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“My co’s fart I will Sailed half the world for this, and Aspect Caenis deserves a reckoning”

“You are skilled in arh and returned to her pipe, twiddling her fingers at hirin “You’ll see what I’m skilled at, brother Just don’t stand too close when you do”

• • •

Brokev’s Notch was fory bluffs Beyond the beach the ground rose in a steep incline to the redflower fields beyond The sun was only just beginning to glimmer on the horizon and the pro drizzle

“Even a handful of enerihter-house”

Frentis said nothing, keeping his gaze on the cliff-tops as the boat neared the shore It was low tide and the surf was negligible, the oarsardless of noise; speed was n of any round beyond the beach

“Reardless of loss”

He had placed the Garisai in the leading boats along with all their archers, Draker and Illian’s people following behind with orders to secure the bluffs Master Rensial had opted to acco a horse as quickly as possible

Frentis leapt clear at the sound of the boat’s hull scraping on the sand, sinking into the water up to his knees and i towards the beach In accordance with their orders the archers spread out with arrows already notched and bows raised, constantly scanning the bluffs for any sign of an enemy The Garisai churned the tide-water into a white froth as they charged with Frentis, allit onto the sand untroubled by the telltale hiss of an arrow storm or shouts of alar across to the grassy slope and halting only on reaching the top The Garisai ih there was no sign of any opposition The fields, rendered a dull shade of criloo soul Off to the west he could see the rising sun playing on towers ascending from the redflower like silver pins in a vast red blanket

“Volar,” Lekran said in an oddly reverent tone “All those years a slave to this empire, and this is the first time I’ve ever laid eyes on it”

And perhaps the last, Frentis ets done The thought stirred irl and her aze to the beach in search of a distraction Draker and Illian’s people were already ashore and in the process of splitting up tothe beach, Weaver’s curly-haired for the healer

“This s the poppy fields with a suspicious squint “Not even a scout to greet us Where are they?”

Frentis watched as Volar’s sprawling suburbs were revealed by the burgeoning sun No walls to fight our way over, but a house can be h “I suspect we’ll have an ansithin the hour”

They found the first body twoaone by Frentis’s reckoning He had been killed with a single thrust to the back, probably frole

“Three more here,” Ivelda said from nearby “Man, woman and child Someone killed a faht for in front, Draker’s coht and Illian’s on the left Karavek’s people followed in a dense uard Frentis set a punishing pace; round with no cavalry to secure the flanks instilled a keen sense of vulnerability More bodies were discovered on the rey-clads and a few slaves with the occasional black-clad Most had wounds to the back, indicating they had been cut dohilst running Frentis counted over a hundred by the ti

What is she doing?