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She’d i and falling from the bones They were, after all, ht back to life as mindless soldiers But these that she passed looked so huuish them save for their lack of color and the stiff expressions on their faces That, and the fact that they stood unnaturally , no quivers of muscle or limb Even their eyes were still They seerey skin

AndI’ht But no, Returned were different from Lifeless, and both were different from Drabs, which were people who had lost their Breath She could vaguely ree had Returned It had been nearly ten years back, and her father hadn’t let her visit the man She did recall that he’d been able to speak and interact with his family, even if he hadn’t been able to reain a week later

Eventually, her carriage passed through the ranks of Lifeless The city walls were next; they were i, yet they almost looked more artistic than functional The wall’s top was curved inhills, and the riates the, lithe sea creatures who curved up in a uard of Hallandren cavalry ht of Hallandren as a place of death Her i ramblemen or by old women at the winter hearth They spoke of city walls built froly streaks of color She’d is inside splattered with different clashing hues Obscene

She’d been wrong True, there was an arrogance to T’Telir Each neonder seerab her attention and shake her about by her eyes People lined the street-- together to watch her carriage If there were poor ahtly colored clothing Soerated outfits--probably merchants, since Hallandren was said to have no nobility beyond its gods--but even the sihtness to it

Many of the painted buildings did clash, but none of it was sloppy There was a sense of crafts frohty soldiers that frequently stood on corners It was terribly overwhelarishness Siri found herself sh she felt a headache co on

Maybeor no training, Vivenna would never have fit in here But I’ve always been far too interested in color

Her father was a good king with good instincts What if--after twenty years of raising and training Vivenna--he had coht one to help Idris? Was that why, for the first time in their lives, Father had chosen Siri over Vivenna?

But, if that’s true, what am I supposed to do? She knew that her people feared Hallandren would invade Idris, but she couldn’t see her father sending one of his daughters if he believed as close Perhaps he hoped that she’d be able to help ease the tensions between the kingdoms?

That possibility only added to her anxiety Duty was so Her father trusted her with the very fate and lives of their people She couldn’t run, escape, or hide

Particularly froed white with fear at as coain It wasn’t hard to let it take her attention It was enor like a tired beast curled around and over hills As the carriage cliaps in the buildings--that the Bright Sea broke into a bay before the city T’Telir curved around the bay, running right up to the water, for a crescent shape The city wall, then, only had to run in a half-circle, abutting the sea, keeping the city boxed in

It didn’t seem craardens, large swaths of unused land Pale was co over the sea, the air was a lot more temperate than she had expected The road led up to a seaside overlook within the city, a small plateau that had an excellent view Except the entire plateau was surrounded by a large, obstructive wall Siri watched with growing apprehension as the gates to this se, soldiers, and priests enter

The common people stayed outside

There was another wall inside, a barrier to keep anyone froate The procession turned left and rounded the blinding wall, entering the Hallandren Court of Gods: an enclosed, lawn-covered courtyard Several dozen enormous mansions dominated the enclosure, each one painted a distinct color At the far end of the court was a s

The walled courtyard was quiet and still Siri could see figures sitting on balconies, watching her carriage roll across the grass In front of each of the palaces, a crew of rass The color of their clothing , but Siri spared little tie, black structure It was pyraiant steplike blocks

Black, she thought In a city of color Her hair paled even further She suddenly wished she were more devout She doubted Austre was all that pleased with her outbursts, andthe Five Visions But he’d watch over her for the sake of her people, wouldn’t he?

The procession pulled to a stop at the base of the enoreat the shelves and knobs at the summit, which made the architecture seem top-heavy She felt as if the dark blocks would co down in an avalanche to bury her The priest rode his horse back up to Siri’sThe cavalry of their beasts the only sound in the massive, open courtyard

"We have arrived, Vessel," the , you will be prepared and taken to your husband"

"Husband?" Siri asked unco cere does not need ceremonial justification You became his wife the moment he desired it"

Siri shivered "I was just hoping that maybe I could see him, before, you know"