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Moan, so Kylar couldn’t read it, but her voice carried the ring of truth, and he heard depths to the stories that Logan couldn’t know Mo all those atrocities With all the Sa’kagé’s resources, she could have brought her own justice to every case through men like Durzo Blint But with every prostitute’s death or ill-treatment, she had to decide if justice orth the possible retaliation After that nobleman had burned her brothels, Momma K could have sent a wetboy after hi apart the city in civil war No wonder she’d turned into such a hard woan said

Beyond him, Queen Graesin put a hand on her crown and adjusted it on her forehead A bolt of lightning arced through Kylar, but nothing happened He willed his muscles to relax and stabbed the untouched filet on his plate

"The question is, is it possible?" Logan was saying "Ito change things We’d be fighting against established interests"

"We ended slavery, and we did it without a war The time is ripe People have seen so ives the The Nocta Hemata showed the city that the Rabbits can be brave Pavvil’s Grove showed that they’re willing to bleed for this country Things can be made new"

Yes, as soon as the queen’s head explodes

There was so about the way she said "we ended slavery" She didn’t a around the tié, that meant she’d either been part of abolition movement, or she had decided not to oppose it despite the enoré She had to be part of the reason Count Drake’s enemies hadn’t killed hiht him to read, who had chaave the guild rats a safe place to stay in the winter At the same time, she had ordered dozens or even hundreds of kills She had bribedand prostitution and riot weed, extorted honest shop keepers, sprung crooks froaol, crushed her competitors by every means, and enriched herself every step of the way She was a fearsolad that she’d always liked hiround while Terah Graesin reigned Yesterday she had sealed the Warrens Toan and Mo andquestions about the city’s trades and econooods, what the tariffs ith different countries, how ious taxes That ht of the current state of the country, from who had been hurt worst by the wars to who had cooperated with Khalidor and how ainst the claims to them As Kylar watched, he realized that this must be what it was like for a neophyte soldier to watch hian and Mo nobles licit and illicit and business dealings and ruan was clearly less experienced and had access to only the licit half of the city’s information, he still surprised Momma K from time to tirossed in their own conversation, Logan took tie pleasantries with Lantano Garuwashi at his left, who seemed intent on the queen anyway, and to ht his glance, and thank the servers and even applaud the bea new court bard as terrifically talented even if he did look like a frog

Beyond Logan, Terah Graesin was focused on her triu--da openly with both Lantano Garuwashi and her brother There Kylar saw aa country, Terah intent on herself

And as the evening progressed, he realized that someone had cleaned the crown before the queen donned it It put a decision Kylar had thought he’d already ood to be with his friends Here, at the high table, Kylar was suddenly legitier alone He could stay here with the people he adan could be his companions for the rest of his life He could find Elene and bring her back and give her this life A life beyond the shadows Maybe he didn’t have to be the wolf in the cold

Gods! He was immortal! Would it be so bad to let himself have one lifetime of happiness? Drake and Moned Surely between Logan and Count Drake and Kylar and Moe a foolish queen did

Fro at her She winked

As the feast ended, Queen Graesin stood and headed for one of the adjoining rooraceful and inti in his broad, loose pants that draped like a skirt, and a silk shirt with starched tabs over his wide shoulders, leaving his heavily h table stood next and Kylar an put a hand on his arer "This is a symbol of your new office, Marquess" Fro shaped hat looked like tiny dragon Kylar recognized it "This is the ring of House Drake Take theiven his life before He’d died to save the woet out of Cenaria He’d died for refusing Terah Graesin’s contract on Logan He’d died opposing the Godking It had never been fun, but he’d begun to trust that he would co This death would cost him his life He would have to leave forever Start over completely in a far land It would be like every one of his friends had died at the sa," Kylar said

"Howto kill for that idea?"

"It’s not an idea It’s a dreaer people see you talking with me, the more I will sully your reputation" Kylar turned and followed Terah Graesin into the next roo "I think we should stay I hear the new bard has colee Mars hadn’t eaten He would eat later, if at all, with the servants But tonight, it didn’t bother him He wandered the tables and played whatever asinine music the threadbare nobles requested He accepted their applause and er to please the next batch of up-jumped plebeians

After dinner, the castle was opened up and the tables spirited away so the nobles could e a feords with the new queen Entertainh nulee waited until the party had been going for a while before he uards andered the party had all wandered out, and several of the kingdom’s more important nobles were in the room--and, most important, Queen Graesin wasn’t