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Valek frowned "It ht be too soon The Criollo could still be in your bloodstrea happens?" "Yes" "Good I’ll see you tonight"

Poor Valek, I thought, stuffed into his dress uniform three ti in the dining roo the walls, and red and gold strea The rooht An elevated platform had been constructed to support a head table where the southern delegation, the Co officers and upper-level advisers were seated at round tables circling the roo the middle empty In the corner a twelve-piece band played sedate music, which was a surprise since the Co it a waste of time

I sat behind Commander Ambrose so he could pass his plate to me As predicted, the food was marvelous Rand had outdone himself

My dark unifor the wall, and since I doubted anyone beyond the dais noticed I was there, I watched the others as I waited between courses Ari and Janco sat next to each other at a table by the door Attending their first formal function as Captains, they were clearly unco the beer with their comrades back in the barracks

Irys and her retinue were seated to the Colittered in the firelight Irys wore a diamond pendant shaped like a flohich sparkled on her chest She ignored my presence, which was fine with me

After the servants cleared the uished half of the lanterns The band quickened their telassware on the tabletops Costuh above their heads Fire dancers! They perfor the for breath I understood nohy their festival tent had been so packed with enthusiastic fans

At one point, Valek leaned back in his chair and said to me, "I don’t think I would have made it past the audition, Yelena I probably would have set ed head for the sake of art?" I teased He laughed The etic and elated I hoped the Co another feast

The dancers finished their second encore and exited the rooht their finest cognac Irys poured a glass for the Commander, Valek and herself She didn’t seeoblet passed to me

I swirled the a a sue, then spat it onto the floor Gagging and retching with the effort, I tried to expel every last bit of it from my mouth Valek stared in alarm

I choked out, "My Love"

Valek knocked over the other two glasses, spilling their contents on the table As my body reacted to the poison, I watched Valek turn into a black ink spot, and the walls run with blood