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"Congratulations, Nameless," the Wolf said "You’ve proved you can sacrifice yourself like you don’t care if you die Like you don’t give a da" The wolfish sames The Wolf didn’t intimidate him anymore "Why do you hate uard "Because you’re a waste, Naht to, and you treat them like they’re shit to be scraped off your boots"

It was so unfair after what Kylar had gone through that he threw his hands up "You knohat, to hell with you You can make your little cryptic comments and hatename"

"And what name is that?" the Wolf asked

"Kylar Kylar Stern"

"Kylar Stern? The stern, undying dier? That’s not a nae"

"Azoth, then"

"You are ues from that shitless, witless rat, but even were you he, do you knohat azoth is?"

"What do you hed unkindly "Azoth is an old word for quicksilver Random, formless, unpredictable, literally mercurial You, Nameless, can be anyone and thus are no one You’re sé they call you A shadohat you could be and a shadow of your master, as a titan"

"My master was a coward! He never even told me who he was!" Kylar shouted He blinked The depth of his rage left him shaken Where had that cohosts in the rooible to Kylar’s ears, one of them spoke to the Wolf The Wolf folded his hands over his sto "Prince Acaelus Thorne of Trayethell was a warrior and not much else Neither introspective nor wise, he was one of the rare good men who love war He didn’t hate hiloried in a contest with the highest possible stakes He was good at it, too, and he became one of Jorsin Alkestes’ best friends

"That nettled one of Jorsin’s other best friends, an easily nettled archht Acaelus a charis a sword In return, Acaelus thought Ezra a coho took Jorsin away froed in the front lines When the Champions were chosen--the men and women ere Jorsin’s final hope of victory--Ezra intended to bond the Devourer himself It was by far the most powerful ka’kari and he had sweat and bled for it The only ly surrender it was Jorsin But the Devourer didn’t choose Ezra Or Jorsin It chose the sword-swinger

"Perhaps you can appreciate why it seemed odd that an artifact which by its nature was concerned with conceal subtlety"

It did seeh the choice had obviously proved wise