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The duke of Wayland stirred uncomfortably in his seat but reed Mother Scholastica "It is because of your imprisonment that much bad blood arose between Wendar and Varre"

Constance nodded "Sabella has passed beyond forgiveness or vengeance Let it be"

"How caard

"That is a tale for another day I took refuge at Lavas Holding with Lord Geoffrey, who stands as regent for the young count, his daughter Sabella discovered where I was and sent a troop of soldiers to fetch me I came with the escort rather than risk the lives of innocent children that Sabella was holding hostage Reaching Autun, we discovered that Sabella had already marched east with an army On our way here, ere overtaken by the Eika All of my s of these Eika and their leader" "What would you tell us?" asked Theophanu Huhters was glorious compared to a body whose flesh was as soft and dull as half-baked dough But this one had a certain cool presence to her that made her different than her sisters She was not e and ebb of emotion that marred their faces One could look at her and feel restful

Constance was seated to his left She lifted a hand--any movement pained her for her body had been racked and ruined in recent years Such was the weakness of huhand spared our lives because ere clerics He setwhom preside human as well as Eika He spoke to ed in a long and fruitful conversation"

"God Above!" said Mother Scholastica "As well take instruction from a wolf! What can you have talked about?"

Alone of the younger generation, Constance was not one bit intimidated by the older wo from the same source

"Why, we talked about God, Aunt And stewardship of land and estate We talked of trade and trading routes We discussed the legend of the phoenix, and the tales concerning the spawning of the Eika in ancient days We spoke of the Cursed Ones, and of the tempest last autumn that swept over the lands And much more besides I ask you, Mother Scholastica Does Wendar suffer? Do folk in Varre starve and die? Since I was freed from Queen’s Grave, I have collected stories I have heard testies are raided by outlaws, and by the Cursed Ones wearing the roithout the sun The sued in the aftermath of the tempest Creatures prowl abroad that once slept God enjoins us to build and sow, to reap and to husband We are ood stewardship, else many more will die and the land will lie in ruins"

Mother Scholastica had a sharp gaze, which she used now, looking first at Constance and then, with a frown and a crinkling of her brow, at Stronghand "I consider you beyond corruption, Constance, but perhaps I a a prisoner all these years addled your keen h the words were hand had coh in constant pain, she possessed a reatest clarity

"Ask yourself this, Aunt How comes this Eika army to this place, at this tiun?"

"The battle ended when those foul creatures--these galla raised by Antonia of Mainni who calls herself skopos--when these creatures of the Enelant was killed That was shock enough!"

Constance shook her head With jaw set against pain and a deep crease above her eyes as she braced herself, she hand moved to aid her, but her servants were already there on either side, four of them who had traveled this far: two men and toht a horrified hush onto the asse out into the corners of the hall, even into the rafters "The eain in the blaze of God’s glory These signs I have seen: Miracles have blosso flowers I was ht I recognized the holy vessel But now I comprehend that it is not my part to speak of that which has not yet revealed its presence" The younger of her feun to weep silently, her gaze fixed stubbornly on the floor