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“You son of a bitch,” Sevro hisses

Apollonius smiles “The warden did not just buy me tomatoes and whores”

“You’re dead, shithead” But Sevro doesn’t fire

“I did not knoorked,” Apollonius says innocently “But I ahted by the results”

The Ash Lord tries to spit at hie worth sounding the death knell of your race, spoiled cur?”

“My race?” Apollonius stands “No, no, my lord, I am a race unto myself”

“How long ago?” I ask, grabbing Apollonius by the throat “How long ago did you do this?”

“Three years,” he says, not liking er?” He steps back ht-headed

Three years Three years like this…He can’t have led his men or fleets on Mercury from here The time delay would make battle co? Who commanded them? Who is responsible for their new tactics? Who was really behind the holos of hie e spoke those half dozen times?

“Yes,” the Ash Lord rasps, as if he can hearyou came all this way, fractured your Republic, your family! Made a pact with this devil to kill a sick old man at the end of his days?”

I fight the urge to screa What a waste What an unbelievable waste

“Who was it?” I ask

The Ash Lord looks at Apollonius “Who else? The only daughter you have left me”

“Atalantia…” I whisper

“My last Fury” He smiles with pride “You destroyed her home You murdered her sisters Now you coirl She would have lived in peace, Darrow, but you have brought her nothing but war” He mocks me