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I snuffed out the flame beneath my boot, and then called down for my commanders to initiate an immediate evacuation for Mendenwal "You will leave all weapons behind, but you may carry out your wounded and any supplies necessary for their care And you will never coainst Carthya Once you accept those terms, you are free to leave in peace"

Then I stowed the torch against the cliff’s edge, and sat down to watch it happen Their exodus would likely take a couple of hours, and I needed that tiainst Avenia in battle; I just didn’t kno to hed down and overheated by the chain andine, I finally removed them so that I could recline more comfortably in a si reat secret to winning battles: Make the other side believe you are crazier than they are Mendenanted to get as far from me as possible before I went completely mad and relit the rope Of course, there were no explosives left, never had been any up here, but I liked the idea of thes could run

Eventually, a shout caone I had stayed at this perch too long and too selfishly It was tiain with my commanders and consider our next move

With Mendenwal’s arain and loaded the chain andine around my chest and sheathed e But somewhere in the fields far behindfor rabbed my sword and ran toward his voice He wasn’t rasses here, but he continued calling forheavily and with his hands bound in front of him He had a torn shirt and a dark bruise on one cheek, but otherwise, he see toward hi his head and sobbing "I’m sorry," he cried "Jaron, I’m sorry"

"For what?" He already had iveness, and alould have, but I needed to knohat had happened

"I told them about Falstan That’s why they weren’t here before They let Mendenwal get sed up in the lake and waited until it was over"

"Who did?"

"Vargan’s army I’rowing from the base of the hill upon which Fink and I stood Horses snorted while their hoofbeats pounded against stone and earth We were not alone, and I figured it was a safe guess that whoever was co was no friend of mine

In the distance, aEven from here I could see their black livery coats crossed in red Having been surrounded by the, the uniform of Avenia was painfully faroup on horseback, and I knew nearly all of thean was accoer and Avenia’s standard bearers Another man rode with them, not in Avenia’s colors, but dressed instead in the fine robes of a nobleman I squinted to see him better It couldn’t be

But it was Bevin Conner was riding directly beside the king of Avenia Conner pointed ht for et behind er to test its sharpness For all of Conner’s arrogant clai he had done was for the benefit of our country, this was a coain he had an now, he could never justify this treason, even to hio," I muttered back to hi but red and black unifor behind us but a sheer cliff and a long fall

My sas ready when they stopped in front of us I hadn’t yet decided which of theet before the rest of theet Conner, but the sneer on Vargan’s face er had actively participated in the abuse I’d suffered in Vargan’s careeted ain My apologies for being late to all your fun with Mendenwal"

"I wish you’d have come I would’ve loved for you to an arched an eyebrow "Is there no one left?"