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‘Bhelliom,’ Sparhawk said ‘Or at least that’s how everyone saw it We know differently now’

‘Truly,’ she agreed ‘Zalasta did share the co it to be a source of power only He did believe that Bhelliom, untouched by morality, would obey him without question, and that it would destroy his mortal enemy and thus he could come to possess his heart’s lust – for ht possession of Sephrenia, not her love’

‘That’s vile,’ Baroness Melidere said with a shudder

Xanetia nodded her agrees to command the Sapphire Rose,’ she went on, ‘but all of Styricum knew that the nis fro the Troll-dwarf to prevent the ainst the Styrics Thus did Zalasta feign continuing friendship for Sephrenia and her sister, hoping to gain knowledge of the location of the rings and thus the keys to Bhelliom Now the Gods had known, and some few humans as well, that one day Bhelliouries did they divine that he would be born of the house of Sparhawk

‘Aphrael ary, for she knew that the house of Sparhaas Elene, and Elenes are not kindly disposed toward Styricum She kneever, that one day Anakha would come, and that he would raise Bhelliom from the place where it had lain hidden and wield it to his own purposes – and to the purposes of Bhelliom itself She was troubled by this, for should Anakha share the coainst her worshipers She sought to di one in the hands of Anakha’s ancestor and the other elsewhere, so that when the one ring descended to Anakha, she ht examine his heart and s in his possession’

‘Stories arewhen you know the people involved, aren’t they?’ Talen noted, filling his plate for the third tiain, and he ate almost constantly He did, however, reh to take a plate of sliced fruit and a glass of e himself

Sparhawk phrased his question carefully ‘I seem to rehts of the Gods, Anarae How is it that you knohat Aphrael was thinking?’

‘It is true that the thoughts of the Gods are veiled from me, Anakha, but Aphrael hath few secrets from her sister, and it is froleaned what I have told ye

‘Now,’ she went on with her account, ‘Anakha’s ancestor was a Pandion Knight dwelling with his brethren in the mother-house of his order in the city of De Antor against certain rebellious barons And it ca, separated from their companions, lay sorely wounded on the bloody field of battle As darkness fell upon that field, did Sephrenia of Ylara, commanded by her sister, cos – one to each of the them that they were but tokens of their friendship, and by led blood of the wounded pair to conceal their true nature and iether, which binding did prepare the way for the union of Anakha and his queen’

Ehlana bealy at her husband ‘I told you so,’ she said

‘I didn’t quite follow that’

‘I told you that ere destined towithto do I was fairly sure you could have done better’ It was a slightly flippant reply, and it concealed his shocked surprise Aphrael was absolutely ruthless in her manipulation of people’s lives Anakha was Bhelliom’s creature, and the Child Goddess, not certain she could trust hihter so that she could in so the intent of Aphrael, was troubled,’ Xanetia went on ‘He had hoped to wrest Bhelliom from Anakha before Anakha could come to know the full iain blocked his design By virtue of the rings and the mastery of Bhelliom which they conferred, had Anakha been ht, then,’ Ulath rumbled ‘Zalasta was blocked What did he do then?’

‘There are some in Styricum – and have ever been – who, like the Elder Gods themselves, have used the power of the spells their race has learned to satisfy unwholesoer Gods are as children in this regard, and they cannot know the depths to which such as these illingly sink They are outraged by this coarser side of the nature of man, and such Styrics as display it are cast out and accursed These unfortunates dwell alone and sorrowing in wilderness and waste, or, all unrepentant, seek they their vile pleasure in the festering stews of the cities of this world It was to these that Zalasta in desperation turned, and in Verel, foulest of the cities of southern Daconia, found he such a one as he sought’

‘I’ve lived in Verel,’ Mirtai said ‘That would be the place to look for degenerates, all right’

Xanetia nodded ‘There in that sink of iniquity Zalasta did happen quite by chance upon one Ogerajin, a corrupt and ancient voluptuary, who, sated by centuries of excess, sinned er Gods than froerajin was double-dippt in vileness, and by means of certain forbidden spells and enchantments had he reached into the darkness – yea, even into that ultimate corruption that lieth in the hearts of the Elder Gods And Ogerajin, perceiving that Zalasta’s lust was like his own and that they were therefore kindred, counseled hiasped

‘Truly,’ Xanetia agreed ‘And so did Zalasta journey even unto the city of Zemoch to make alliance with Otha’

‘Hold it,’ Kalten said ‘Didn’t you tell us that Zalasta was trying to keep us away from Otha and Azash?’

She nodded ‘Zalasta doth conclude alliances to further his own ends, not those of his allies With Otha’s aid he found other outcast Styrics in Eosia to aid hi thee when Anakha was born

‘As well ye uess, Aphrael also set a watcher on those ould precede Sparhawk, and despite her sister’s protests, the Child Goddess sent Sephrenia to Demos to instruct the Elene Pandions in the Secrets of Styricu little Aphrael has a heartless streak, I see,’ Stragen noted ‘Considering what the Elene serfs in Astel did to Sephrenia’s parents, sending her to Demos smacks of a certain lack of consideration’

‘Who can know the hed She passed a weary hand across her eyes

‘Aren’t you feeling well?’ Kalten asked, his voice ue, Sir Kalten,’ she confessed ‘The ather in hersome consistency from them’

‘Is that the way it works, Anarae?’ Sarabian asked curiously ‘You just reach in and s somebody else’s mind whole?’

‘Thy htly reproving tone

‘Forgive ized ‘I plucked it out of the air What I meant to ask hether you absorb the entire contents of another’s awareness and le touch’

‘Approxiot stored away?’ Talen asked her ‘Other people’sed

‘Where do you find roo just a little embarrassed ‘I didn’t say that very well, did I? What I was trying to ask was doesn’t it get awfully crowded in there?’

‘The ht be, Anarae,’ Kalten sh’

‘Is Sephrenia all right?’ Vanion asked her with a worried frown

‘She is in great agony,’ Xanetia sighed ‘Zalasta’s treachery hath wounded her to the heart, and her mistaken belief that all of ye have forsaken her hath crushed her spirit’

‘I’ll go to her,’ Vanion said, rising quickly to his feet

‘No, ood idea You’re too close to her, and if you went, you’d only o instead?’