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"But not all love him back," Cade prompted

She bit her lip The question cas "No" She had to force herself to speak "Not Second E at all, and there are those who bridle at peace and live just for war They do not get it under King Zachary"

"The responsibility cannot be easy Do you know hian didn’t answer ilass of water Anything but talk about this But if she did not answer his innocent questions about King Zachary, ould he think? "Yes Occasionally a Rider will receive es directly fro an errand, depending on the nature of thein her voice, or maybe felt her tense beside hi about the Weapons

"I really don’t know too an said "They are secretive They receive e--it’s a keep on an island that is kind of the ho that if Cade pursued being a Weapon in her tie to train and prove hi of a separation would that be? The idea of any time apart disturbed her

When did this happen, she wondered, that she could not iht on her own for so long She’d been independent

But yes, lonely

Cade, she did not think, was the sort of ive up her independent ways He certainly would have no say over her duties as a Green Rider It was odd to realize, however, that returning home without him was a bleak picture she did not wish to contemplate Even if it meant the occasional separation as they pursued their individual duties

Yes, she thought, resting her head on his shoulder, there ht be periodic lapses of loneliness, but better that than not having hi coat of ing the air before him On the bier lay the emperor, his head upon a pillow, a red velvet cover drawn up to his chest He looked like one of the kings of old upon a sarcophagus with his pale marble face But the e after only eight years of rest The change in routine was disturbing, and there was no telling what state the emperor would be in when he woke

In fact, they never knew So, often violent They kept his chairls, bred for comeliness, stood ready in a nearby cha, carnal or cruel

The only other allowed into the chaht with him from the old days and armored in blood-red steel and leather, his faceprotruded fro apparatus, a pump, and the pair of cylinders he wore on his back It hissed and sighed as air was pus In some ways, his appearance reerous Few had seen the Guardian’s true visage

He was a tall, silent, and forbidding presence, and he carried only a longsword--no firearms He had been made immortal by the emperor, just as Webster Silk had been, but the Guardian had been by the e, before Webster had even been born As much as the Guardian watched the e was imminent Webster could tell by the subtly warmer hue in the emperor’s cheeks Webster’s own body was taut in anticipation Did the emperor’s shortened sleep period mean he’d be awake an extra two years? Did it o back to nors to know, for the e sometimes turned bloody and caused turs, of course, interfered with Webster’s oorkings It was he who had shaped the empire, solidified its power It was he who put laws and policies in place What better way to fulfill his existence than by steering the fortunes of a great empire? It was not so easy to occupy one’s time when one had all of eternity

He rarely took credit for his successes, and fe the true extent of his authority He did all he did in the e the true strength behind the throne His as not a complete secret, of course The Adherents knew

It was a fine thing to deploy the governing power of the e the eh he tried to speak His eyelids parted to slits and revealed the whites of his eyes Not long now

Eternal life had also brought Webster a stillness Where once he would have lost patience and been annoyed aiting, it now bothered him little He had time Few could afford patience the way he could, and it was just another way in which he wielded power over others

"Mead," the eood burning whisky"

If the eo so badly this tiuard on duty to fetch a variety of liquors for the eue with hile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">