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She left Varis’s rooradual y warainst her skin

Chapter Ten

Varis did not, in fact, know the location of Clarisse’s rooms; but at the bot om of the spiral staircase, he directed a crisp question to a cowed-looking servant, who told hio As Varis turned to start back up the stairs, the servant added, "But her death was accidental, Your Highness Her rooms are unoccupied"

So people stil did occasional y die by accident in this castle; Varis had been beginning to wonder Although Clarisse, obviously, was not one of them He folded his arms across his chest "Why haven’t they been cleared, then?"

"Prince Kestin ordered them left alone, after her death He hoped she would come back" The servant bit his lower lip nervously, but Varis kept his eyes trained on hi "When she didn’t, no one had the heart to approach hiements"

He hoped she would come back What a sick place this was Varis turned his back on the servant and strode on down the hal

Clarisse’s bedroole ornate table with three chairs, and a few rather griht--which did not, of course, mean that she wasn’t there

Varis closed the door behind hi forhe wasn’t sure what So that would help hi on the wal beside the bed was a painting of a young fa by the ular face and a s at the corners of his mouth The woman was on the border between plain and pret y, with reddish-brown hair and sharp, dark eyes She looked as if she didn’t quite belong in her stif ly e bored

The portrait was ht down thethe lued back together on a separate sheet of parchedly

Behind him, someone drew in her breath Varis turned to see Clarisse watching hi her bare shoulders with her fingernails She was noearing a dark green goith a daring neckline, her hair arranged in intricate loops and coils at the base of her neck Even with thebeast-woman fresh in his mind, Varis blinked in adlad you came," Clarisse murmured, but the sultriness in her voice see

Varis was trained to recognize weakness He took a seat on one of the ornate chairs "Who ripped the portrait?"

Clarisse leaned back against the doorpost "I did"

"And who glued it back together?"

"I did that, too" She let her ar rather than at hi his elbows on his knees, ignoring the burst of agony froht shoulder "And why did you do that?"

Her lips twisted She strode into the room and stood in front of the bed "That’s not real y what you’re here to ask me, is it?"

"I came because you invited me," Varis pointed out

"You would have refused the invitation if you thought you had nothing to gain fro her earlier tone, "I couldn’t stay away"

She laughed and smoothed her skirt doith her hands The look she turned on him lad I didn’t kil you"

"As aot to his feet as wel ; not a planned htly, expecting an at ack Clarisse leaned back with both hands on the bed, clearly waiting for him to walk over, but he only stepped to the side "Why did you try to kilher col arbone So obviously deliberate--yet so orders"

"I’m aware of that Why does the Defender want er wants you dead, and er want you dead I have

other uses for you" She pushed herself away from the bed "I just proved that, didn’t I? I saved your life"

"Even if you hadn’t shown up, Jano couldn’t have kil ed me"

"I would have kil ed you," Clarisse said, as if explaining the obvious to a very simple child

"Real y And hoould you have done that?"

She olden hair; but he had kno she would react, and by the ti out of the path of her lunge She recovered in an instant and turned, but by then he had his dagger out, its edge at her throat

an instant and turned, but by then he had his dagger out, its edge at her throat

Her green eyes ide and startled Then she laughed and h her slender throat; she went translucent as it passed through, then beca hi, but not half as strong as he was; he could have thrown her across the room without much ef ort Instead he met her eyes, mere inches from his, er lightly across the back of her ar at her ar at al now, and her beautiful face was contorted with fury