Page 222 (1/1)

Hanna looked him over, the smooth cheeks and vivid, almond-shaped eyes, the breadth of his shoulders under armor, the lift of his chin to draw attention to his handsoesture eerily relant, the better, no doubt, to display his wealth of glossy black hair "How can that be?" she said, having learned so of him in the last weeks "Is there any man handsomer than you?"

"One," he adolden hair, spun fro "Women love a handsome man Why, women already married have risked death to creep betweenht Quman men did not marry outside the tribes"

"Any man would be a fool not to marry a Kerayit shaman’s luck if she offered herself to him"

"This one hasn’t offered herself to you"

He laughed "Yes, better that you stay out of my bed I respect you now, but I wouldn’t once I’d conquered your body"

"Which do you want?" she said, irritated by his gaainst whoainst anyone who stands in my way"

A drum rapped smartly in the distance, answered by a second He cocked his head to one side, listening to the ht He whistled, turned aside his horse, and his night guard fell in around him Hanna had no choice but to follow; she couldn’t escape their net Twilight washed the prisoners to gray, but the darkening light could not hide the smell of despair or the stink of diarrhea and sickness An infant cried on and on and on Hanna was suddenly hungry, sht on the wind, but the appetizing scent curdled in her stoside the line of prisoners, ht and had not eaten last night or the night before

While she feasted tonight, a child would die of starvation, just as one had last night, and the night before The Eagle’s burden had never weighed as heavily as it had these last months, since her capture She had to witness and re So: her deter

Bulkezuparty, cos would beHenry than others

Prince Ekkehard and his co princely Quether from armored coats stripped off of dead s, supple leather gloves, painted shields, everything but the wings, which they had not earned Everything but the shrunken heads, which not even Ekkehard had the stoht loot, and news Lord Boso was called back frouard to translate as Lord Welf delivered the report

"Lord Hedo’s fort was stripped of soldiers and easy to take The servants said his son ht in Saony"

"Who is fighting in Saony?" asked Hanna

"Duchess Rotrudis’ children" With his highborn arrogance, meaty hands, and scarred lip, Welf looked remarkably like a fool to her, especially when he could barely bring himself to answer her just because she was common born He only spoke to her because Bulkezu had a habit of whipping, and once castrating,the water brought for her bath, not getting out of her way fast enough as she walked through ca to look her in the eye, who bore the luck of a Kerayit shaained at the fort was a fine haul: gold vessels; silver drinking cups; ivory spoons; and two tapestries

"His Contemptuousness bids you keep what you have earned," said Boso, translating for Bulkezu "For are you not brothers? Are you not honorable, in the way of all noble folk?"

How Bulkezu kept his expression blank Hanna did not understand, considering the insulting way Boso had of speaking It was another one of his charades, the games he played incessantly with his prisoners, because even Ekkehard, for all that he now rode and fought with the are e wide on a leash Ekkehard had women, he had silks, he had uard, which he evidently chose not to recognize for what it was: his jailers Let hi under Bulkezu’s banner and it would be too late for hio back to his father’s hall and authority

No doubt Bulkezu counted on it He didn’t care one whit for Ekkehard He had just found away to ruin him