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"My fa the truth

"And why did they turn you out?"

"My father had many sons I wasn’t necessary," I said Well, it had actually been lad of the surplus," the Prince declared, eating the rest of his foith delight The dessert was a plus--he liked that very much As did the wizard I was allowed to return to my bed as soon as the plates and utensils had been cleaned and put away

"Re, wake up" The voice hispering right next to asp and sit up in alarnized "Re, hush," Delvin held ainst hiirl, be still," Delvin gripped et dressed, the Prince wants his errand boy"

I wanted a bath, but that wasn’t to be I was set to running errands iry, too--I hadn’t gotten any of the food I’d cooked the night before, and I hadn’t gotten dinner, either That’s why e to Alvis

"You haven’t eaten, and otten a bath, either" Alvis had given ood sniff when I arrived at his quarters He had a small room down the hall from the Prince’s suite

"Yes on both, Master Alvis," I ducked my head respectfully He was older, with silver in his dark hair His brown eyes, too, looked wise tohis life

"Then cohtened rabbedWe went into the Prince’s private bath, which was decorated with beautiful tiling and gold fixtures The bath was large--at least twenty people es comfortably A bit of steairl," Alvis hissed, "Never let those wizards know you’re fe us in If I’d been inside the bath alone, that htened me Alvis was there, so that helped

"How did you know?" Iat hireat deal The others are fools and do not look past the surface of things That will be their downfall Come, ill bathe and then I will take you for breakfast The Prince only thinks of his own belly,ht have fallen asleep I stayed awake, cleaned side Master Alvis We walked out of the baths together and down to the kitchens, where servants were busily preparing the noon meal Alvis and I were served a decent breakfast, cooked fresh just for us I carried a e from Alvis to the Prince ere done

"Ah, Alvis, you arethe note "Re, you will remind me from now on if you have not eaten" I nodded at the Prince Royal

"These are the fields" Bel swept his arm out as Tory and Ry stared The drakus seed plants seees doing the sa?" Ry attempted to keep the shock from his voice He couldn’t see the end of the drakus seed fields Citrus trees were off to the side, but those were the only other fields he could see

"This is the largest, but there are other fields nearly as big," Bel answered

"How

"Hundreds Soht, but the High Comer was eliminated They have worked to revive the crops There will be a yield from those fields as well"

"Not demons--spawn," Tory corrected absently

"How do you know they were not demons?" Bel was curious

"He knows," Ry provided the answer

"With the weather here, the fields can be replanted in a moon-turn, with another yield in two That means four harvests per full turn," Bel whispered "The plants need sun and a lot of water We have both"

"Were the plants native to this world?" Tory asked

"No They were brought in The High Commander and his wizards, I think" Bel didn’t sound happy about that

"What do you know about the wizards? The ones ere imported?" Ry wanted to learn as ht theths and talents were