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Maderos quit pinching her and patted her cheek "Truth, sister, is knowledge of things as they really are As you said But it is not confined to that You cannot confine truth to those ters as they are, but it is also knowledge of things as they were The past Why did the old king fall at Winterrowd? You can ask any number of men and they will all tell you what they believe to be the truth But you and I – we know the truth It is also knowledge of things as they will be What you will become, for example Your destiny"

Lia shivered

"Giveif he would squeeze it too hard, but she extended it to him He clasped it in between his hands His skin araze, he looked into her eyes

"I Gift you With a glimpse at your future Not to see it clearly, but to see the truth of it when it is time to know the truth of it There is a Gift that you already possess, child, that you did not na Your father had it You have experienced it already if you remember Inside your mind, you have seen events unfold that happened in the past Or were happening in thatin his tent That was the Gift of Seering When the Alderht you about Idumea here in the Abbey, you saw the past and the fall of Ereshkigal Use this gift well Only the Mediuliift may be complete This hand – will impact the lives of ood as well as for evil But to those who know the truth, they will always hold you in reverence for what this hand will yet do"

She licked her lips, not feeling any differently "What does that rinned at her "You will see when it is time" He patted her hand "Let me teach you wisdom, one of the hidden secrets of this second life, just as it was a secret in the first life Surely you have already learned that ths and weaknesses It must be so, for we are incomplete without the other Here is wisdoreatest power over a man is his desire to please a particular wos on it It is this inherent desire which gives that woman power to make or destroy him Most men will never confess that they are influenced…easily influenced…by the wohters, or sisters Many have no idea that they are This knowledge is the source of the hetaera’s power It is powerful, child So subtle and powerful It can and does influence men to murder It causes men to forsake their sworn oaths and duties Even s can shatter estIt will benefit you in the future as you ponder it"

Lia shuddered "Is the Queen Dowager more powerful than the Aldermaston?" she whispered

"Of course she is," Maderos answered "Because he is only a man She is more powerful than Garen Demont because he is a man More than your friend, the pethet, because he is a ether with all their fierce wills combined"

Lia’s heart froze with fear

"But," Maderos said, wagging his finger at her "Is she more powerful than you? That is the question, is it not?"

"Is she?" Lia pleaded

"What does the Medium tell you?" Maderos asked pointedly

In the silence of her

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT:

Fall of Muirwood

The Aldermaston looked at Lia’s expression and his eyes wrinkled orry "Did you fail?" he asked her, his voice cracking into a hoarse cough

She realized her expression was alar him She shook her head slowly "I am a maston"

He shut his eyes in relief "For a moment, I doubted I should not have What troubles you?"

Lia sed painfully, her hts "I…I did not realize it The danger, Alderer The ith Deuise I understand now like I have never understood before She wants to destroy the Abbey She wants to destroy you This is not about Deht is about Muirwood She will kill you"

She gazed into his eyes and saw the truth of it there He knew it as well She wanted to bury her face in her hands What if she was not strong enough? What if Pareigis, the Queen Dowager, could breach the Abbey’s defenses? They would all be slaughtered