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Dorotea's eyes flickered back to him, hot for a half second, before her ive me an order, sir You aren't the captain of the Free Aleran My orders come from him"

"But I can order him," Tavi said testily "Bloody crohat does a et a little respect around here? Am I the First Lord or not?"

Dorotea's smile widened, and she bowed her head "Very well Your Majesty There are guards around and over and quite likely under the tent But speak, and they will be here"

"Thank you"

Tavi waited until she had left to ease himself out of the tub He felt shaky, but no worse than he had any of a number of other times he'd endured a healer's attentions He climbed out without help and found a clean set of clothes laid out for hih it was painful to bend at the waist The strange sword he had been stabbed with had left an equally strange scar, a stiff ridge of nearly purple tissue, and the area around it was exquisitely tender He slid into his pants and belted his tunic on cautiously A quick spike of pain went through him and made him clench his teeth over suddenly frozen breath

The awareness of a gaze upon hiain, bleary eyes focused on him

"M' mother," Crassus said "She was alive And you didn't t-tell me"

Tavi stared at his friend in pure shock It was true He hadn't Antillus Dorotea had been a traitor to the Realh Lord Kalarus She had been snapped up for her talents in the slave rebellion that had followed the destruction of Kalarus and the chaos in Kalaran lands, and no one had known or cared who she was - only what she could do Had he brought her true identity to light, it would have forced hiainst her as well More ied him not to tell her husband or her son that she had survived Trapped in a slave collar that could not be re her, it was, in a sense, true The woainst the Realm would never return

She had saved Crassus once before, when he was unconscious, but he had never wakened during the procedure, and she had been gone before he ake again She never left the Free Aleran caht for the past years

But this time Crassus had seen her

Crassus's eyes burned "Didn't tell me"

"She asked me not to," Tavi said quietly

Crassus squeezed his eyes shut, as if in agony Given his injuries, there was every chance that he was - even without other considerations "Get away from me, Octavian"

"Rest," Tavi said "We'll talk, later, when this is all - "

"Get out!" Crassus snarled "How could you? Get out"

He dropped back doheezing, and was asleep again, or unconscious, within seconds

Tavi sat down on the stool Dorotea had vacated, shaking He lowered his head to his hands and just sat there for a moment Crows take it He had never wanted this And yet, it had been such a s so ht about it And now, the lie he'd felt he had no other choice than to ht have cost him the love and respect of a friend

"Such a small concern, for a man with your problereat fury, appearing as she usually did, but this tirey cloak and hood that hid all of her features but her face Her geently amused

"I don't have soone," Tavi said quietly He looked at Max, silent and still in his tub "Or arded hi to happen seconds before it did, and I just wasn't fast enough I couldn't stop the Queen He died She killed soShe escaped I failed them"

"She is most formidable You knew that"

"That doesn'tharsh "It was my responsibility My duty I know not everyone survives a war, but by the furies, I will not see htened, and he bowed his head "I I wonder I wonder if I aht man for this work If I had if I had learned iven more time to practice, if I had practiced harder"