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The night guard trotted up, but Bulkezu gave a curt co children

Tears of elation wet Hanna’s lips "You uffaw Sobering, he drew another arrow froers The histled through his wings; she s toward them from camp

"I never miss" His expression darkened "Twice only, and they will suffer for it, when I have theain"

"Who could have defeated you, Prince Bulkezu?" She was too angry, at herself, at fate, at his arrogance, to watch her tongue, to curb her sarcasm, even if she kneasn’t wise

"Once, that Ashioi witch Once, that smart-mouthed priest"

"You tolerate insults from Boso all the time You can understand every word he says"

"Boso is a fool A dog would make a more worthy lord It aer Now Zach’rias was a clever ue I should have cut off his tongue instead of his penis I didn’t understand hih to knohich would hurt him worse My arrowan arriffin feathers bound into his wooden wings The touch raised blood on his skin, but the icked it away A thin rain of snow spilled from a tree branch, a shower of white that round

"But they only ht to humble me Now I’riffins, not just one" He did not sh

"You didn’t wear those wings when you fought against Prince Bayan and Princess Sapientia"

A spark of mischief and cruelty lit his expression "I wanted Bayan to know that even wingless I could defeat hi tiotten stuck in his throat The shrunken head rolled along his thigh, staring accusingly at Hanna "I’d never killed a lady lord in battle before," he continued at last, "so I thought it best to put hed a little again, trailing off into giggles as he stroked the hair on his shrunken head and lifted it "Do you know her?"

Bile stung in Hanna’s throat For a ht to No wonder the head, all twisted, blackened, warped, and nasty as it had become, looked familiar She kneho had died in that battle