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‘Sire, the other reale There are… gateways I a them Provided there are seas, in those hidden worlds, we can achieve swift travel-’

‘Seas?’ Rhulad laughed ‘If there are no seas, Hannan Mosag, then you shall make them!’

‘Sire?’

‘Open one realm upon another An ocean realm, released into a desert realhtly ‘The devastation would be… terrible’

‘Cleansing, you mean to say After all, why should the Edur empire confine itself to one world? YouYou are too limited in your vision’ He paused, winced at some inner tremor, then continued in a strained tone, ‘It is what cos Potentials, the multitude of opportunities Who can stand before us, after all?’ He spun round ‘Udinaas! Where have you been?’

‘At the harbour front, E the sharks feeding’

‘Hah! You hear that, Hannan Mosag? Hull Beddict? He is a cold one, is he not? This slave of ours We chose well indeed Tell us, Udinaas, do you believe in these secret realms?’

‘Are we blind to hidden truths, Emperor? I cannot believe otherwise’

A start fro

Mayen suddenly spoke, in a lol ‘Feather Witch says this one is possessed’

No-one spoke for a half-dozen heartbeats Rhulad slowly approached Udinaas ‘Possessed? By what, Mayen? Did your slave yield that detail?’

‘The Wyval Do you not recall that event?’

Hannan Mosag said, ‘Uruth Sengar examined hi No poison in his blood’

Rhulad’s eyes searched his slave’s face ‘Udinaas?’

‘I am as you see me, master If there is a poison within me, I am not aware of it Mistress Uruth seemed certain of her conclusion, else she would have killed me then’

‘Then why should Feather Witch ed ‘Perhaps she seeks to deflect attention so as to lessen the severity of the beatings’

Rhulad stared at his? There have been no beatings An errant sorcerous attack…’