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"I’ve been here for a year or more--three years, now that I think on it We’ve made some expeditions to the north coast and west of here to drive out bandits and rebels And you?" He recalled hier,to forgive I would rather be treated as your co You marched east, did you not? With Prince Bayan and Princess Sapientia? That happened after we parted ways"

He whistled "A long road that was You know the route as well as I after we put down the rebellion in Varre"

They chatted a little about that ti shared adventures: Lady Svanhilde and her reckless son, Charles; the battle at Gent and the death of the Eika chieftain Bloodheart

"We traveled on progress after that Down to Thersa and afterward to Werlida" He looked a little embarrassed "You’ll recall that, I suppose"

"I do And after that, where did you go? You’ve had a long, difficult journey, I think In the king’s service"

"That we have, and lost half my men, alas It was quiet for a while, in Varre We went to Autun and saw the holy chapel where the Erinned, but an instant later he frowned "After that, indeed We were sent east with Princess Sapientia and Prince Bayan He was a good ood coht not to walk beyond the rassy eastern reaches, about a battle at a place he called "Queen’s Grave" on account of an old burial ht Their retreat, it seemed, had succeeded only on account of Prince Bayan’s steady nerves and canny tactics There had been trouble in Handelburg

"And through no fault of her own, I will tell you," he said harshly, "that Eagle, Hanna, was sent out to her death For that I blaht at Lady Theucinda, and with some effort made an obvious decision to be prudent rather than bold

"She didn’t die," said Liath, suddenly cold

"Nay, so we discovered later Her tale is no good one, though We lant--His Majesty, that is--at Machteburg There we recovered a few of ourmore They’d turned heretic Yet I tell you, I think in a time as troubled as now it should not ht"

Theucinda looked at hi But she did not

"You’ll hear no argument from me," said Liath, "but the church mothers will say otherwise"

"I pray you, then, do not repeat what I have said"