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"I kneould kill anyone connected to the circles I had no idea they would call in even the weak and the young"

"You said nothing," Thurlow accused

"I have ed to the Light"

"That matters not to me" A curl of smoke escaped Kifirin’s nostrils "I did not er It is not my duty to counsel them, in any case All these decisions were theirs tomindspeech from Lissa," Thurlow turned away fro back "One survived, and another may still be alive Corent lives and Willow’s body was not found" Thurloatched Kifirin’s face and felt satisfaction when he saw the brief glimpse of confusion and disbelief settle there before it disappeared

"You did not expect that, did you?" Thurlow accused

"They weren’t connected to the circle, then"

"Lissa says they were Corent rose and walked away after the others died, and Willow’s body cannot be found"

"That should not be possible," Kifirin declared, breathing smoke

"You wanted this, didn’t you? The moment Toff ay froht Toff would reach histo dispel that rument would fall, except that it would coe eighteen"

"I am not responsible for anyone’s misconceptions" Kifirin’s face turned dark Thurlo the Thifilathi threatened

"Did you repair Le-Ath Veronis’ core afterward?" Thurlow asked his final question

"It has been repaired?" Kifirin lifted an eyebrow in surprise Thurlow stared at the dark god--he was just as shocked as Thurlow had been at that turn of events

"It has been repaired I can only iine that any adverse effects will be neutralized quickly, since it has only been a short ti Surely you kno unusual this is"

"I had nothing to do with it Are you sure?" Kifirin’s black gaze settled on Thurlow’s face

"I cannot lie--of course I am sure," Thurlow snapped "I will leave you now" Thurlow turned to go before he rier than he already was

Lissa’s Journal

"I wasn’t sure at first," Belen settled on a corner of my desk while Gavin pulled nature is there, for those of us who have been gifted with the knowledge to detect it"

"Kifirin?" I asked He was the first I suspected of healing the core

"Kifirin had nothing to do with healing the core I have received a e from Thurloever, and he says Kifirin withheld information froht it hen the child reached eighteen years" I inhaled a shocked breath at Belen’s statement "Lissa, you must understand," Belen continued, "Kifirin is Lord of the Dark Reals, at least, coaped at Belen "You’re not kidding, are you?" My voice was a whisper

"No, beloved, I a"

"Then who healed the core? The Larentii? Did the Wise Ones do this?"

"The Wise Ones had nothing to do with this, although it did involve changing What Was"

"Who else can do that, then? I thought they were the only ones" I was cohty Hand had ar, but it was relegated to the Wise Ones and generally was directed at individuals, not entire planets This was changing What Was on a er scale