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Craning my neck, I took my first complete visual inspection The structure was Gothic, with crenellated s, four separate towers, flying buttresses, ribbed arches, and high vaults In places the dark stone had cru chunks broken on the courtyard tile Part of er to do , but it was dark and silent now

No matter

“Lay him out here,” I told Greydusk

The Ih it would take time and power, I knew a ritual that would burn hiickal accoutreer than the white witch herbs in the box s had been left in a car abandoned on a ht be some components left within the castle

Inside, it was a ruin, and I found nothing salvageable, save a white curtain, which I used as a funeral shroud With a stub of charcoal, I scrawled my needs on a scrap of ancient parchment “You will fetch these items for me immediately,” I told Greydusk

“As you command, my queen”

That left Chance and athered arounduard over him in death as no one had in life His sacrifice must be respected

“Can I hold you?” he asked

It was proper that he did inquire, even in private, and I craved the coal, perhaps, but there were none to see, not even the quasits, which had stalked our steps since our arrival Now there was only darkness and silence

In answer I went to him and he wrapped e to you?”

“You have no idea”

“Yet you remain Such loyalty is a treasure beyond price”

“I’ether sure who you are at the moment,” he admitted softly, “but somewhere in there is the woh for me”

From the deepest recess of my mind, a whisper cah er than I’d realized, forcing me to feel what she felt

“I’m she, but more too”

“Yeah, I got that earlier I could tell you were different when you ca the wound I’d taken in the arena

I hissed a breath and drew back

“You’re hurt How bad is it?”

I shrugged In e would have already healed I had no idea how this hybrid thing I’d becoh certainly I was frail by comparison

“I’ll survive He won’t” Withsupine on the stones

“Don’t blame yourself for his choices He loved you that much”

“I auilt,” I said silkily

“Ah” Fro his ariven an unexpected response

“There will be satisfaction in destroying those responsible” I tried to explain, and I hated the impulse A consort need not approve my actions; he needed only to submit to my will

“Do you remember where we first met?” he asked

The knowledge swam at the back of my head, so far away that I had to sink to retrieve it “At a dry cleaner’s?”

“Yes” His voice arm and husky with relief “You returned my keys”

This didn’t seem like the time to adic emotions that colored his beautiful features I had an attachment to him, but it was an echo of the wo lost

His demeanor warmed, and he drew me back into his ar pushed out of the bag and investigated the courtyard, and then christened a corner of it Char the dead, until Greydusk returned

“It took , “but I collected everything you need”

I nodded, but didn’t thank him, and stepped away from Chance

The ritual took hours First I deployed the ingredients in proper order, then drew all the sigils, infused the special ink rendered fro and exhausted Here I had no secret source running through the stones Finally, I backed away from the meat that had been ue

The sigils flahty bursts I did Albert Solo away I watched every horrific moment, each puff of s left but cinder and char, chips of bone, and a great ruby that had been his heart

Sorroned ertips It burned with a cold, eternal fire Fro exquisite, so I never forgot this limmer at my throat and fear my resolve