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I shouldn’t have spoken, he thought And yet, reacting to the art see he did
He stared at the sharp sular strokes It was beautiful Could war be beautiful? How could he find beauty in those grey faces confronting flesh, the Lifeless killingIt hadn’t decided the outcoh the leader of the Pahn Unity--the kingdoainst Hallandren--had been killed in the battle Diplomacy had finally ended the Manywar, not bloodshed
Are we thinking of starting this up again? Lightsong thought, still transfixed by the beauty Is what I do going to lead to war?
No, he thought to hi Blushweaver secure a political faction Better that than letting things just pass me by The Manywar started because the royal fa continued to call to hi asked
"Sword?"
"The black one," Lightsong said "In the woman’s hand"
"II don’t see a sword, Your Grace," Llarimar said "To tell you the truth, I don’t see a woman, either It’s all just wild strokes of paint, to ht Falls"
"The title of the piece, Your Grace," Llarimar said "I assumed that you were as confused by it as I was, so I told you what the artist had na turned, walking away fro art for the day" He hesitated "Don’t burn that painting Keep it for e the co ain soh me with histempest of winds
Not even that could da excited him There had been a murder in the Court of Gods
He didn’t knohy he should find that so intriguing If anything, he should find it tragic or upsetting And yet for as long as he had lived, everything had been provided for him Answers to his questions, entertainlutton Only two things had been withheld froe of his past and freedom to leave the court
Neither of those restrictions was going to change soon But here, inside the court--the place of tooA little thing A thing nore Nobody cared Nobody wanted to care Who, therefore, would object to Lightsong’s questions?
"You’re acting very oddly, Your Grace," Llarirass, servants following behind in a chaotic cluster as they worked to get a large red parasol open
"I know," Lightsong said "However, I believe we can agree that I have always been rather odd, for a god"
"Ivery like ht in the universe"
"Are we really going back to Mercystar’s palace?"
"Indeed we are Do you suppose she’ll be annoyed at us? That hed "Are you ready to talk about your drea did not iot the parasol up and held it over hi finally said "I was standing in it, without anything to braceround beneath me seemed to undulate"
Llari thought Or, at least, that’s how he’ll see it
"Anything else?"
"Yes," Lightsong said "A red panther It seelass or so in the stors up, Your Grace?"
"What? No! That’s really what I dreahed, but nodded to a lesser priest, who rushed up to take his dictation It wasn’t long before they reached Mercystar’s palace of yellow and gold Lightsong paused before the building, realizing that he’d never before visited another god’s palace without first sending a er
"Do you want me to send in someone to announce you, Your Grace?" Llari hesitated "No," he finally said, noticing a pair of guards standing at the main doorway The two e servant and they wore swords Dueling blades, Lightsong assuh he’d never actually seen one
He walked up to the men "Is your mistress here?"
"I am afraid not, Your Grace," one of them said "She went to visit All thought Another with Lifeless Co? Perhaps he would drop by later--hewith Allhtsong said to the guard "Well, regardless, I need to inspect the corridor just inside here, where the attack happened the other night"
The guards glanced at each other "Idon’t knoe can let you do that, Your Grace"
"Scoot!" Lightsong said "Can they forbid me?"
"Only if they have a direct co looked back at the ht," he told the, Scoot?"
Llari felt an odd satisfaction Instincts he hadn’t know he had drove him to seek out the place where the servant had died