Page 49 (1/2)

"Open it!"

When Sabine patted the divan beside her, Lanthe nearly tripped on her feet to join her there "You haven’t read it?"

"No Rydstroether"

Lanthe saw Thronos’s handwriting and seal, and tears welled She didn’t trust her voice, so she circled her hand in the air, come on, co it "I wonder how your Vrekener will respond Rydstroine what this rebuttal will contain" Finally Sabine held up the letter, and together they read:

King Rydstroer Who the hell are you to advise me on how to treat my beloved wife? To make her happy?

Beloved wife? Lanthe’s tears spilled down her face,Sabine roll her eyes They read on

I think you and Queen Sabine have a mistaken impression of Melanthe’s life in the Territories

She roadom freely, fully earold, of which I plan to provide her ever s because I allow her to, or because she des are in our life

We co-rule our kingdoave a sob

"Thronos truly understands about the gold?"

"He m-met Mother when he was a boy He understands the importance"

Sabine didn’t look surprised, but then she’d long since woven an illusion over her face

However, upon further reflection over your letter, I realize that ratitude Melanthe is not only my wife and queen, she is my most treasured friend You helped free her froed your protection since

Because of this, I am deeply in your debt I wish for no war between us

If you can agree to ter that would include you with your wife, andthat you or Sabine will take her froainst her will

I look upon my powerful queen even now as I write this, and confidently dare you to try

Thronos

Lanthe choked back her next sob If he hadn’t written of her being a powerful queen, she’d probably be curled up in a ball, her tears wetting the divan upholstery

"That wasbig of hihtn’t to have blown up his kingdom?"

Lanthe whirled around and punched her sister in the tit Regrettably, Sabine earing a metal breastplate

As Lanthe shook out her hand, Sabine snapped, "You should’ve told me about your history with the Vrekener!"

"I didn’t knohat to ht pain I was embarrassed It seement to you"

"Can you not understand what it looked like to ht by a fiend I was just trying to protect you"

"I don’t need your protection anyates of hell and convinced deoddess" She held up her necklace, the red gold nearlySabine "I somehow made a portal under duress in the belly of a beast! Thronos and I prevailed over a deity"

"I can’t si you Short of your co me not to, it will never happen"

"Then fine, don’t stop But support me in this" She took her sister’s face in her hands "For old in the world He’s my next heartbeat"

Sabine was bewildered, and let her sister see it "Well Way to suth, she exhaled with defeat "All right, then, considercross I can’t stand having discord between us" She opened her ared her for long moments--she’d hated the discord too

Sabine was teary when they broke away "You know, the Queen of Zephyr is a very disagreeable sorceress In the future, if you’d like to spend soether, we could aht In case Thronos wants a flying wife, or whatever"

Lanthe s sis? I’d really like that"

"Also, if you’re out of leads, you could renewin the Base had delivered those antidotes for thefor King Lothaire in Dacia Wrap your head around that for apowers! "You’ve stopped looking for her?"

"We sought her--only to find her partner in crier It’s ruave the book to La Dorada for some reason"

Then Rydstrom owed the Queen of Evil a blood debt? That didn’t bode well And he and Sabine already had a lot on their plate

Because the reat idea," Lanthe said "I’ll send a dispatch to Dacia right away"

"There’s one more idea Cadeon caht be possible for you to summon him"

A female who slept with a demon of certain breeds could summon him at any tiredients The demon would uncontrollably teleport back to her