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But now their foes lay broken at their feet, and he and the Par’chin stood to show them the sun

If Jardir lived to be a thousand, he would never tire of the sight The de like hot coals before bursting into bright fire, casting a flush of heat over his face It was a daily reht, Everath It was the one moment of every day when hope overpowered the burden of his task to free his people of the alagai It was the moment when he felt as one with Evera what his faithless ajin’pal saw in the fla as shadows fled, but there was still a hint of his ajin’pal’s aura, and the hope and strength of purpose that filled it in that aze "It is so easy to reet the similarities"

The Par’chin nodded sadly "Honest word"

"How did you find the lost city, Par’chin?" Jardir asked

Arlen could not read Jardir’s aura in the daylight, but the sharp, probing look in his eyes told hi it, biding his ti

And it had worked Arlen knew his face in that instant told Jardir hts offered up a dozen lies, but he shook theether, it must be as brothers, honest and with trust, or their task was dooan

"Had ait would not end there

"And where did you get this map?" Jardir pressed "You could not have found it out in the sands Such a fragile thing would have long since cru his back, and met Jardir’s eyes "Stole it from Sharik Hora" Jardir’s nod was calm, the act of a disappointed parent who already knohat his child has done

But despite his posture, Arlen could snore He readied hiht of day if it caht, knowing it sounded far simpler than it was He’d rather climb a mountain without a rope

"How did you accomplish this?" Jardir asked with that same tired tone "You could not have penetrated Sharik Hora alone"

Arlen nodded "Had help"

"Who?" Jardir pressed, but Arlen simply inclined his head

"Ah," Jardir said "Abban He’s been caught bribing dama many times, but I did not think even he could be so bold, or that he could have lied todiscovered"

"He ent stupid, Ahmann," Arlen said "You’d have killed hiue Don’t you deny it Wasn’t his fault, anyway He owed me a blood debt, and I wanted the map in payment"

"That ed "What’s done is done, and he did the world a favor"

"Did he?" Jardir asked His cal in till they were nose-to-nose "What if the spear was not meant to be found yet, Par’chin? Perhaps ere not ready for it, and you denied inevera by bringing it back before its tiance, Par’chin? What then?"