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Lord Jacos refused his son’s request, of course His heir would not go to Delphie to translate cru records and archive petty artifacts "No point in it," he said Just as he saw no point in ularly voiced that opinion

Both children were gutted, feeling their escape snatched away Even Jessah she said nothing to either But Coriane knew their old cousin went easy on her in their first months at court, or rather, she was hard on the drink For as much as Jessamine talked of Archeon and Suin consumption was any indication

More often than not, Coriane could slip away during Jessamine’s daily "nap" She walked the citya place she enjoyed, so sea of her life

She found no such place--instead she found a person

He asked her to call hi the royals and a precious few friends "All right, then," Coriane said, agreeing to his request "Saying ‘Your Highness’ was getting to be a bit of a pain"

They first e that spanned the Capital River, connecting both sides of Archeon A marvelous structure of twisted steel and trussed iron, supporting three levels of roadway, plazas, and commercial squares Coriane was not so dazzled by silk shops or the stylish eateries jutting out over the water, but e itself, its construction She tried to fathom how many tons of metal were beneath her feet, her mind a flurry of equations At first, she didn’t notice the Sentinels walking toward her, nor the prince they followed He was clearheaded this tiht he would pass her by

Instead, he stopped at her side, his warentle ebb like the touch of a suaze to the steel of the bridge "So?"

She inclined her head in a bow, but didn’t want to embarrass herself with another poor curtsy "I think so," she replied "I was just wondering howit will keep us up"

The prince let out a puff of laughter tinged with nervous He shifted his feet, as if suddenly realizing exactly how high above the water they were "I’ll do ht out ofnotions to share?"

"How rin Half only, because soe of the capital was not a happy place for Coriane

Nor Tiberias Calore "Would you favoran arm This time, Coriane saw no hesitation in his of a question He knew her answer already

"Of course" And she slipped her arm in his

This will be the last tiht as they walked the bridge She thought that every ti