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‘Not us We too are brothers of blood, you forget And I still command the warriors of the six tribes’

‘And how do you think the other noble warriors feel? They have all followed the ti and worthy deeds in battle They now find themselves usurped-’

‘The first warrior under e of row dull and notched’

‘No There will be no rebellion’

After a ht, and that is perhaps thetruth yet spoken this day’

Fear stood ‘You are my brother, Trull, and a man I admire But you walk close to treason with your words Were you anyone else I would have silenced you by now With finality No more, Trull We are an empire now An empire reborn And aits us And so I ht at the sides of your brothers?’

Trull leaned his back against the rough wall He studied Fear for a moment, then asked, ‘Have I ever done otherwise?’

His brother’s expression softened ‘No, you have not You saved us all e returned from the ice wastes, and that is a deed all no, and so they look upon you with admiration and awe By the sauidance There areyour reaction to what has happened If they see doubt in your eyes…’

‘They will see nothing, Fear Not in my eyes Nor will they find cause for doubt in my actions’

‘I a upon us soon His brothers of blood’

Trull also rose ‘Very well But for now, brother, I feel in need of solitude’

‘Will that prove dangerous coood as dead‘It hasn’t thus far, Fear’

‘Leavesudden exhaustion ‘And take the K’risnan with you Everyone, go – not you, slave Mayen, you too, wife Please go’

The sudden dismissal caused a moment of confusion, butRhulad and Udinaas To the slave’s eyes, Mayen’s departure looked ait stilted as if driven by near hysteria

There would be more moments like this, Udinaas suspected Sudden breaks in the nors And so he was not surprised when Rhulad beckoned hi of anguish and terror