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“This Volsung Fá, this barbarian king, put fear into Valdir’s heart But not mine! I knohat he is A vulture He ca it his But he is no s to the Volk! We purchased it with our blood! While he lurked in the asteroids beyond the Riht of Gold, the ht, to murder Freihild, ue there is no Allmother, only an Allfather” She spits the word, and the jarls stomp their axes in fury “He is our enerow full”
They roar
“All know the wisdoht an enemy with anot
her at your back This heretic king has poisoned the blood between our Republic brothers and sisters Today we cleanse that blood; tomorroe turn our axes on him”
She lifts the razor of Aja and points it to the Bellona Doors, sparing a nod for Xenophon, whoXenophon stares at the doors with intense contentment
They say the Hall of Eagles wasn’t built to reach the heavens, but to fit its doors The fareat treasure of House Bellona not sold off by looters or sculpted by the Obsidians in their own iin to open Forrown, the interlocking wooden wings that close off the eastern façade of the hall are pulled open by infernal machines Raw rusted iron clatters and rattles now, as it used to for the damn Bellona family so that they could sit in their pretty armor and remember the horrors of war As if it wasn’t the definition of their own name
The chanting of the crowd gathered in the city to protest the Alltribe’s loo ith the Republic flows in They chant for their Reaper How far away he must seem
On the floor, a long needle of daylight splits the Obsidian jarls and stabs toward Sefi’s throne, dividing the shadows of the roo to melt the shadoay All except one As the Republic diplo, it casts a stain on the floor the shape of a bird
“The raven shadow,” Ozgard murmurs
I’ve seenbombardo oes He bolts to his feet Rushes for Sefi, frothing for her to shoot down the ship To not let it spew out its evil He is knocked windless on the ground before he can even make it four steps The sealant on my heel won’t come off Dammit
Blood leaks out Ozgard’s ed back to me He stares at his reflection I whisper his naone Snapped at the mental waist He doesn’t even look up as the ras down at the far end of the room
I wait for a boo off in the shuttle For soathered host of Obsidians But the Fear Knight has so more intricate in store
His slave, Xenophon, walks from the place of honor at Sefi’s side down the stairs of her throne dais, nearly to the end of the ranks of Obsidian warjarls
“Sefi Volarus, are you a god?” Xenophon asks Her brows knit together in confusion “Are you a god?” Sefi’s taken aback by the impertinence of her only “loyal” servant
Her voice corowl “Xenophon, return to your place”