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After the woht into the rooan, though by the prickle of my skin, I’d already sensed him nearby Moan had been a co presence, but tiainst a sandcastle His gray hair was tied back and he had thick round spectacles that enlarged his dark-saddled eyes A servant accoan quickly reave them to his servant, he was then handed a cloth, which he pressed to his nose I found that odd, since it hadn’t even occurred to me how it must smell in here He stood in the doorway, stretched his back, and then studied me as he walked forward Eventually he settled into his chair, though he still hadn’t spoken a word, and I had yet to acknowledge him

"I’m told you won’t eat," he said finally

"Avenian food tastes like salted dung," I muttered

"I expected some humility I could let you die in here"

"I wish you would"

He shifted his weight and looked me over "Captivity has been hard on you You look terrible"

"So do you At least I have an excuse"

He chuckled softly "The boy king single-handedly invades irl he loves, and now is mine to treat in any manner I see fit As you were told, we i with an offer to your prient for peaceful surrender"

"I’," I said "He’ll happily accept your surrender"

He chuckled again "When we ht of your family’s funeral, I said that I liked you, and I do You’re a spirited young reatly in need of discipline, but with many qualities I ad My wishes for hiood, Jaron The best choice for any of your men is to put down their swords There will be a heavy price for their loyalty, and I hope you won’t require that of theer Do you think I’m not serious? The two archers who came with you are dead Did you know that? They stayed to help you when they ought to have run"

I had figured they one, but it was still terrible news I took note that he didn’t mention Mott Perhaps there was a chance he had soan continued, "If it was only th and in nuainst you I heard about your fight with the captain of your guard Now he’s left and taken the finest of your soldiers fro arle area And I have you, still in irl," which was an insult to her Yet I preferred that to hearing hiht to speak it, not after what he’d done

Vargan leaned forward and clasped his hands together "We’ve waited as long as we can to bury her I wonder if you want to see her body, to see where the arrow struck You may wish for the chance to ht had occurred several ti her that way, having that one last ed indifferently "We know nothing for her gravestone other than her first name She died in battle, and deserves en adopted into her own house I was sure of that "She was Ien of Bultain," I mumbled "That was her name"

He nodded "And is there any epitaph you want added?"

The words had already for directly at hien of Bultain Whose death proan"

Vargan’s face hardened and he stood "Consider yourself lucky I don’t bury you beside her Because of your insolence, she will have no gravestone There will be nobeen here"

If only an yelled "And before this is over, I’ll take everything fro left," I ive me whatever I want, or you’ll learn what itMott, that servant you care so much about I will let you watch every minute of his slow execution Rulon Harlowe -- he’s like a father to you, isn’t he? It won’t take much to end his life And the princess She’ll be lucky to escape with as little pain as that kitchen noble you loved"

By then, he had ht have only been threats designed to frighten an would relish the chance to carry the one person after another, he would destroy ils, then pointed at me and said, "Let the devils huer to bow at ils bowed to their king and some of them escorted hi fists into their hands, preparing to carry out Vargan’s orders

My world had blurred between drea but pain existed in the other Because of that, I spent the greater part of each day clinging to every possible memory of her That alone kept me alive

One memory returned to me over and over, a en froh my hair Despite any indifference she had ever shown me, every word she had uttered tobut friendship between us, her touch had changed all of that And if I could have cut off thefurther, I would have done it But it was always followed, always, by the ie of her twisted expression when the arrow pierced her chest, and the crumpled collapse of her body before it vanished over the hill That me Coen’s last words begged me to choose to live Why couldn’t she have done the saan had left his soldiers with the invitation to torture me at will, and I had expected it would take on the worst forn At first they were cruel toweak fro doll They began interrogating me for information, and repaid er even devised a game meant to entertain the siarlin on a flat, embedded rock at the top of lanced up at the coin, then turned away The distance wasn’t far --the garlin while in these chains would be difficult, if not i

But Kippenger wanted to play "Reach the coin, boy," he said, "and I’ll let you buy your freedom with it"