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"I ilance up at hiaze, the flecks of color barely visible in thefeatures are like stone, unreadable and shadowed He cups n of reassurance before his attention shifts to the head of the coluht forty " I face forward My cheek tingles where his fingers grazed it and I resist the urge to touch the sensitive spot LF wantsI need to know or learn "But did you ever stop to think there are other ways to get what you want aside from brute force?"

"Nay"

At least he's honest "You could turnback the aric, right? I can use it against the"

"If you failed to do as the Desert Knight bid you, he will torture and murder you"

"There's that But" I seek soht make him understand

"But" he prods

"ButI'm not pure," I whisper "And the warrior queen Naia had her ht They can't risk hurting ic, and if they do, they're in for a nasty surprise"

"I wish 'twas so The warrior queen held many secrets known only to my bloodline," he says in the saic but the Desert Knight and the Shadow Knight They were brothers who inherited parts of their father's kingdom Both had a claim to the battle-witch, but she loved Black Moon Draw over Brown Sun Lake The Desert Knight of long ago slaughtered his brother and the warrior queen then placed one of his two sons as the Knight of Black Moon Draw Thus the first Shadow Knight of this era became my ancestor"

"Brothers," I repeat "Both in love with the battle-witch"

"Aye 'Tis why the original blood feud ran so deep I do not kno ht of Brown Sun Lake knows of the warrior queen and her secrets, but I e was passed to hierous to ht"

"Aye You will not face him alone"