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Clarisse carab her shoulder to keep fro with her Her shoulder was firm and solid beneath his palrab her She half- turned so that his arm was around her, then looked up into his face, lips half-parted

Varis knew she was trying to distract hi, so he dropped his torch at the first crack from above Then he turned and ran

The stalactites fel froround in a thunderous cacophony One hit his uninjured shoulder, and he hissed and stumbled But he didn’t have at ention to spare for the pain He crouched low and ran, and when the second stone shard grazed his hip, he lunged low and threw hi stone thudded hard against his foot, and then he was rol ing on pebble-strewn ground The cavern was suddenly silent, the crash of stone gone, and aside frorabbed him by the back of his tunic and pul ed hiht; he saw Clarisse standing in the center of a cavern fil ed with broken rock, one of which had fal en point first through her It was stil standing upright, quivering in the center of her translucent body

Clouds of dust rose around her legs, and her eyes were alight with exhilaration

Varis kept his gaze on her, not bothering to struggle or try to look behind hirab the neck of his tunic to keep it froh the air around hi?" The voice was low and gravely, nothing like the unearthly rumble he had faced doith the Guardian "Your reason for triggering the spel ’s defense?"

Clarisse lifted her eyebrows "Would you have preferred his sister? I think it’s safe to say he’s theto the Guardian," the Defender snapped

Clarisse sured out the truth about the spel , and that the Guardian brought hio of his tunic and lifted both his arular; he jerked his head back before he could choke and snapped his shoulder blades together He dropped right out of the tunic, rol ed as he hit the ground, and caed wal

The Defender looked like a man, as Clarisse had predicted he would She had also said he looked like a dif erent ht, apparently, he was a thin, dark-skinned les The man didn’t turn to look at Varis; he round

"Are you more comfortable now?" Clarisse asked Varis

"Yes," Varis said, taking a deep breath "Actual y, I aain at the Defender, whose lips were curved upward The expression had the appearance of a hu hu, Clarisse had said He pretends it’s for their sakes, but it’s real y for hisSo far, she had predicted everything correctly--except for the lected to mention Varis’s heart pounded with fear and exciteainst his bare skin

Clarisse walked through the broken stones toward the with rock dust Her eyes blazed in the dusty glooet to kil him?"

"If you wish," the Defender said

"If you wish," the Defender said

Clarisse swung her head around to look at Varis, whose breath tangled in his throat He truly had no idea which one of the to betray

"If I do," Clarisse breathed, "he’l come back" Her eyes looked like they were on fire "That shouldfew centuries Do you think I can stay a step ahead of hi, and lowered it; the swift, unsteady lass flask, sedirinned as she extended it to the Defender "It’s good wine You should reestablish trade with the Green Islands, once you’re in charge"

Varishis expression The Defender didn’t even glance at him He kept his deep-set eyes on Clarisse as he accepted the flask "I haven’t had wine for years"

"Wel ," Clarisse laughed again, so easily even Varis ale to start with"

The Defender’s smile was a tiny bit closer to human this time He took the flask from Clarisse, tilted it back, and drank

The Guardian’s screah the corridors: hol ow and endless and terrible It froze the courtiersin the marble hal outside the throne roonored by the courtiers

It didn’t even slow Darri down

Cal ie turned her head just in ti down the marble corridor, the hem of her yel ow skirt stil dark with blood, the Guardian’s screao, wide eyed No one was sure as happening, and no one stopped her

Cal ie didn’t know she was going to do it until she did: reach out with one hand and grab the trailing edge of Darri’s silk sleeve Her sister could have easily pul ed away and kept going Instead Darri stopped and whirled

"What did you do?" Cal ie demanded

"I don’t know," Darri said "He didn’t start screa until I left"

"And what," Cal ie said, aware of al the eyes on thelanced around at the courtiers For the first tih ner, apparently, was less fun now that they had seen what she was capable of "Why should he do anything to me? I kil ed Cerix at his request And this country is a bet er place without hiely "This country wil be a far, far bet er place by the tian, but then a h the corridor She looked up and saw Kestin approaching the main entrance to the throne room The princeflashed between theave her a smal , sharp nod