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You are al, mother of the Unborn Servewith dread

The white-silver eyes flashed with anger Gracefully, she lifted the cup and sed so, like cider and sugar and sent pangs of cravings inside Lia

You will serve hter All who enter this sanctuary serve me or perish

"Then I perish," Lia said

The wo and vicious it seeainst the walls of her own ht before Winterrohen she had stunificant next to this power It could crush her ibbering ed and Lia was suddenly back at Muirwood, within the cloisters It was night time and the two of them were alone Row after row of shelves, es, couages, from hundreds of Aldere of how to interact with the Mediuhters speak every language They read and engrave It would take a lifetihter, you would be able to read theive you this Serve ered when she saw the stacks of tomes All her life she had wanted to study at Muirwood She had wished to learn its many secrets All were laid before her The entire collection would be hers

"It is a lie," Lia said, shaking her head "You offer what is not yours to give What use would the toain, she saw the woer

The power of life and death is in my hands, child Would you have your precious Abbey survive?

Immediately she was drawn back, swept away in another vision This ti Muirwood Abbey in the valley below The Abbey was burning Lia gasped as she saw the fla! She could hear screa from the Abbey, even that far away Lia’s heart wrenched with pain and sorrow No! Not her Abbey Not Muirwood!

Every one you have ever loved in your childhood is trapped inside We have barred the doors Will you listen to them burn, child? Know that you can save them You alone have the power to save them Join with ue cannot speak it, but your ive it to ive the Abbey to you The only one that will not be destroyed by fire The lives of your friends, in return for your allegiance Serve ony She could not bear it Was Pasqua down there? Sowe? Brynn? Was Edmon there? The Aldermaston? They were her family What about Reome and her unborn child? Had she sent theht It begins with a thought If she only thought the naal, she would have power to save her friends and those she loved

Lia treh you kill everyone dearest tothe anger flare even brighter in her eyes

The scene changed again

She had seen this vision before Colvin and Hillel were placing rocks on her body in the hetaera gardens at Dochte Abbey The look of grief on Colvin’s faceto reach out to him He knelt by the coluently lay his hand on her head No prayer ca there – only deadness Slowly, he stood Hillel leaned against him, her face pinched with sadness and a concealed ser orb froeons There was a short fight between Colvin and the kishion, who drove the led hie was opened and Martin nodded in sadness as he was told of Lia’s death The ih the waves as it struggled to reach Co on the water The stor the skies with Ereshkigal’s power The wind blew the hard for Billerbeck Abbey It was dusk, the eve of Twelfth Night

You cannot stop them, the woman whispered He is under my thrall All men succumb to me, child No one can resist the power of desire I can stop the cere of their union Or he will be hers forever He will be banished here, as I was Forever When he dies, he will become a Myriad One Is that what you wish, child? When the Abbeys are all burned, there will be no gates back to Idumea The dead will be trapped here forever Join ateill be left open for the dead to return This is your gift to the world, child Join me, and you save him and yourself He will be yours and not hers