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"Skopos now, or so she claims She rules over a nest of vipers! Sabella can’t be trusted if she once honored that aoh of Austra! A murderer! A foul maleficus!" Lord Berthold let loose such a tirade of filthy imprecations that Ivar blushed and looked away, and found hi at the stocky companion She had the look of the Qu indefinably different about her that Ivar could not identify She wore a glittering headpiece, beads and gold sewn into a stiff, black fabric, and she had a strong jaw and broad cheekbones, big hands, and a stolid expression She said nothing It was not clear if she understand the flood of lurid curses, which did not cease until the rest of Berthold’s group came up to meet them

Besides Lord Jonas and the Quman man, a slender cleric attended patiently, al under the canopy of a walnut tree All carried saddlebags slung aardly over their shoulders The Qus to the silent woether as they talked, and both looked up to count the people waiting beside the gate

"We’ll close all the gates after you’ve left," said Ratbold, repeating instructions, "and let no man in"

"Nor woman either," said Wolfhere

"Who will carry the laht," said Wolfhere "And no horses"

"We ly

"Hoe see?" asked Berthold

"I know this path My lord, the horses are nearly spent Prior Ratbold has none to offer us We’ll go faster on foot because we can ht and day We must move swiftly The Eika will"

"The Eika have no horses," said Ivar When everyone looked curiously at him, he added, "We saw their army We were hidden in the trees, upwind They didn’t knoere there"

"My lord," said Wolfhere to Berthold Berthold nodded, and, that quickly, their party left through the open gate

Ivar’s feet had grown roots; the wind played around him as branches rattled above and Prior Ratbold watched into the night beyond the gate

"He never answeredyour pardon?" Ratbold asked, without turning

"I thought," said Ivar irritably, "that we ether, for safety Better if Baldwin and I wait for our horses to be reshod… yet if what the Eagle says is true …"