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“Good evening, randfather

“Forgive hness,” Banders called back, his broad features slick with sweat “But are we to land soon? Oneme”

Lyrna turned to survey the scene, the sky now black and the only illu ships The tuh she could still hearfor help in Volarianship

“Indeed,is overdue”

• • •

The ship sat on the beach like soreat wounded beast, her masts sheared away andthe coether It was Benten who recognised her as the Fief Lord Sentes; his sea-trained eyes had a knack for discerning the slight differences that distinguished one ship from another “Seems she’s been driven too far up the beach to be taken off by the tide,” he said “It’s a e to the bay had yielded only five ships from the thirty that had sailed with Lady Reva, all severely dao of troops and supplies were ht the total to six, but she could hardly be described as seaworthy In all just over two-thirds of the Queen’s Fleet had survived the storh casualties had been heavy and the battle with the Volarians had claih Lyrna saw the flush of victory of many faces, she knew the battle had in fact been indecisive, Ship Lord Ell-Nurin esti they had captured or sunk no more than half the Volarian fleet

“Whoever coht,” he sur sails on the southern horizon”

She took the first boat to the shore, overriding all objections with a silent glare The time for caution had died in the stor ships as the boat wended its way towards the beach, she knew their morale would still plummet like a stone when the reality of their situation became apparent They need to see a queen

She was accompanied by Lord Marshal Nortah and a full coers Off to the north Brother Sollis led another cluster of boats filled with all that remained of the Sixth Order whilst Count Marven took his best Nilsaelins to secure the southern approaches They were obliged to row their way through several corpses en route, Lyrna surprised to findin the sith arrows protruding from their armour

The tide was low and the beach free of breakers as they scraped to a halt, Lyrna leaping free of the boat before Iltis could raise an objection She heard him smother a curse as he splashed into the waist-deep water behind She laboured through the surf towards the hulk, eyes scanning the part-ruined hull and finding nuh there were no voices raised in awed acclaim now, most just seemed pale with exhaustion She noticed a dark cluster of more Volarian bodies on the beach, perhaps two hundred ht ere easy aze finding a stockya longbow and looking down at her with a stern regard that contrasted with the usual cautious respect shown to her by Cu”

Lyrna stared up at hihness,” in a clipped voice

“Lord Antesh,” she said “Where is Lady Reva?”

He sagged at her words, head lowered and eyes tight closed “I take it, Highness, you have no news of her either?”

Lyrna turned to watch the first wave of troops co out to sweep the dunes whilst a Real in a see tide “Lord Antesh,” she turned back to hirief “Lord Antesh!”