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As one the Queen’s Daggers roared, a savage blast of defiance and bloodlust, waving their weapons at the Arisai and voicing taunts rich in obscenities “I’ll feed you your balls, you grinning fucker!” a stocky man with a halberd spat at the nearest Arisai, who seemed to find this even aze, reading a grilanced down at Snowdance, her eyes closed now, and his face spashtened “We are taking our queen out of here!” he told his soldiers “Assault forerswith the unconscious precision born of e shape in the space of a few seconds Nortah raised his sword, preparing to give the order to advance, then paused at the sight of so parted to reveal a tall figure, armoured in red as they were, but his face that of aand lean, thin lips and pale blue eyes Also, unlike the Arisai, he wore no saped at the tall man, face drawn in mystification “Aspect?”

CHAPTER NINE

Reva

“Why you notafraid?”

Lieza’s Realh considerably better than Reva’s Volarian She sat on the only bed, knees drawn up and clasped in her arh her scales On the first day of their confinement Varulek had provided her with a wooden short sword and soour The arena cares not who you were, only what you ht be”

Their quarters consisted of a less cavern-like cha more than ample rooing between elegant pillars of black marble veined in white The walls were decorated in faded paintings depicting various beasts and men in combat and she noted how Lieza did her best not to look at thee bath was inset in the floor, supplied with hot water via some hidden contrivance of pipes Besides the bed, however, there was little in the way of furniture, or anything of sufficient weight to make a decent weapon Even her wooden sas made from sandalwood and like to shatter at the first contact with anything substantial

“Fear kills,” Reva told the slave girl, spinning through a final combination of parries and thrusts “You’d fear less if you trained with me”

The scale was her own invention, a much ned for confronting the Kuritai Although from what Lieza told her of the spectacles Reva concluded a contest with the slave-elite irl closely for several hours, leaving off only when she began to cry, tears flowing as she stumbled over a description of sohter, like you” Lieza hugged herself closer, resting her head on her knees

“Then what are you?” Reva asked

“Slave” The girl spoke in aher head “Always just slave”

“You e” Lieza’s shoulders ht me much Won’t help here I am Avielle, you Livella”

“And they are?”

“Sisters One weak, one strong”

Reva grunted in annoyance, going to the bed and grabbing the girl by the wrists, hauling her to her feet “Look ather until her eyes opened, wet and bright with alarh of this Whatever waits for us here will need all our strength, yours and ed, tears flowing once again “I not like you”

Reva drew a hand back to slap her Beat some spine into her, make her practice and beat her every tih if I put sos, the ave an involuntary spas Lieza to sink back onto the bed, head slu frole of keys ca open on squealing hinges to reveal Varulek with two Kuritai at his back His eyes tracked fro Lieza “I have been instructed to punish this one if she fails to please you,” he said