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She did not answer

"I am Xandis Pierce Amberhill of Sacoridia An aristocrat, thief, and the owner of a fine if unintelligent stallion na farm I am not this Akarion"

"I knoho you are," Yolandhe replied "You wear his ring"

"A pirate wore this ring before me Did that make him Akarion reborn, too?"

"No It rejected hiratification of learning that he had royal blood, and the need to re, the facets of the ruby afire, lively in the wavering light He could claiht, but such possessions, and such status, required a great deal of responsibility

Without it, Ao where he wished, do as whim dictated, even scale walls to steal the jewelry of noblewo, he could never be so free He’d be collared by duty

He noticed Yap had drawn closer to the ship "What say you, Yap?" he called down "A reborn?"

"I dunno, sir, but all this treasure is cursed Keeping it can coht?"

"I wouldn’t touch it, sir" Yap shuddered

"Those et," A to Akarion, don’t they"

"They are not false"

He noted she did not deny to who such influence over him, especially from within, never mind from without The invasiveness of it irritated hi whether to reject all that treasure, he who had purloined the wealth of others for so long to rebuild his estate But no a another to alter his ain control over hi back," Amberhill said, sure this would prove to be the solution He took one last look at the treasure he was giving up and slipped the dragon ring off his finger Akarion’s skeletal hands lay across his breast One finger looked disjointed as though someone had tampered with it, no doubt Yap’s old captain who had stolen the ring Without another er, gold clicking against bone

To his surprise, Yolandhe did not object Yap, in contrast, looked jubilant

"Well done, sir! The right thing I aht so, too He felt no different, though, just pleased with hi the decision to stay free and unencu around on his finger, as had been his habit He glanced at his hand, then Akarion’s Akarion’s boney finger was bare A flesh was not