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Lady Trella shrugged “Anyone can light a fire”
“Also, to survive the assault on the city, and the flight southward Quite an achievement”
“I don’t kno hness, but despite our name, we did not live a noble existence Poverty makes one resourceful”
“I’er for so long” She watched Lady Trella siphow she forced herself to s “You may have heard,” she went on, “that I have lifted all strictures on use of the Dark in this Realm The Gifted now occupy an honoured place into them, I have noticed that they share a coift, but not always their father Curious, don’t you think?”
Lady Trella ers “A Volarian soldier kickedin hed as he took hold of my hair and made ready to cut my throat” A ser, dancing prettily “He didn’t laugh for long” The flaers to wrist
“Highness!” Iltis appeared at her side, sword half-drawn Lyrna realised she had risen and backed away, staring at the flahness,” Trella said “But mere words do not dispel centuries of fear Mymy nature, the terror it aroused, and the unwelcome attention it drew from the Faithful” She closed her hand and the fla the treave a nod of reassurance to Iltis and resu some more tea until the memories faded The smell of her own skin as the flames licked over it
“The Seventh Order is bound by my word,” she said after a moment, when she was sure there would be no quaver to her voice “I will not allow them to compel any subject to join it There is a small company of Gifted fro only to Lord Vaelin and myself You would be welcohness”
“Not so old, I think And I feel your son’s soul would smile on your service, don’t you?”
Trella’s eyes went to the children standing nearby “I have obligations here, Highness”
“These children will be well cared for, you have my word on it They have nomust have coloured her voice then because the wariness on Trella’s face deepened, her eyes taking on the guarded cast Lyrna was seeing more often on a few select faces Nortah, Dahrena, RevaVaelin Those not in awe see more clearly “I make no command,” Lyrna added with a smile “Merely a queen’s request Think on it a while Meet with Aspect Caenis or the folk from the Reaches I ahness” Trella bowed as Lyrna rose “One , if I il” The lady’s eyes were bright with tears now, the children co to her side as they sensed her distress “I should like it to be a weasel Of all the little beasts that followed him home, they were his favourite”
“As my lady wishes,” Lyrna assured her with a bow Better a weasel than a shark
• • •
Although much of Warnsclave had been destroyed down to its cobbled streets, the infrastructure below the town re useful additional shelter, and places of confinement The Volarian woman had been secured in the coal cellar of what had once been a blacks amidst the rubble Two Real down to the cellar whilst Lord Verniers waited, resting on the anvil as she approached, scribbling away in a s with his usual fluency and greeting her in Realhness My thanks on granting my request”
“Not at all, ht you here on a false preuards to open the door to the cellar “Yes, e to add to your history, but I regret scholarship will have to wait upon the needs of diplomacy”
She bade hi her into the darkness Fornella Av Entril Av Tokrev sat at a sle candle She wore no chains and her face and hair were clean, Lyrna having allowed her a bowl of water eachfor ablutions She had also been provided with parchment and ink, the table before her covered with a scroll inscribed from end to end in neat Volarian
Fornella rose and bowed as Lyrna entered, her face impassive until she saw Lord Verniers whereupon she favoured hihness, ue “Two visitors I aue,” Lyrna told her, dropping into Volarian “It is i between us” She told Iltis to wait outside and gestured for Fornella to sit,the scroll she had written, finding it a list of naoods, each nanised “A writ of manumission,” she said “These are your slaves, I take it”
“Yes, Highness Though the document is in fact a will The slaves are to be freed uponof Volarian law is liardless of owner or i Council”
“Quite so, but my brother sits on the Council I have little doubt he will accede to my wishes in this”
By the tiht, I expect he’ll be too preoccupied with the imminence of his own demise to care about your final wish “A for your empire’s principal institution has waned recently?”