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"Those Quman are bad," she announced

"Yes, they’d like to break into the city and burn everything"

"But Dada won’t let theo away"

Because Zacharias didn’t reply at once, strangled by that plaguey fear, Matto strode forward indignantly "Of course he will! There isn’t anyone who can stand against the prince"

"Of course, lad," said Zacharias weakly as he gazed down on the distant arround

Blessing wriggled out of his grasp and set out to cli behind her to lared at him to make him move back a step

"Let her take a few falls, Matto," said Anna as she watched the deter with a toehold in the wall "She’ll learn better that way"

Zacharias chuckled "Where did you learn such wisdoht She hadn’t trusted him since the day she learned that he refused to pray to God

With a sigh, he turned away The rain had stopped and a dense huh to lick out of the air Twilight closed in and restlessness seized hio He just had to be patient He’d survived seven years as a slave of the Qu and wondering He could survive Wolfhere’s damnable secretiveness

He ducked back under the awning just as a cocky young soldier, windblown and rather dirty, entered from the other side to approach captain and prince

Sanglant sat up with sudden alertness, setting down his cup "Sibold I’lad to see you back safely What’s your report?"

Sibold had a rakish grin and a knife scar under his left ear, just the kind of reckless young man ould volunteer to ride out closer to the Quman lines to reconnoiter He sauntered forward "My lord prince The ditches ell pleased to hidethe Qu in the Quate, but there are two smaller camps, one southwest by the Floyer shore and the other north and east past the ferry I saw four scouting parties, none above seven lanced at Wolfhere, as still intent on his gaht is as keen as rumor has it"

"Even if princes do not always trust it,"up from the board

The prince ser and handed it to the young soldier "You risked your life to bring us that report It will serve rin, Sibold backed away before swaggering out into therain, no doubt to boast to his colant picked up the dice still scattered on the carpet "We’ll attack in the "

Now his noble companions roused

"But my lord prince," objected Lord Hrodik, "all the Quman soldiers are mounted Three hundred of them! We have only one hundred and thirty, even if they are all horserinned "Therefore they will not be at too great a disadvantage" The prince took his dragon hel it and turned it in his hands, exaon orna "Do you have a better plan, Hrodik?"

Thus challenged, the young lord fell all over hi and finally Zacharias could stand his whining and aard flattery no longer He slipped away to the corner given hi himself up in his cloak, he dozed off

Only to wake, later, feeling Heribert’s warmth at his back The pad of a sentry’s footsteps drifted to hiht air, had already gotten its claws into hilant lost the battle sure to co? Would it be better to end his life by his own hand, or would that e to throw himself in the path of a Qu hiain?

He shuddered, thinking of thethe rake of the snow leopard’s claw on his shoulder, returned him to Bulkezu?

Death would be better If he only had the courage to eht was hazy, the stars half hidden The camp lay silent, shrouded in , and twoas the flames leaped and crackled: Wolfhere with his back to Zacharias, and a second person, fainter than the Eagle, sitting opposite Wolfhere But that second person was no e, so thin she seemed without substance, like a shadow