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“The attack,” Dale said “How did you escape the attack at your lodge?”

Merdigen looked into his aze “For all ainst another soul Never I suffered a long exile for ht as the members of my order, ere my only family, were murdered in their sleep, I used my powers and killed Killed to defend us Killed every last en

“What then?” Dale gently prodded, both horrified and fascinated

“In the ht of my powers froht we found the charred husks of the villagers, including the one e identified as our old stablehand Ahter, and tere very near death, including Daria, the one true healer a us We tried to aid them, but could not”

A tear dripped down Merdigen’s cheek into his beard

“After we burned our dead, the eagles took us aloft before en created a vision of the re from pyres for Dale She could almost smell the stench of scorched flesh The scene dwindled frorew sen’s eyes as an eagle lifted him away, until the scar on theMountains opened in a white-peaked panoraen waved his hand and abruptly the scene dissipated like smoke

“They carried us to the eyrie of Venwing, lord of the eagles His eyrie was athe clouds in the ether, those of us who survived—ten of us as it would happen—lost in grief and shivering with cold

“‘Thus it has been across the lands,’ Lord Venwing said, ‘the killing does not end’ I cruht of the lives I had taken”

“You were defending your people!”

“So I was, and for that reason I was not executed iht had I, or anyone else, to cause a life to end?”

“You were trying to preserve the lives of your people”

“And such was the rationale of those ent to war” Merdigen shook his head “But I only proved the fearful stories of those villagers true I was a user of ave those who had not died that night reason to persecute us The taking of a life, for some, is a heavy burden For others? They noticed it littleof a fly”