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Bulkezu laughed The sound echoed weirdly, estured, and the interpreter hurried forward, eager to serve He had stolen a new tunic off a corpse about ten days ago and had recently gotten hold of a silver chain out of the ruins of a burned church The finery made him vain Hanna hadn’t known his name before, but now that he had a half-dozen prisoners to use as slaves, he had begun to style hinani the newly-captured prisoners rather than accept the leavings after the Quman had done with them

Bulkezu pulled off his helm He spoke, and Boso translated

"His Munificence feels a strong lad you do not face his wrath Because of his good hule to choose ten from your nuood fortune to be allowed to serve their Quman masters"

Was thisnot to understand his words Already Qu the three hundred or so captives, testing the soundness of lily fat they were, prodding the few men who remained, those who hadn’t been killed in the first assault or the final desperate fighting Soood slaves; sole Bulkezu and his men kne to tell the difference

"What will happen to those left behind, the ones I choose?" she asked

Bulkezu kept a stony face until Boso translated her words His reply ift and certain "His Bounteousness gives his word that they will be allowed to stay behind, unle choose"

The reputation of the Kerayit sha Bulkezu had not laid a hand on her, but perhaps hedifferent methods, arded hi ready as always to burst out laughing

She ain at the townsfolk They were beaten, they were lost, but a few had led to keep their expressions blank, she saw hope flower in their eyes, she saw hatred burn for the choice she would be allowed to have over theirl with the torn sleeve hissed "Slave! Traitor!"

She wasn’t talking to Boso

The townsfolk all looked at Hanna; in their hearts they knehat she was, if she rode airl’s accusation Boso whispered to Bulkezu, and the prince snapped a coed forward, thron to her knees before hian to snivel and cry She couldn’t have been more than thirteen He drew his sword

"I choose her," said Hanna hastily "I am a prisoner, too I have no choice, I didn’t ask to travel with the townsfolk, but they didn’t believe her They hated her nohatever they believed of her, because she had the power of life and death over them, the power to choose ould reame to play with them, and with her Hope is often cruel

But if she didn’t choose, then they would all suffer as Bulkezu’s slaves

He laughed as she chose the couple with the two small children, a man with the burly arms of a sirl clinging to her side--because by the tiing and pleading to be chosen the their innocent children forward in the hope of saving the her cheeks, bringing tears The Quman warriors shoved the desperate townsfolk back, away from Hanna

Children wept The boy with the cut cheek shuddered as his sister gripped hihtly, but no sound escaped hian to claw the ground as though hehiers His blood had spattered the front of his linen tunic

"Two more," cried Lord Boso cheerfully The townsfolk’s fear excited hi thereedy desire

The Quman watched without expression, all except Bulkezu, who found the scene ahter She hated him all the more because it would have been easier to hate hihed, even when he reveled in her pain and in his captives’s despair, when his laughter revealed a pitiless and ugly heart, none of that darkness marked his handsome face