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‘It is thy belief that Cyrgon deceived thee into bringing Bhelliom within his reach, Anakha?’ Xanetia said
‘Why bother to ask, Anarae? You knohat I’on believes that he could use Bhellio their neighbors again’
‘I told you so,’ Danae re city ‘I think I need a divine opinion here,’ he said ‘Up until very recently, we all believed that Bhellio – powerful, but just an object We know that’s not true now Bhelliom has its own personality and its oill It’s more of an ally than just a weapon Not only that – and please don’t be offended, Aphrael – in some ways it’s even more powerful than the Gods of this world’
‘I am offended, Sparhawk,’ she said tartly ‘Besides, I haven’t finished telling you that I told you so yet’
He laughed, swept her up into his ar
‘Isn’t he a nice boy?’ Danae said to Xanetia
The Delphaeic woman smiled
‘If we didn’t know about Bhellioon have known? I don’t think Azash did Speaking as a Goddess, would you want to pick up soht just decide that it didn’t like you all that much?’
‘I wouldn’t,’ she replied ‘Cyrgon ant that he ainst its will’
‘But he couldn’t, could he? Azash thought he could control Bhellios The rings can coon be as stupid as Azash was?’
‘Sparhawk, you’re talking about one of my distant relatives Please be a little ht She absently kissed her father
‘Don’t do that,’ he said ‘This is serious’
‘I know It helps me to think Bhellioht, Sparhawk Azash wasn’t really very bright Cyrgon has the same sort of personality, and he’s made several blunders in the past That’s one of the drawbacks of divinity We don’t have to be intelligent We all know about Bhelliorips with the notion of its will before Did it really talk to Sparhawk the way he said it did, Xanetia? As an equal, I mean?’
‘As at least an equal, Goddess,’ Xanetia replied ‘Bhelliom and Anakha are allies, not friends – and neither iswith this, Sparhawk?’ Danae asked
‘I’on h Hethat’s going to defeat hie here, but we should probably give a great deal of thought to just exactly hoe’re going to use it’
‘You’re hateful, Sparhawk,’ Danae said
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘You’ve just taken all the fun out of all the "I told you so"s I’ve been saving up’
Zalasta arrived in Matherion two days later After only the briefest of greetings to the rest of thehten it out, Vanion,’ Sparhawk assured the Preceptor ‘He’s her oldest friend, and he’s far too wise to be infected with irrational prejudice’
‘I wouldn’t be all that sure, Sparhawk’ Vanion’s face was glooht she was too wise, and look what happened there This blind hatred may infect the entire Styric race If Zalasta feels the sa to do is reinforce her prejudices’
Sparhawk shook his head ‘No, my friend Zalasta’s above that He has no reason to trust Elenes either, but he illing to help us, wasn’t he? He’s a realist, and even if he does share her feelings, he’ll suppress theht, he’ll persuade her to do the same She doesn’t have to like Xanetia All she has to do is accept the fact that we need her Once Zalasta convinces her of that, the two of you will be able to patch things up’
‘Maybe’
It was several hours later when Zalasta eh-hewn Styric face somber ‘It will not be easy, Prince Sparhawk,’ he said when the two of them met in the corridor outside ‘She is deeply wounded I cannot understand what Aphrael was thinking of’
‘Who can ever understand why Aphrael does things, learned one?’ Sparhawk s person I’ve ever known sometimes As I understand it, she doesn’t approve of Sephrenia’s prejudice, and she’s taking steps The expression "doing soood" always implies a certain amount of brutality, I’m afraid Were you able to talk any sense into Sephrenia at all?’
‘I’hness,’ Zalasta replied ‘Sephrenia’s already been deeply injured This isn’t a good time for a direct confrontation I was at least able to persuade her to postpone her return to Sarsos’
‘That’s soo talk to the others A lot has happened since you left’
‘The reports come from unimpeachable sources, Anarae,’ Zalasta said coolly
‘I do assure thee, Zalasta of Styricum, they are nonetheless false None of the Delphae have left our valley for well over a hundred years – except to deliver our invitation to Anakha’
‘It’s happened before, Zalasta,’ Kalten told the white-robed Styric ‘We watched Rebal use soroup of Edo one sees in second-rate carnivals, learned one,’ Talen explained ‘One of his henchht and a puff of smoke; then somebody dressed in old-ti and started bellowing in an ancient for Incetes rising fro Ones were not so gullible, Master Talen,’ Zalasta objected
‘And the felloho gulled theed ‘A skilled fake canas they aren’t close enough to see the hidden wires Sephrenia told us that it icians, so they have to cheat’
Zalasta frowned ‘It s were brief and at quite some distance’ He looked at Xanetia ‘You are certain, Anarae? Could there perhaps be some of your people who live separately? Who are cut off from Delphaeus and er be of the Delphae, Zalasta of Styricum We are bound to the lake It is the lake which doth ht which doth illus which do ravely ‘Thou art Styric, Zalasta of Ylara, and thou art well aware of the consequences of reed, ‘to our sorrow’