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"I’d have given her back unhar pulled off his before leaping forward Hugh was ready for him He hadn’t the breadth of shoulder of a man always in armor, but clearly he had trained for war And why not? Abbots and churchents to war Such a man must be ready, even in the nant called

The king had far less grace than a bull He had strength, exasperation, and experience as he thrashed and struck, but there caant as an ax, his whore had said of his loveht, Liath could well believe it

Watching Hugh fight, she sa Hugh race of his movements, never too subtle or too bold Sweat broke first at the back of his neck Soet a sheen of sweat there and down between his shoulder blades How his hands would get aze never left his opponent; like a lover, he had eyes for no one else

Not even for her

She found her hands at her own throat, and she was tre all over The dance of swordplay went on regardless, bruises traded, a cut lip, hair gone da had a scar on one cheek that flared vividly the ested he didn’t fight sobut rather because he wanted to win Hugh was overh didn’t care about winning, he could focus all his efforts on defense

Her hands fell to her side Strange that she had reacted like that She had nothing to fear Eventually the king stepped back and, panting, tossed his padded sword aside He wiped sweat froht, Counselor I’ll, for God has chosen o back to attend the Holy Mother"

"And I o to the barracks to inspect the new troops You’ll attend ht"

"As you wish, ether and they strode off the field

Hugh lingered to speak to a steward,sure that provision had been made for the injured h alone with Liath Two servants loitered under the colonnade, ready to hurry forward at his command He mopped his face with a cloth and joined her in the shadow of a fig tree

"You’ve coet the book I’m surprised you came alone You have no reason to trust ly, but her voice said, "The book"

He gestured, inviting her to ith him "I’ve found an old scholar here who is fa in the central portion"

It had been so many months since he had stolen Da’s Book of Secrets from her that it took her a moment to understand what he ether The first book, written on parchia on the topic of sorcery: quotes and comments copied out of other books by Da over the years The third book, written in the infidel way on paper, was a copy of al-Haithan’s astronouration of the World She had never been able to read the e unknown to her, it reinal had penned in a feords in Arethousan as a gloss to the text, and soht her a little Arethousan

Hugh had taught her, in those terrible months when she had been his slave in Heart’s Rest

She stopped dead under the colonnade, shivered convulsively as the h her body Had she gone utterly h he were an ordinary man? He took two steps more, noticed that she had halted, and turned back quizzically to regard her Seeing her face, his expression changed

"I beg your pardon I have been too bold One of my servants will show you safely out of the palace Please believe you have nothing further to fear from me"

"I don’t fear you, I hate you," she wanted to say, but her voice said, "What do you mean?"

He looked away diffidently "It is i I ever expected, for I adht, and hoped, that I would find written there an ancient study of sorcery,since hidden from us"