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“Darrow, you stand here asking us for e this war So I ask you, and pray to the Old Man who guards the Vale that you can give me an ansill this war end?”

“When the Republic is safe”

“Will it be safe when the Ash Lord falls? When we have Venus?”

“The Ash Lord is the heart of their warGold houses will turn on each other within a week”

“And what of the Rim? What if they come and we’ve smashed our armies to bits to kill one man?”

“We have a peace treaty with the Rim”

“For now”

“Their docks are destroyed Octavia saw to that The Starhall analysts believe they could not attack us, even if they wanted to, for another fifteen years,” Mustang says

“Romulus does not want another war,” I say “Trust me on that”

“Trust you?” My old friend frowns “We have trusted you, Darrow” I feel the saer in him that I sahen he learned of what I did to the Sons on the Rim “So many have trusted you For so many years But you’re in love with your own myth You think that the Reaper knows better than the People”

“You think I ar? I loathe it It’s stolen my friends My family It takes me away from my wife From my child If there were another path, I would take it But there is no path around this war The only way is through”

He watches me for a moment

“I wonder, would you even know peace if you saw it?” He turns to the senators “What if I told you, what if I told all of you there was another path? One that has been hidden frolances my way “What if we could have safety not toht this veryuns of the Ash Lord?” He turns to ht to present a witness to the Senate body”

She’s caught off guard “What witness?”

Dancer does not answer He looks expectantly down the corridor to his right At the end of it, a door opens and a lone set of heels click against the stone floor In hushed silence, the senators crane their necks to see a tall, i out of the corridor into the Senate hall She stands a head taller than the Republic Wardens, excepting Wulfgar, as she passes on the way to the center of the floor Her eyes are Gold Her body serene and slight, despite her height Her hair is spun behind her and caged by gold le encloses her neck Her gown is black and covering every bit of skin froal, bitter face is a single curved scar