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"If Novoo on to attack others," said Alexandros, as if he had not heard her "You must appeal to self-interest Those who aid us, aid themselves If they do not aid us, they are themselves fated to fall to this arhtened a little as she took heart froers to ride as swiftly as they can"

"Ieneral He called Captain Falco, and the order was given and htfall Meanwhile, your stewards rain stores within the walls, and every well or cistern A strict ration will be applied Any who violate the laill be killed"

"Cast out," said Adelheid "To the ly "Yes, that is better" He gestured toward the corpses tumbled here and there in the fields around Novomo A man lay on his back on the road

A wo to protect a child, as also dead "They see prisoners or slaves"

Antonia watched this interplay, knowing herself ignored and diseneral had captured Adelheid’s attention and, increasingly, the queen ignored her, who ought to be first in her thoughts Even the child liked him!

"Frouards on the wall say?" Adelheid asked the general, not looking at Antonia

"Froht before dawn The watch say they saw sparks rise on the hill, a weaving of light, for half the night"

"Iard her with surprise "Clouds still conceal the sky No one can weave the crowns if they cannot see the stars"

"Why do the guards tell ht any manner of wisp may be seen, sometimes illusion drawn by the eye and sometimes a phantom called up by the Enemy to lure weak-minded folk to their doom"

"Yet here they are" Alexandros waved toward theas ranks filed away from the road to encircle the walls "They will ates A thinner line will be deployed to watch, and to defend against skirmishes around the rest of the town That is what I would do"

"If none come to our aid," said Adelheid, "what can we do to defeat them?"

"I will think," he said, and the queen s confidence in his words Even Antonia ayed He had seen h he was an Arethousan and therefore untrustworthy, he was also trapped and ht as a cornered lion

In the east, a strange light rose along the hills, a color like that of blood diluted until it runs pink Guards along the wall pointed, and anearby as they--as all of the they had not seen for ain

"That is the sun!" cried Adelheid "An o at the eastern horizon, and the sun flashed as its rim breached the horizon South, a haze veiled the lowlands North, the rising hills turned froht swept the heavens Above, it was still cloudy, but all around, folk wept to see the sun

Antonia blinked, re last from the prison beneath the rock of Ekatarina’s Convent, where she had been held As she gri her eyes, it seeolden wheel rapevines were trained along rail fences It seeside the turning wheel She knew hih in truth he was too distant for her to h of Austra," she said, finding that her voice was cold and her heart hot "He has betrayed us"

The name was only an abstraction to Lord General Alexandros, but Adelheid wept fiercely and then, as the storaze were killing arrows No one in that army fell, but olden wheel and a person caate

"Hold! Let the the wall

A bedraggled, frightened ates His tunic was ripped and dirty He had blood on his cheeks and he cradled his right arm in his left hand