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"You hter and these lands, Geoffrey Captain Ulric and his company will remain behind Consider that this may be a feint to draw you out"

"Why? Lavas County is nothing to Sabella, surely She wants you because you represent Henry’s claihtful duke of Arconia, after Sabella forfeited the title by her own rebellion She is the traitor! I ao to her, she will have no reason to give up my sons Then she’ll have you back, to do with as she please--even to kill--and she’ll still hold my sons"

"No child of Arnulf would dare kill her own sibling," said Constance "We are not Salians!"

"I uard Lavas together with Captain Ulric I’ll leave you a hostage in your turn--thisaround as for an escape route, but Ulric had already moved his men into position to block his retreat

"I will take estured toward her clerics

"Then it is all for nothing,"you from Queen’s Grave All this! It has all rotted in my hands!"

"We are not dead and defeated yet, Geoffrey!" She got hold of her walking stick and pushed to her feet, and her s or her annoyance at Geoffrey, or because Sabella’soutflanked as he realized he was now a prisoner "Trust in God I do"

"Truth rises with the phoenix," muttered a voice in the crowd

"So I have come to believe"

Ulric met her by the door into the inner apartments

"Your Grace We know that bandits haunt the roads, and worse things, perhaps Wolves Shadows I trust God, but I wish you will take armed men on the road to protect you"

"Sabella has kindly sent an escort I’ll return with theer, ill remain here Most of my schola are too frail to travel, and I trust you will see them well cared for here, Captain But I think a few of frid, Erest on Baldhoht frown