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"I stand as surety forandainst Sanglant He still had a youth’s slenderness, no doubt because he was scarcely lant, he held tight enough that Sanglant wheezed before pulling him off

Bertha s, sharp, and strong, and none of Hugh’s fabled beauty

"You and your legion fought well in the battle," added Sanglant

"And lost a fair nuood marchlanders," she replied tartly "I pro her a reward for the sacrifice we Austrans and our cousins froe She lost her husband to a Quman raid last winter And surely you know that Bulkezu himself is rumored to have killed our lant could see where this was leading "She wants a royal prince as reco Ekkehard over with the sa a new horse "Not to a will feel her loyalty to King Henry has been aest child as her new husband"

"A rich prize, indeed Unfortunately, Ekkehard is abbot at St Perpetua’s in Gent"

Bertha laughed "And h is, so they say, a presbyter in Darre, confidant of the Holy Mother Vows to God may be conveniently put aside if earthly cares de the boy for a traitor because she wants to avenge herself on him for Prince Bayan’s death" A hard woh a fly had tickled her "He was a good lant, you’ll convince your sister otherwise Wendar will suffer if kin kill kin, as this boy should have known I think estion would serve us all best"

"We shall speak of this later Ekkehard will be sent to Quedlinhame meanwhile, to the care of our aunt, Mother Scholastica I’ll be leading the army out at dawn, to pursue what remains of the Quy She understood the uses of fast action on careed With a final glance at Ekkehard, she left with her ed," whispered Ekkehard, still clinging to Sanglant’s arht of that before you went over to the Quman"

"But surely you’d not allow them to kill me in such a dishonorable way I didn’t have any choice once Bulkezu had captured me--"

"Spare me your excuses, Ekkehard You’ve been a fool, and now you’ll suffer the consequences" He glanced over toward the bed where that shrouded figure lay "Ai, God, as his name, the one I killed?"

"Welf" Ekkehard had obviously been crying, and he began weeping again "He threw himself in front of et himself killed," ed it well enough," observed Sanglant "Isn’t that the way of war? I’ve a piece of news for you, Ekkehard One of your comrades, Thiemo, still lives--"

"Thiemo is alive! Where is he?"

"He serves another prince now I’ll let hier yours to command These other three--" They staold "You may return to the monastery or choose to suffer whatever fate Prince Ekkehard suffers Which will it be?"

For all their youth, for all their foolishness, for all their criraciously and proclai loyalty to Ekkehard They would ith him wherever it led, even unto death

"So be it" Sanglant was glad to see that they had that much honor He left them to stew, and to worry, and returned to the chails

Blessing, Anna, and Zacharias slept, while Matto and Chustaffus stood guard and Thie up for their prince The chah to boast two tables and three beds Wolfhere had pulled his ca into the ashes as though the dead fire still spoke to hilant crossed to stand beside him A few charred sticks lay in a heap to one side where they’d tumbled as they’d burned