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It will only get worse, she thought as the doctor did his exa Awesome, terrible, holy, majestic He had been stillborn, but had Returned What did that do to a man? Would he even be human, or would he be some monster, terrible to behold? He was said to be eternal, but obviously his reign would end eventually, otherwise he wouldn’t need an heir

She shivered, wishing it could just be over with, but also grateful for anything that delayedas hu That was soon done, however, and Siri quickly did up her robe again, standing

"She is quite healthy," the healer said to Bluefingers "AndBreath"

Siri froze How could he tell

And then she saw it She had to look very closely, but the yellow floor around the surgeon looked a tad too bright She felt herself pale, though the nervousness had already made her hair as white as it went

The doctor is an Awakener, she thought There is an Awakener here, in this roo It rong to take the Breath froance, the complete opposite of Idris philosophy Others in Hallandren siht colors to draw attention to themselves, but Awakenersthey stole the life fros, and used that to make themselves stand out

The perverted use of Breath was one of the hlands in the first place Modern-day Hallandren existed on the basis of extorting the Breath of its people Siri felt more naked now than she had when actually unclothed What could this Awakener tell about her, because of his unnatural life force? Was he tempted to steal Siri’s BioChroma? She tried to breathe as shallowly as possible, just in case

Eventually, Bluefingers and the terrible doctor left the rooain, soar He’s not just an Awakener, he’s Returned He needs to suck the Breath from people in order to survive

Would he take away her Breath?

No, that won’t happen, she told herself firmly He needs me to provide him with an heir of the royal line He won’t risk the child’s safety He’ll leave me my Breath, if only until then

Butould happen to her when she was no longer needed?

Her attention was draay fro woown--a gorgeous gown of blue and silver Focusing on it see would do with her once she bore him a son

Siri waited quietly as the woly soft on her skin, the velvet shland flower As the women adjusted it on her, she noticed that--oddly--it laced up the side instead of the back It had an extre that if she put her arood foot below her hands It took several ht, the folds situated correctly, and the train even behind her All this so that it can be taken off again in a few ht with a detached sense of cold irony as a woman approached with a mirror

Siri froze

Where had all that color come from? The delicately red cheeks, the mysteriously dark eyes, the blue on the top of her eyelids? The deep red lips, the alown shone silver upon blue, bulky yet beautiful, with ripples of deep, velvet cloth

It was like nothing she’d seen in Idris It was , even, than the colors she’d seen on the people in the city Staring at herself in the et her worries "Thank you," she whispered

Thatwo much more respectfully now than when they’d first rushed her fro behind her, and the other women stayed behind Siri turned, and the women curtsied to her one at a ti her--opened a door, then gently pushed her out into the hallway beyond They closed the door, leaving her

The hallas of the deepest black She’d alotten how dark the stone walls of the palace were The hallas e for her with his ledger He s will be pleased, Vessel," he said "We are exactly on time--the sun only just set"

Siri turned fro door It was plated entirely with gold Four wall laht off the gilded portal She had no question as to who lay beyond such an i’s sleeping cha cha to offend the king You are here at his sufferance, and are here to see to his needs Not dom"

"I understand," she said quietly, heart beating faster and faster

"Thank you," Bluefingers said "It is time to present yourself Enter the roo Bow yourself to the ground before the king’s bed, touching your head to the floor When he wishes for you to approach, he will knock on the side post, and you may look up He will then wave you forward"

She nodded

"Justtry not to touch hi and unclenching her increasingly nervous hands "How exactly a to have sex, aren’t we?"

Bluefingers flushed "Yes, I guess you are This is new ground for roup of specially dedicated servants are supposed to touch hi hiht offend him Simply let him do to you what he wishes, and you should be safe"

Siri took a deep breath, nodding