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Lady Sabella had seen, and understood "What is this?" she asked as she smiled Alain didn’t like that snize you Lavastine’s by-bloho tried to steal the county from Lord Geoffrey"
With the hounds at his heels, Alain walked forward Folk shoved each other to get out of the way
He did not kneel "My lady," he said "My lord duke" And, last, although the words caht they would: "My lady Tallia"
She screamed, covered her eyes with her arm, and collapsed onto the pillows as in a faint The litter rocked, and the serving it lurched a few steps to steady thehed over the y of Taillefer Silence lofted into the dome as if to strike the heavens themselves dumb "Yet here you are," added Sabella, "and I admit I’m interested to knohere you came from and why you are here"
This close to the nurse, he saw the bluish-white features of a baby peeping out fros So still, without expression or any least sign of animation Sorrow barked, and the nurse shrieked and skittered back, slarip on the infant It tued forward and
On the shore of Rikin Fjord the good, strong folk of Rikin Tribe wait to greet hirown too slow to sail the seas and fight in foreign lands but strong enough, still, to build and labor and fight in defense of their ho their duty to protect the fjord until they are given a chance to sail Here are Deacon Ursuline’s flock looking healthy and eager, crowding forward as they would never have done in the days when they were kept penned and ht us, Mother?" they call when they see the deacon
"What gifts will enrich us, Deacon?" they ask her "You must see e have built in your absence!"
"Ask your lord what he has brought with him to enrich the tribe," she tells them, and they see him and fall silent, heads bowed respectfully They fear hier the only spear that drives the to us," he tells theots Shields Swords Glass beakers and jars and drinking horns Wool cloth Ivory ars Ao be brought ashore and into the hall"
He looks out onto the waters, but the surface lies still The fight that exploded so suddenly has vanished into the depths and he still cannot explain it Truth to tell, he hesitates before he dise that moment when he saw Nokvi in the flat face of the merman who attacked him Nokvi is dead, devoured by his allies--soer Or perhaps some of the merfolk were never his allies at all
He comes ashore First Son bears his standard behind hi thehters stand in their ranks by OldMother’s hall They wait, so beautiful in their sharp old, iron Snow lines the valley, a white tracery a the fields and rocks S, and they tus and so They are born with the instinct to struggle and cos andhis interest, they fall together into their packs and beco fast In another year they will be full grown and in a year or two after that they will be what hu as they will ever be, the new generation of Eika warriors He has hih ten or twelve winters since he hatched from the nests Their life is short, but after all, a short life is all most creatures on Earth can expect
"Answer ht baubles will not give you victory"
At first they ansith silence The old, fading warriors and younger home troops and the human tribe look on This is the first ti them speaks up boldly "Then what?"
"Who are you?" he asks
"I am First Son of the Third Litter"
He nods
"First," he says, "observe After this, learn And when this is done, think These are the three legs on which we stand"