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The air smelled of marble dust and paint The cereara Diskanar in his robes of state would stride down the length of the Royal Colonnade and enter the throne room, his queen a step behind on his left, his son the prince two paces back and immediately behind his father Or, rather, that was how it should have been

A trail of servants and guards had led Brys here, following the seee emptiness of the Eternal Domicile on this last stretch unnerved the Finadd, his boots echoing on the unadorned flagstones as he entered the reception chamber

To find the Ceda on his hands and knees directly in front of hi his fingertips along the joins in the floor Beside him was a tattered, paint-spattered basket croith scribers, brushes and stoppered jars of pigments

‘Ceda?’

The oldover the tops of the lenses, the contraption having slid down to the end of his nose ‘Brys Beddict? I’ve been wondering where you’ve been’

‘In the throne roo The surviving battalions and brigades are converging to the defence of Letheras Things have been rather… hectic’

‘No doubt Relevant? Significantly so Indeed, telling Now, count the flagstones across this chath, if you will’

‘What? Ceda, the king is asking for you’

But Kuru Qan had ceased listening He had begun crawling about, rit left behind by the builders

Brys wasflagstones

After he was done, he returned to the Ceda’s side Kuru Qan was si of his lenses Without looking up, he began speaking, ‘Battalions and brigades Yes,Brans

Keep Useful? The last of stone, Brys Will Merchants’ Battalion remain in the city? I think not It shall be cast upon those hills All of it The centre, Brys Beddict?’

‘The one before you, Ceda’

‘Ah yes Good Very good And what armies are left to us? How fare the fleets? Oh, the seas are unwelco, are they not? Best stay away Dracons Sea, at the very least, although the protectorates arenoises Korshenn, Pilott, Descent – they think they see their chance’