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‘I don’t think I know you two,’ Avin said

‘We’re new,’ the first one said, shrugging ‘We just joined the Royal Guard last week’ He set a canvas bag on the floor and took out a pry-bar He carefully inserted the bar under the lid of the barrel and worked it back and forth until the lid ca?’ Avin deet at it, Avin,’ the fellow pointed out ‘We’ve got the right tools, and you probably don’t’ At least the man was clean-shaven Avin approved of that Most of the rowing on them ‘You’d better taste it and reed He scooped up some of the wine in the cupped palm of his hand and sucked it in noisily Avin shuddered ‘Tastes all right to htful look crossed his face ‘Why don’t I fill up a bucket of this before we put the lid back on?’ he suggested ‘Hauling this barrel up the stairs was heavy business, and I’ve worked up quite a thirst’

‘Good idea,’ Tel agreed

The bearded man picked up the brass-bound wooden bucket Avin used for a waste basket ‘Is it all right if I use this, Avin?’ he asked

Avin Wargunsson gaped at him This went too far – even in Thalesia

The burly fellow shook the contents of the waste basket out on the floor and dipped it into the barrel Then he set the pail down ‘I guess we’re ready then, Tel,’ he said

‘All right,’ Tel replied ‘Let’s get at it’

‘What are you doing?’ Avin demanded in a shrill voice as the two approached him

They didn’t even bother to answer It was intolerable! He was the Prince Regent! People had no right to ignore him like this!

They picked hi his struggles He couldn’t even get their attention by kicking theo,’ the one named Tel said pleasantly, almost in the tone one uses when he pushes a horse into a stall The two lifted Avin Wargunsson quite easily and stuffed him feet first into the barrel The one called Brok held him dohile Tel took a ha and picked up the barrel-lid He set the lid on Avin’s head and pushed hie of the lid, settling it in place

Only Avin’s eyes and forehead were above the surface of the wine He held his breath and pounded impotently on the underside of the lid with both fists

Then there was another pounding sound as Tel calmly nailed down the lid of the barrel

The ladies quite fir after the attempt on Queen Betuana’s life Kalten took his self-appointed duties as Xanetia’s protector quite seriously, and he was a bit offended at being so cavalierly sent away

‘They need sohts to either side to protect theh this’ Vanion was a soldier, but his insights were sometimes quite profound Sparhawk looked back over his shoulder Sephrenia rode close to one side of the sorrowing Xanetia, and Betuana strode along on the other Xanetia rode with her head bowed, holding Flute in her arms There was about them a kind of exclusionary wall as they closed ranks around their injured sister Sephrenia rode very close to the Anarae, frequently reaching out her hand to touch the stricken woman The racial differences and eons-old enmity appeared to have been overridden by the universal sisterhood of all women Sephrenia reached across those barriers to co about it Betuana was no less solicitous, and in spite of the gruesome demonstration of the effects of Xanetia’s touch, she walked very close to the Delphaeic woman

Aphrael, of course, was in complete control of the situation She rode with her arms about Xanetia’s waist, and Aphrael’s touch was one of the more powerful forces on earth Sparhaas quite certain that Xanetia was not really suffering The Child Goddess would not permit that The Anarae’s apparent horror and remorse at what she had been compelled to do was entirely for the benefit of her two co Sephrenia’s racial animosity and Betuana’s superstitious aversion by the si Xanetia’s outward appearance of grief

It was easy to underestimate Aphrael when she appeared in one of her innuirl, and that was probably the main reason she had chosen the form of the Child Goddess in the first place Sparhawk, however, had seen the reality of Aphrael waveringly reflected in the brass mirror back in Matherion, and the reality was neither childish nor whi, and she always got exactly what she wanted Sparhawk fire of the reality of Aphrael in his mind so that it would always be present when the dienificantly shorter this far to the north The sun rose far to the southeast now, and it did not go very high above the southern horizon before it started to descend again Each long night’s frost piled up on the previous night’s lacy blanket, since the pale, weak sun no longer had the strength tothe hours of darkness

It was nearly sunset when a towering Atan ca down a frosty forest path to ed his fist against his chest in salute Betuana e froathering on the coast at the eastern end of the wall’

‘Trolls?’ Vanion asked quickly

The tall Atan shook his head ‘No, Vanion-Lord,’ he replied ‘They’re Elenes, and for thetrees’

‘To use in building fortifications?’ Bevier asked

‘No, Church Knight They are lashing the trees together to build things that will float’

‘Rafts?’ Tynian asked ‘Ulath, you said that Trolls are afraid of the sea Would they be willing to use rafts to go around the outer edge of the escarpment?’

‘It’s hard to say,’ the blond-braided Thalesian replied ‘Ghwerig did use a boat to cross Lake Venne, and he alet fro the Ze wasn’t like other Trolls’ He looked at the Atan ‘Are they building these rafts north of the wall or here on the south side?’

‘They’re on this side of the wall,’ the Atan replied

‘That doesn’t make too much sense, does it?’ Kalten asked

‘Not to et up there and have a look, Sparhawk,’ Vanion said ‘That attack on Betuana last night was fair evidence that Zalasta knoe’re coh the woods has acco and find out if Sorgi’son very fast anyway, and I think we’ll want to deal with the Trolls before the sun goes down permanently’

‘Would you see to that, Divine One?’ Sparhawk said to Aphrael ‘I’d ask Bhellios so well that I wouldn’t want to appear critical by taking over at this point’

Aphrael’s eyes narrowed ‘Don’t push your luck, Sparhawk,’ she said ominously

Sparhaas never really certain whether Aphrael had soht or had slipped theup into their saddles and the time when their mounts took their first steps The Child Goddess was too practiced, too skilled, to be caught ta when she didn’t want to be

The hill was the saht’s encaone down – or so it seemed – but when they crested it about a half-hour after they set out, there was a long, sandy beach and the lead-gray expanse of the Tamul Sea on the other side instead of a broad, unbroken forest

‘That was quick,’ Talen said, looking around Talen’s presence on this expedition had never really been explained to Sparhawk’s satisfaction He suspected Aphrael, however It was easy to suspect Aphrael of such things, and more often than not the suspicions proved to be well founded