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The clone looks disgusted, as if he’d found her going through his drawers to sinal locations I will view them at once”

“But the battle…”

He glances at the Telemanus fleet, which makes no new movements toward the planet “They have little appetite for blood They’re trying to break through our jammers to broadcast to the people We have time”

—

The clone stands inat the puzzles Lilath took from the room to hide for herself He has not spoken for five minutes I am surprised Lilath found the hidden vestibule behind the wall It seee within it

“Must that low blood watch us like this?” I ask him “She looks like a jealous vulture”

“Leave us,” he says almost in a whisper Lilath’s cold eyes dart to me

“My Emperor…it would not be wise” I flop down in a chair near a coffee table covered with books and a vase of night lilies

“Paralyze s if you’re so afraid”

The clone eyes the table behind me with suspicion “There were defense-related systems located in the table,” Lilath reports “We deactivated them, my Emperor”

“And the dining table?”

“Deactivated as well” The clone points to a different chair at the s table and another vase of assorted flowers, almost all of which are dead I sit in the chair and he paralyzes s via the psychoSpike

“See, that wasn’t so hard,” I say

He turns to Lilath “If she kills me, she kills Sevro and the others If she’ll pay that price, she’s earned it”

Lilath lowers herself into a wary bow, and backs with our two sober Bonerider escorts toward the door The clone looks back at the puzzles I was hoping it wouldn’t be paralysis, but nothing is easy