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‘How ht thousand Every ship Most of them are warriors, of course The rest travel overland and the first groups have already reached the Sollanta border’

‘Supplies?’ the emperor asked

‘Sufficient for the journey’

‘And nothing is being left behind?’

‘Naught but ashes, sire’

‘Good’

Udinaas watched Hannan Mosag hesitate, then say, ‘It is already begun There is no going back now’

‘You have no reason to fret,’ Rhulad replied ‘I have already sent wraiths to the borderlands They watch Soon, they will cross over, into Lether’

‘The Ceda’s frontier sorcerors will find thee Merely flee I have no wish to show their power yet I e overconfidence’

The two Edur continued discussing strategies Udinaas listened, just one ar watched his father rebuilding, with ether words spoken aloud yet clearly meant for himself, whilst his wife looked on with the face of an old, broken wohastly reprise, a revivification that offered nothing worth rejoicing in A king had been cast down, an emperor risen in his place The world was knocked askew, and Trull found himself detached, numb, witness to these painful, tortured scenes in which the innu atte in exhausted silences in which tensions slowly returned, whispering of failure

They had one and all knelt before their new emperor Brother and son, the kin who had died and now sat bedecked in gold coins A voice ravaged yet recognizable Eyes that belonged to one they had all once known, yet now looked out fevered with power and glazed with the unhealed wounds of horror

Fear had given up his betrothed

A terrible thing to have done

Rhulad had demanded her And that was… obscene

Trull had never felt so helpless as he did now He pulled his gaze from his father and looked over to where Binadas stood in quiet conversation with Hull Beddict The Letherii, who had sworn his allegiance to Rhulad, ould betray his own people in the war that Trull kneas now inevitable What has brought us all to this? How can we stop this inexorable ht this, brother’

Trull looked over at Fear, seated on the bench beside hiht what?’

His brother’s expression was hard, alry ‘He carries the sword, Trull’