biestion that I study Vrekener history and spend tih--

Nereus too was ie "I find you to be quite learned about art and culture and the ways of the world I’ve made my decision" His hand landed on her knee "With your beauty and sexual prowess, you would be ideal for spawning"

He had been interviewing her She glanced down, saw Thronos’s ar as he clenched his fists

--You said you’d roll with this!-- She sipped frooblet to buy time

Thronos drained his --If you’d been alone, would you have received Nereus?--

--Anatomically, I would have concerns-- So how should she lead Nereus off this spawning path? Bait and switch? Whom could she throw under the bus?

It came to her in a flash "My dear Nereus, while I’m humbled that you would think of ana was a big girl She could handle an infatuated god

"I don’t understand"

Lanthe peeled his hand froana’s interest in you? She constantly rhapsodizes about your prodigiousintellect"

"I was not aware of this"

"For me to cross the Queen of Sorceri in this would be a fatalwould prove fatal

Morgana was a queen in two senses Just as Lanthe was the Queen of Persuasion, with a persuasive ability greater than that of any other, Morgana--the Queen of Sorceri--possessed the ability to control her subjects and their powers absolutely Plus, she was also the regent of the Sorceri

"Is Morgana so fearsome, then?" Nereus asked

"We are all fairly much helpless before her" Well, except for her arch-nemesis La Dorada--who, incidentally, had risen for this Accession "Taking soana wants would be a treasonous act"

He stroked his beard "I will have to think on that"