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She saw the vord Queen ister in time to allow her to so much as flinch before the blow fell across her face Isana fell back to the floor, fire burning her forehead, and wet, hot blood flowed down over her face, into one eye, half-blinding her She did not cry out - at first because she was simply too startled to respond to the sheer speed of the assault, then because she forced herself to ren of pain or weakness before the alien being before her She ground her teeth as fire spread over her forehead and face, and she made no sound

"I will ask the questions," the vord Queen said "Not you As long as you answer them, your mate will remain whole If you refuse, he will suffer It is that silow filled the chaony as she lifted her hand to her forehead A single cut perhaps four inches long ran along her brow, in an alht line The cut was open nearly all the way to her skull and bled freely

Isana drew several deep breaths, focusing her effort through the pain, and called upon Rill The as harder, much harder than it would have been with even a modest basin of water, but she was able to watercraft the wound closed A few moments later, she was able to reduce the pain so, she felt dizzy, ed into muddled clumps She must have looked a horror, half her face a sheet of red Her dress was ruined There was no reason not to use the sleeve to try to wipe soh her skin was tender, and she thought she probably succeeded in nothing but s it around a little more

Isana sed Her throat burned with thirst She had to focus, to find a way to survive, for Araris to survive But what could she do, here, with this creature facing her?

She looked up to find the cavern transforh the croach covering the cavern's ceiling Bright pinpoints of light, hts darted and flowed Others pulsed at varying rates of speed Waves of color, subtle variations of shades, washed across the ceiling, while the vord Queen stared up at it, utterly reen like black jewels

Isana felt slightly nauseated by the seething, organic motion of the luminous display, but was struck by the i about it, a kind of link between the luminosity and the vord Queen that she could not fathoht, her eyes sih to see what the vord Queen saw

"The attack progresses well," the vord Queen said, her tone distracted "Gaius Attis, if that is what he is to be called now, is a conventional coyour forces, then," Isana said quietly

The vord Queen sions remarkably The soldiers who escaped me last year are blooded now He spends their lives well" The vord Queen watched for a ive your life for hiht of Aquitaine wearing the First Lord's crown She remembered the friends of the entirety of her adult life she had buried because of his machinations

"If necessary," she said

The vord Queen looked at her, and said, "Why?"

"Our people need him," Isana said

The vord Queen's head tilted slowly to one side Then she said, "You would not do it for his sake"

"I" Isana shook her head "I don't think so No"

"But you would do it for them For those who need him"