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“Why kill the children?” Cara asked The villa had burned but its owner had not, his body lay spread-eagled and eviscerated in the forecourt alongside a woman and a small boy, both recipients of the sae is not easily tempered,” Astorek said “Children born into slavery are taken from their parents and sold, those perht,” Cara ht”

Vaelin saw the Ally regarding the burnt remnants of the villa with an incurious eye His de Vaelin of the privileged nobles he had seen suffering through the banal entertainrows impatient for his end As do I

• • •

Another week’s travel brought them to the first town they had encountered, a walled collection of sorowth Astorek struggled to place its naarrisoned there with his father’s regiment before they proceeded north to their fateful encounter in the ot drunk and started a braith the townsfolk,” he recalled “Knives were drawn, it got very ugly The next day Father had one hanged and ten flogged Oddly the men didn’t seeht have won some respect”

“Stinks worse than the Merim Her hovels,” Alturk coo around”

“The Northern Road begins here,” Astorek said “It’ll take us to Volar We can pick it up to the south”

The townsfolk, however, proved unwilling to let theroup of about three hundred people eates to place themselves astride it As Vaelin drew near he saw they wore a variety of clothing, black and grey with the occasional flash of red, and all were arh not particularly well and their line was distinctly ragged

A large man stood at the head of theat Vaelin with stern defiance He wore a red tunic and black trews, his old and silver

“Tell him he’s in our way,” Vaelin said to Astorek as they closed to within fifty paces of the townsfolk

Astorek called out to the large ed tirade in response, thein various directions

“He says he is king of this land for as far as the eye can see,” Astorek related “He has killed many men to win this city and will kill many more to keep it”

“What does he want?”

“Tribute and obeisance, if you want to use his road”

“He’s a slave?”

“A Garisai if I’one a political transforest are likely to gain authority”

“Tell him we have seen many murdered children in these lands I would know if he is responsible for that”

The large round as Astorek related the question, gesticulating with even e “He has wiped the cursed blood of the ain rise to trouble them He is master here now, and demands his due”

“And he’ll have it” Vaelin clie ’s heavy features tensed in puzzleht alar stance, short swords appearing in both hands fro considerable poise in his stance, one sword held low, the other high