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Or perhaps her expectations were forcing her appetite

"A griffaran coon aloft outside bellowed "Heimportant news for the Upholder, froot here," Halaflora said "Whatever could itand taking the exit that would bring hilobes-atop-squares flanking the long staircase down the mountainside

"Yark! Upholder RuGaard?"

"Yes," the Copper said Fourfang trotted up with a torch

"Written e Sent yesterday" The bird detached a tube from some sort of hook in its tail feathers and passed it to hiht here without a break Have you eaten? Fourfang, go down to the pool and see if there are any fish there"

"Read riffaran said "Then duty done"

The tube was one of NoSohoth’sith a claw-tip and extracted the paper inside

TYR DEAD PEACE DECREED TYR SIMEVOLANT RULES RETURN AT ONCE

The Copper blinked, unable to believe his eyes Each pair of words was harder to believe than the last

Bwaaaaaaak!

He started That was a blighter alar chamber His hearts froze for a second; then he spread open his wings and flew up to the balcony on the upper level He crashed through the tattered, burned re curtains and saw Halaflora, stretched out and twitching on the floor

Blood ran from a corner of herfor air, the horn hanging loose in her hand Over his mate Nilrasha stood, the claws of one sii bloody, scratched about her eyes

"Away fro his fire bladder well He tripped on his bad sii and sprawled next to his mate, but he didn’t care He rolled her undersize head toward hihtless

"She’s dead,you can do for her"

The Copper shook his mate, struck her face, turned her upside down, and shook her until scales fell off and skittered across the spotless feasting floor Finally he dropped her limp corpse

"What did you do?" he asked Nilrasha

"Do?" she choked

"Shwok’d?"

"A lizard? Yes, she tore off a big piece of thigh--I think it had a bone in it--and lifted her head and gobbled it right down, set at it withher head off"

"How did you get wounded?"

"She panicked She was flailing this way and that instead of letting me help her, and she scratched --"

"She’s been delirious these last few days She thought she was brooding, stupid thing"

"Get out of here!"

"But, Ru--I’et excited I shouldn’t have said anything"

"Just go"

AuBalagrave and the other dragons arrived, looking for ene--but they just found the Upholder, lying against his mate Nilrasha slipped out

"Leavewith her until she cools! All of you, get out No, not you, Rhea Clear away this ons departed, and Rhea bent to pick up the spilled platter of spitted calf

"Rhea Please speak to me For once in your life, don’t be afraid and speak Did you see this? What happened here?"

The pale girl--no, wo sacs had enlarged--looked at him with terrified eyes Then she fainted

He buried Halaflora on the ood view of the palace, the vale, and their sleeping cha in her bathing pool