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"We are not brothers, Sunborn," he says, his voice wavering "You are master Do you not understand? I obey You command"

I tell him he chose me for his master I did not take him, as he thinks And it was he, not I, who commanded the assault team that took Kellan au Bellona’s ship He did that There was no Gold to guide hih What would Eo say to him? What would Dancer say?

"Our Color is the saer Red blood coils that mark his Color on his hands Then I take his blood and sold on the back of my hands

"Brothers All water All flesh All made from and bound for the dirt"

"I do not understand," he says fearfully, actually scooting back and away from me till I have him cornered like a little child "We are not the same You are from the sun"

"I anar Volarus, I release you from my service, whether your like it or not I will not let you be bound I will not let you be led You stay in this icebox till you are h to decide what you want You shoot yourself in the head You freeze yourself to death Go ahead But whatever you do, it will be because you chose to do it Perhaps you’ll choose to follow me Perhaps you’ll choose to kill me Whatever it is you decide, you must decide for yourself"

He stares at me, eyes ith terror

"Why?" he rumbles "Why do you shame me? In all the worlds, no man would reject a Stained I choose to offer myself and you spit on me What have I done?"

"When you offer yourself, you offer your brothers and sisters and people into slavery as well"

"You do not know" Ragnar seethes "We live to serve If we do not, Gold will end us We will be no o, in the Dark Revolt, the Golds killed more than nine-tenths of his Color Exter a population of predators That is the only history they know The one we give thenar The Golds teach you that you have always been slaves That Obsidians exist to serve, to kill But there was a time before Gold where man was free"

"Every man?" he asks

"Every man Every woman You were not born to serve Gold"

"No," he rumbles "You tempt me You bait me I have seen this before I have seen false words meant to trick The true words are known to me, to us Our mothers teach them ‘Fear and serve the men of Gold Or they will come with iron from the sky Gold will treat you with fire of the Sunborn For they are not bound by love Not bound by fear Not bound to earth, but to sky and sun Fear and serve the men of Gold’"

"I do not serve them"