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Finding hoh All the other occasions she had transcended tihost of the First Rider, or Laurelyn, queen of Argenthyne She had not achieved it on her own, but there had to be a way

Their descent down the stairs seeround Their feet thudded almost rhythmically on the stone steps The bonewood kept her fro too much

When they reached the botto, and entered the underground, its existence still shocked her Even though she kneas there, had seen it herself and pictured it in her mind since, she still could not believe it She shied froain for the city, her home, that was noa half-shadow across his face "Yes, no matter how often I travel this way, I, too, feel unsettled"

They continued on past the facades of buildings that were faround oppressed Karigan as though all the weight of the earth that covered it also bore down on her shoulders

"I also fear," the professor said, "that some day some catastrophe could do the same to Mill City It is not the most beautiful of places, but it isno more as if afraid to break the round She tried to remember this section of the city as daylit and full of travelers afoot and on horseback, riding in carriages and wagons, the traffic strea up and down the street as shoppers paused to peer into s, but she could not quite get past the deadness of it all

Eventually they ca that contained the stairs that led into the bowels of theuntil they alighted on the landing of the second floor where the professor kept his library and Cade Harlowe had practiced his fighting technique This time, however, Cade was absent, and all was dark except for the professor’s taper, which was no low in the vast space In hts, leaving the pair of the for several moments

The professor shed his soan hurried after hirand scale of the room with its velvet draperies, polished floor, and fine furniture occupying an otherwise rough interior She glanced at Cade’s wall of practice weapons with soers she understood; the cabinet with a few of the snub-nosed weapons--the guns like that which the Inspector had brandished earlier in the day, she did not

When they arrived at the professor’s sitting area with his desk and shelves of books, he turned to her "You have questions about the rise of the empire I will tell you what I have discerned froo outlawed There is so much that remains unanswered, but I will tell you what I know Perhaps you’ll be able to answer a few things in exchange"

At that an did not see the sometimes preoccupied professor, befuddled by women and the dictates of society She didn’t even see the man made solemn by mes of this complex and killed hundreds of workers No, she saw a man with a canny eye and a sharp wit, the man who had been able to hide his anti-empire activities and cache of artifacts fro ti with secrets

"I need to know," she said "How did Sacoridia fall?"

THE FALL OF SACORIDIA

The professor gestured for Karigan to take a seat on one of the overstuffed leather chairs while he re, his hands clasped behind his back as if he was about to deliver a lecture before his students

"You are aware of the dissidents that called themselves Second Empire?" he asked

"Very," she replied

"They built up their arh to actually challenge King Zachary’s forces"

"The king has been working to counteract them"

"He failed"

The words fell as a blow that would have knocked her to her knees had she been standing Rationally she’d known King Zachary must have failed for his real it spoken so baldly? She closed her eyes wishing it was not so but kneishing would change nothing

"By whatever means," the professor continued, "the forces of Second Erew to be a serious threat Battles on and lost, but the fiercest and bloodiest happened right here" He flung his arms wide to encompass the area around them "Mill City not only stands on parts of the Old City, but also on a battlefield The last battle took place before the Old City’s gates It is said the conflict raged forto breach the city walls" He paused, as if deep in thought, then added, "They don’t make walls like that anymore, do they Clan D’Yer’s work, if I’an replied Clan D’Yer, renowned masons, had also built the vast wall that separated Sacoridia from Blackveil Forest; a wall that had withstood the forces of nature and ic for a thousand years There had been no better stoneworkers than Clan D’Yer, and yet, as she had seen today, Sacor City’s walls, and the castle itself, had been more than breached--they’d been pulverized "How didhow did they overcole" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">