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‘That ht have been a bit inconvenient,’ Kalten noted
‘I don’t quite understand,’ Talen said ‘The last few tiet Bhellios Does thatsir,’ Xanetia s and is therefore in sos For his are not needful Zalasta did perceive this When Anakha sleerig and took up the Bhellios as beacons to guide hiress, and thus did he watch Anakha’s erous tone ‘How did you get ? And what’s this?’ She extended her hand to show hilass?’
He sighed ‘Aphrael stole your ring for me,’ he replied ‘She’s the one who provided the substitute I doubt that she’d have used glass’
She pulled the ring off her finger and hurled it across the roo, you thief’
‘I didn’t steal it, Ehlana,’ he protested ‘Aphrael did’
‘You took it when she gave it to you, didn’t you? That !’
‘Yes, dear,’ he replied meekly ‘I meant to do that, but it slipped my mind’ He took out the box ‘Open,’ he told it He did not touch his ring to the lid He wanted to find out if the box would open at his command alone
It did He took out his wife’s ring and held it out to her
‘Put it back where it belongs,’ she coave her the box, took her hand, and slipped the ring onto her finger Then he reached for the box again
‘Not just yet,’ she said, holding it out of his reach She looked at the Sapphire Rose ‘Does it knoho I am?’
‘I think so Why don’t you ask it? Call it "Blue Rose" That’s what Ghwerig called it, so it’s familiar with the name’
‘Blue Rose,’ she said, ‘do you know me?’
There was aand then brightening
‘Anakha,’ Talen said in a slightly wooden voice, ‘is it thy desire that I respond to the questions of thy mate?’
‘It ell that thou didst, Blue Rose,’ Sparhawk replied ‘She and I are so intertwined that her thoughts are mine and mine hers Whether ill or no, we are three Ye two should know one another’
‘This was notnote in it
‘The world is ever-changing, Blue Rose,’ Ehlana said, ‘and there is no design so perfect that it cannot be improved’ Her speech, like Sparhawk’s, was profoundly forht imperil my life should I touch thee Is there in truth such peril?’
The wooden expression slid off Talen’s face to be replaced with a look of bleak determination There is, mate of Anakha’ The note in Talen’s voice was as hard and cold as steel ‘Once did I relent and once only, when, after ages uncounted of lying i to lift me fro unto thee, was the result With cruel i carve and contort rotesque forly submit to the touch of Anakha in the sure and certain hope that he will liberate me from this shape which hath become my prison It is death for any other’
‘Couldn’t you…?’ She left it hanging
‘No’ There was an icy finality in it ‘I have no reason to trust the creatures of this world The death that lieth in my touch shall remain, and there also will remain the lure which doth incline all who see me to touch erly reach forth their hands – and die The dead have no desire to enslave hed ‘Thou art hard, Blue Rose,’ she said
‘I have reason, mate of Anakha’
‘Someday, mayhap, ill learn trust’
‘It is not needful The achieveain and handed the box back to her husband ‘Please go on, Xanetia That shadow that was pestering Sparhawk and ht it was Azash – and then, later on, the Troll-Gods’
‘The shadoas Zalasta’s mind, Queen of Elenia,’ Xanetia replied ‘A Styric spell known to very few doth make it possible for him thus to observe and listen unseen’
‘I’d hardly call it unseen I saw the edges of hile ti It sought to warn Anakha of Zalasta’s presence by s was on thy hand, the shadow of Zalasta’s mind was also visible to thee’ She paused ‘Zalasta was afeared,’ she went on ‘It was the design of the rip – to go even unto Zeht take the jewel from him Should that have co Aphrael and possessing Sephrenia would have been forever dashed In truth, Anakha, were all the i’