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Anna caught the attention of one of the guardsmen, Sibold, the man with the torn throat who spoke now in a hoarse croak that would always relant’s injured voice "Is it true that Princess Theophanu will marry an--an Eika prince?" she whispered

Sibold had always been a lively, bold man more likely to leap than to look, but his face was pale, he was exhausted, worn right through with grief "So it is," he said curtly, then shook his head and turned away

She sat cross-legged beside the girl’s pallet, stroking that black hair, too restless to sleep as night came on With her other hand she traced, over and over, the carved dogs’ heads on the staff So about the polish and save a lohuffing bark, as amerchant Voices murmured from the porch The door opened, and a h he did not ith his two massive black hounds in attendance, not in here

He looked first at Blessing The princess slept with an arled in a blanket He knelt beside her, touched a hand to the girl’s cheek, listened, sighed Then he looked up at Anna Tipped his head sideways, eyes narrowing

"I know you," he said softly "You were at Gent"

Choked, she could only nod But as her hand tightened over the staff, she found her voice

"You gave your Holy Circle to an Eika prince" she said

He s with surprise "So I did"

"I-I saw it Him He was in the cathedral at Gent He let Matthias and o He could have killed us Any of the others would have But he let us go"

The young aze pinned her, as though he would dig all the way down until she had no secrets left She clutched the staff and, drawn by the asped A slap across the face ht have struck him, because he recoiled, eyes widened and head thrown back

Yet the sting, however sharp, was brief

He coughed, wiped his brow, touched his throat Froatively

"I pray you," he said, voice a bit ragged, "where did you get that staff?"