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"Surely someone must have missed him"

"No one had seen my father since he was a boy," she ade for his steward to assuave hi to be my father had instructions to contact me if his impersonation was ever discovered by anyone I received thatof the attack on the château I was supposed to retrieve the scroll and take it with me out of the country I promised iving him a tailored version of the truth "Your father is the reason you gave up your life at the château to become a houselanced at him "Did your father expect you to become a warrior-priest?"

"I never knew my father" That was the most Korvel had ever said about hi her the rest "My hter of an iht raiders fro her hostage in their country for randfather paid the ransoht back The raiders had used her as a slave, and she was pregnant witha bastard, even one conceived by rape, ruined a woman forever My mother knew no randfather still needed an heir to keep his lands fro escheated to the crown after his death That is the only reason she didn’t strangle me at birth"

"Was it your mother who left that mark on your neck?"

"No That came much later, at the hands of mortals ished me dead" He rubbed the scar on his throat "Sometimes, when I was a boy, I did wish that she would put an end to me My mortal life was not a happy one"

She slipped her hand into his "Korvel, you were not to blame for as done to her"

"I served as the daily reminder of it" Idly he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles "She saw to it that I was fed and clothed and schooled, but she never spoke a gentle word to et that I was a raider’s bastard If I did anything to anger her or randfather, she hadupon e"

"So you becaiven a choice I would never have left theed in an unexpected fashion My grandrandfather free to reer woot her with child"

She caught her breath "He had his legitimate heir"

He nodded "As soon as randfather allowed ht my mother died Then he threw me out in the snoith only the clothes on my back When I would not leave, he had the servants drive ry "You were only a boy"

"Mortals did not live so long in my time," he reminded her "Most could not expect more than thirty years In the eyes of that world, I was aan audience with the king Althoughto restore ars at his gates, he offered arrison He had no reason to do so, but it was the first kindness I had ever known For that, I swore to serve him until the end of ood man, Captain"

Her compliment pleased hi froed the subject to avoid talking about her own father "Was your father an invalid?"

She made a small, choked sound "No, Captain Until he fell ill, he was in excellent health"

"You said that no one had seen hie that? Did he suffer froht "My father considered fear a weakness He wasn’t afraid of anything"

"Not even death?"

Her throat burned, and she pulled off to the side of the road, stopping the car and cli out to run down to the brush, where she dropped to her knees

"Simone" Korvel reached her in time to support her with his arrass "That idiot doctor pros would have worn off by now"

Once the spashtened and accepted his handkerchief to wipe her s"

He frowned "Then this isI should not have reminded you of the loss of your father I had not realized you were so close to hiered to her feet "The day I buried hiarden was the happiest ofin her scent "So he was your abuser"

"He never touched round" She started back toward the car