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"He su Cassius’s father, and flew to the Citadel to ask for justice from ArchGovernor Cylus, as he had twenty years prior when the Augustuses first rose up

"But instead of his old friend, he found young Nero on the ArchGovernor’s throne, backed by Praetorians and two Oly been told that Cylus was a threat to the Society by n I did as I was commanded The House of Cylus iped out and stricken froreen You know her as Octavia au Lune Younger then, she convinced her father to give Nero the throne of Mars and his revenge; in return, she earned Nero’s support when she led the faction that overthrew and killed her father five years later That is the man you started a war for"

"I didn’t know this," I say quietly

"History is written by the victors"

Lorn looks at me and the lines on his face seeo to war, Darrow In my time, I have seen a moon burn, because one man would not bow I have led a million warriors shot froin to understand the horror of it You think only of how beautiful it will be But they are men They are women They have families And they die by the thousands And you will be helpless to protect even the best of your friends"

"Ah!" He points uphill "There’s Icarus"

Rain drips frohs to find Icarus, Lorn’s pet griffin, sleeping in a great bed of h promontory inside the ss curve around hi with droplets of water His great eagle’s head is nearly larger than I, one of his eyes half the size of my skull The Carvers made him well

"He looks peaceful when he sleeps," Lorn says

"He’s bigger than any I’ve seen," I say, unable to conceal the awe in my voice

"You’ve not been to the pole of Mars or Earth, then"

"Where did you buy him?"

"Martian Carvers made him for my family Daenus as the beasts in the high aeries in Mars’s north pole The ones they use to terrify Obsidians into believing iant "Are you still in love with the ArchGovernor’s daughter?" He glances back at me hopefully "Is that why you do this? I heard about her and the Bellona"

"It isn’t about what happened between her and Cassius"

"No?" he sighs "I could have understood that, at least You were sloppy in that, you should know The Winding Wisp would have done hi a show"

"Sloppy Violets are showmen Did I train you to be a showman?"

I move past him to pet Icarus "So you do care about me"

He does not answer me for a spell, and it’s then that I know the moment is nearly upon us "In another life, you would have been one of my sons, Darroould have found you earlier, before whatever happened that filled you with this rage I would not have raised you to be a great reat iven you the quiet strength to grow old with the woive you is a chance Icarus," he boo round shudders as the creaturea tree as easily as I’d pull a hair