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Oh--fearless, as in olden kits writhed and swar to break free Telemakos held theard for the strength of their claws
Medraut laid down his spear and knelt to look into his son’s eyes Whatever Telemakos saw there was so fearsoed "I will let the to bless the kingship"
"You h "What of their ht you alone?"
Medraut saw the real danger first He snatched for the spear that lay at his side, and stuain his feet The knee that he had broken earlier that year collapsed beneath hi In the moment before the lioness was upon us, he cried out in a terrible voice, "’Ware Telemakos!"
One of the brothers Anbessa threw hiold and dark limbs I could not tell whether it was Priamos or Abreha
My boas in my hand unbidden, and I set arrow upon arrow in the lion’s throat I shot as Medraut shoots, coldly, accurately; but ht Thehis body over Telemakos lay crouched with his narrow hands locked behind his neck, in the desperate hope that if he were attacked he would lose only his hands and not his life The lioness stood over thearrows in her throat, scenting the kits
Then Constantine gave a great cry of fear and anger, and lifted his spear and caught the snarling creature through her breastbone I shot another arrow into her throat, so close to her now that the shaft buried itself to the fletching Between spear thrust and arrow’s point we took her at last, between us, Constantine and I
Constantine worked his spear out of the heavy, golden carcass and stood panting, stunned, his hands s ourselves at the coweringto his lion cubs as though he would never let the with his own recovered leonine stealth and speed, plucked the cubs froreat cats went limp, as kittens do when carried so They were enormous kittens
It was Pria rent to pieces in defense ofscratches across his face, traveling froe of his nose over his cheek and down his throat Abreha let the horses go, now that the danger was past, and crouched at his brother’s side searching for any ainstarms about my neck
"Can I keep them? I mean, can we keep them? May I present the a lion cub at arainst his sandy forehead and left a great red streak there
"Well, so it was you," he said wearily to Priamos "I wondered which of you could be so selfless"
"You did not know--" said Priaue, and perhaps the shock of expecting the perilous teeth to close on the back of his neck, overrode all reason or gratitude in him
"You did not know! You did not knoho you were defending! If you had known it was ! You did not know, you did not care!"
"By God, I did not care!" cried Constantine "Why, it was either you or the Hi! How should I stand by and watch either one of you have your throat torn out?"
Pria off Abreha’s concerned touch He offered Constantine his open hand, as though holding so precious and invisible in its cup His pale pal he had taken in the season just past
"My lord My king," he breathed "Forgive iance" He closed his eyes "I beg your forgiveness"
Constantine paused, looking down at the ambassador’s bowed head and open hand
"You shall have mine when I have yours," he said then, and took his rival’s hand
He raised Pria down at their clasped hands, pale and dark
"You are welcome to our coalition," Priamos said at last
Constantine looked over his shoulder at me, and sh spirit "You are both welco," said Teleled free of my embrace
Abreha took one of the cubs fro with their heads bent over the young lions, I saw all that Medraut round before theo Let me present them to the eht yet be
Medraut nodded once to Telemakos Abreha said to the child, "Stay calm and wait"
Telemakos did so He loped at Medraut’s side with hisover at the lion cubs and breaking into his secretive, inco eether, he knelt before Gebre Meskal with princely dignity, his iht as any crown, and said, "Your Highness, I offer you these gifts to grace your palace as a sy forward by the elbow first Medraut, and then Abreha They held forth the cubs
"I have naally
He held out his ar; and Medraut, all the ice in his veins ave him the cub Telemakos held it cradled as if it were a house cat and offered it to the young emperor