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"Dragons? No, don’t tell ic that had coursed through him "I didn’t think I could heal that fast--" he cut off as Durzo’s wings ed proportions Durzo had taught hi his features, even the relatively ht to twelve hours Now his s in a matter of seconds "Unbelievable," Kylar said

"It’s too hard for you," Durzo said, a note of apology sneaking into his voice

"Do you knohere Elene is?" Kylar demanded

"Not for sure, but I knohere the party is" Durzo looked like he was about to say more, but he stopped His face drained of huht what disround beneath thenified tenfold Jorsin’s spell locking the ground had been broken The Dead De Wanhope saw the Cenarian flare arc high over his co Jenine

He stood on the last flight of steps before a great do he’d ever seen, with towering arches and flying buttresses that scraped the very heavens Inside, he could feel Khali--and Neph Dada Dorian was surrounded by a dozen highlanders and two hundred V&uuh The real battle would be between hi his play at usurpation Neph, who had raised a Titan and the red buulgari--the fire ants, the bugs--which had been imprisoned near the Titan

Nor was Neph Dada the only onea play Wanhope’s brother Moburu had spent alh Wanhope’s forces yesterday to get to Black Barroas e from one of the tunnels under the city He had a ferali

Fro north and east of the castle To the north, he could see the sh the Dead Dean Gyre’s troops, led by the king himself Moburu’s force looked to be only a few hundred, and it would ot there Without the ferali, the Cenarians would obliterate Moburu’s force With it--well, it depended on how good Logan’s ive hio inside, take Khali and cut off Neph from the vir Without vir, Neph and Moburu would be helpless, and the entire army of krul would finally be united Wanhope hadto go inside when he saw Moburu’sJenine

His heart pounded He’d seen this scene as his gift came back Moburu’s ferali would demolish the kidnappers, and he would seize Jenine Wanhope saw the picture vividly Moburu held Jenine, his eyes wild, a spell wrapped around her head that would crush it like a melon if he released it

It was too late for Jenine Wanhope could see her head popping, brains squirting out of the narrow holes in the spell He blinked Even if he saved her, his e was finished The Cenarians had taken her She an was alive If he rescued her within sight of Logan, would she thank him for it? Inside, at least, was power With Khali, Wanhope had ic, wealth, every pleasure of the flesh, coics no one could teach but a goddess There was everything but friendship, co to go ht, and people had been trying to take his birthright for as long as he’d lived He’d given everything to be here What would happen to his hareirls a decent life, a better life than they could have iined He couldn’t live without the vir He’d quit it once, and quitting had nearly killed hiain Jenine was dead to him anyway Besides, he wanted to crush Neph, to teach hie all the cruelties Neph had inflicted on hio inside

"Dorian?" a man shouted from halfway down the hill "Dorian?!" In the cobblestone street, a hundred paces away, Solon eestured with one hand to whattheood to see you! I thought you were dead!"

Godking Wanhope earing his white robes and heavy gold chains of office The vir were darkening his skin, and Solon pretended not to see any of it

Solon rode toward hi anya wild animal "It is you Dorian"

He said the word like it had power, like he was calling a dead man back to life And it was life Even with all the luxury and the fulfillment of every whim, Dorian had lived these last months hunted There had been no rest, only stupor There had never been communion, not even with Jenine

The two hundred V&uu nervous at Solon’s approach They could smell the potency of his Talent, and even to Wanhope’s nostrils it reeked He hated it It sht But the V&uu’s word Solon ignored them The man always did have brass balls "Dorian," he said "Dorian"

Dorian had spoken a prophecy over Solon once Ten, twelve years ago? It ended: "Broken north, broken you, re that the as "Dorian"? He was turning Dorian’s own prophecy back on hi his lips in the way Dorian kneell A laugh burst out of Wanhope and then was strangled in a sob It sounded insane to his own ears

He looked down the hill Moburu had closed with the Cenarians holding Jenine, and the ferali was plowing through the their bodies to its flesh--growing

Inside, Neph orking to give Khali flesh The goddess would enslave all Midcyru, maybe all the world Enslave and destroy Without a body, she had turned Khalidor into a cauldron of filth, a culture of fear and hatred What could she do with a body? The best thing Dorian could do was stop hi Wanhope could stop Neph He knew Neph He kne Neph would fight The girl was a tangent, a distraction in the big picture Dorian was too iirl when the real battle--the battle that would determine the fate of nations, perhaps of all Midcyru--was only paces away Dorian would go inside as Godking Wanhope one last time He would take the vir one last tiht He would destroy Khali’s works--and he would die His fighting would be done at last Unable to live well, he would at least die well

Besides, Jenine was dead to him

"Dorian," Solon said "Dorian, co Wanhope, she was dead even to Dorian--but she wasn’t dead This delusion was the same temptation that had snared hirand, future good To change an entire nation, to undo the evil his father had wrought, he had taken a hareirls, and started a war In fact, he’d accos for which he hated his father, and in far less time The truth was, Dorian had always been ood And he was about to do it again No wonder he’d been so willing to throay his prophetic gift at Screa to become