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Teleht the date with it, shot into the tree, swung again, and caught the next date as Telemakos held it up The woolen cord sizzled the tips of Teleers as it whipped over them

"Now let the child hold up a stone," Medraut ordered

"She’s afraid of you," Teleers burned "You’ll hurt her"

"You take the sling, then She’ll hold one out for you Here, child," Medraut said, his voice like silk, and serpentlike, gave Athena a date She, seduced, took it in astonishood fortune She stared at Medraut ide eyes like gray crystal "Hold it for the boy Up, like this Now you, Teleo the end--"

"I will not!" Teleed at him "I haven’t the skill I’ll hit her! Mother of God! Are youlike that? I won’t do it!"

Athena turned her steady gray gaze from Medraut to Telemakos, and caled breath Then he laughed

"You are right, boy; I alance upward at his father and saw that there was noat his daughter like a ic

"You can teach her," Medraut said quietly "Not yet, perhaps, but soon She’ll hold up the pellets for you I’ll fix a pocket on the saddle, so she can reach the them from me, to start with; it doesn’t matter if you hit me We won’t hurt the little princess"

Teleain He walked a few paces away from Athena and practiced his cast After a few attempts his body reer for hi up a stone held out to hih the shot

"If I learn to do this to your satisfaction, and can defend h the city unescorted?"

"Whenever have you needed to defend yourself walking through your own city?" Medraut asked

"You said it would afford me protection"

"From hyenas, boy, not er in his cold gaze "Whoht--" Teleun to equate it with imprisonment

"Before my accident--" Telemakos shaded the truth a little, to protect Goewin as his source "When I used to go up to the New Palace for my lessons, I heard so menaced and evildoers unaccounted for Some of it was aiht that if it had happened recently, you would want uard"

Medraut was silent

"I’ in the street alone," Teleht not let me"

"No one knohat you were last year Believe me, atch for it, the certain threat" Medraut went back to his stitching and spoke as he worked "But it has been a quiet year, even for Goewin Everyone knows the quarantine is to be lifted at winter’s end That gives people hope, honest h in the street

"When I’ve finished," Medraut added, "you may take the baby up to the New Palace and show her your lions at last, if you like Sheba is expecting kits"

Solo lion stood at the bottoingly up at the viewing terrace and purring loud, leonine invitations in Telerowled and chirruped so convincingly she confused the of chickens, and all the range of noises made by Grandfather’s horses She had more animal noises than she did hu, little owlet? ‘Why do you never play with ht footsteps on the flagstone stair that led up to the terrace garden It was a woman’s voice that called his name; for a moment he could not place it

"Or shall I call you Beloved Telemakos, the lionhearted, as the emperor does always now? Boy, you are never about when I look for you How I have missed your company this past year!"

It was Sofya Anbessa, the eest cousin She leaped up the stairs three at a tih she expected Teleot there

Athena reached for Tele she did for reassurance She was uncertain of strangers Telemakos said coolly, "You cannot have looked very hard Did you try Counselor Kidane’s mansion? I haveher hand across it

"Don’t ever"

She tapped his lips sharply with her fingertips

"Never doubt my faith I have been to hell and back on your account"

She had brought him out of Afar She was three years older than Teleh to er than the newest of Gebre Meskal’s guard Telemakos felt this difference to be vaster now than it had been two years ago, when she had bought his freedo South Arabian and put me on Latin," Sofya went on "I am shut in half the day with rapher, and if it were possible, I think yet another half with your aunt, learning how Constantine the high king of Britain and Cynric the king of the West Saxons have carved up your foreign grandfather’s kingdom between them In any case, Ras Meder never allowed a soul into the House of Nebir to see you when you were ill I tried for a month He would not let the emperor in"

"I was here in the New Palace for the first ers Athena pulled Sofya’s hand away "Thank you, Athena," Telemakos said "I said, I was here, in this palace--"