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He turned back to enter just as the hounds rose, stiff-legged and ears flat First, two stewards entered and took down the two shutters After theuardsmen, then Captain Lukas, and finally Lady Sabella She sat on one of the couches and exaht, he saw that the tapestries depicted the fa Louis, the last independent king of Varre, had met his death

"They say," remarked Sabella into the silence, "that no one knehose hand struck the blow that killed Louis the Fair In Wendar it is said he was killed by an Eika prince But in Varre, it is said he was killed by a traitor in thrall to the Wendish king, anted all for hirew up by Osna Sound"

"Within the lands overseen by the count of Lavas"

"Yes"

Her stare was rurohenever she looked their way Outside, rain hissed on the stones

"Why have you come here? What do you want?"

"I have promised to discover the true heir to the county of Lavas"

"Ah" She s her teeth "You have heard that Lord Geoffrey betrayed e yipped as the door opened and half a dozen people flooded in, led by Conrad the Black His presence filled the roo like a rooster!" he was saying to one of his co, to believe the little lad was dead just like that?"

"I hope you slapped some sense into her," said Lady Sabella

Conrad looked at her with disgust, perhaps with loathing, and flung hi with his back to the cold hearth, and then the hounds in shadow to either side "Look at you!" he said in the tone of a s "What handsoe’s ears lifted, but neither hound moved one paw

"He is the one," said Sabella to Conrad as though Alain could not hear them "Lavastine’s bastard"

"Yes, yes," he said i the hounds "What matter to us?"

"Lord Geoffrey matters to us"

"Ah! What benefit to us?"