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THE CLOTHING FELT STRANGE The trousers pulled at her thighs,her feel like she was exposed It was odd not to have the swishing of skirts at her ankles

She walked beside Vasher without comment, head bowed, hair too short to even put into a braid She didn’t try to regrow it yet That would draw needed nourishh the Idrian slu at every sound, looking over her shoulder to see if so to steal theto sell her to Denth? Were those shadows grey-eyed Lifeless, cohter? They passed a waif beside the road, a young woe but with a soot-covered face and bright eyes that watched theer in those eyes The wo from theh to ward the girl away Vivenna watched her scurry down an alleyway, feeling an odd sense of connection

Colors, she thought Was that really irl Vivenna had been so naive that she’d been kidnapped without knowing it, then worked to start a ithout realizing what she was doing

Didn’t you ever stop to think thatside?

She wasn’t sure what to believe She’d been taken in so quickly by Denth that she was hesitant to accept anything this Vasher said However, she could see signs that some of what he had told her were true

Denth had always taken her to meet with the less reputable elements in the city Not only were they the ones a mercenary like him would know, but they would bethe Hallandren supplies wouldn’t only make it more difficult to administer the war, it would make the priestsThe losses would also serve tosense--sense it was hard for her to ignore "Denth made me think that the as inevitable," Vivenna whispered as they walked through the sluoing to happen"

"They’re wrong," Vasher said "War between Hallandren and Idris has been close for decades, but never inevitable Getting this kingdoenerally too focused on the as disruptive as a war Only an extended effort--first convincing the priests, then getting theods believed them--would be successful"

Vivenna stared ahead down the dirty streets with their colorful refuse "I really alanced over at her

"First,instead of --Denth took me on the very first day I was here When I finally escaped hi robbed, beaten, and then captured Now you claie of war"

Vasher snorted "Don’t give yourself tootime From what I hear, he corrupted the Idrian aovernment--the ones who hired Denth in the first place--ant this conflict to happen"

It was all so confusing What he said made sense, but Denth had uesses who they ht be? The ones who hired Denth?"

Vasher shook his head "One of the gods, I think--or perhaps a cabal of the on their own"

They fell silent again

"Why?" Vivenna finally asked

"How should I know?" Vasher asked "I can’t even figure out who’s behind it"

"No," Vivenna said "Not that I mean, why are you involved? Why do you care?"

"Because," Vasher said

"Because why?"

Vasher sighed "Look, Princess I’m not like Denth; I don’t have his ability ords, and I don’t really like people in the first place Don’t expect ht?"

Vivenna shut her ht, he has a very strange way of doing it

Their destination turned out to be a run-down building on the corner of a run-down intersection As they approached, Vivenna paused to wonder exactly how slums like this one came to exist Did people build them cramped and shoddy on purpose? Had these streets, like others she’d seen, once been part of a better section of town that had fallen into disrepair?

Vasher grabbed her arm as she stood there, then pulled her up to the door, upon which he pounded with the hilt of his sword The door creaked open a second later, and a pair of nervous eyes glanced out

"Get out of the way," Vasher said, testily shoving the door open the rest of the way and pulling Vivenna inside A young ainst the wall of the hallway and letting Vasher and Vivenna pass He closed the door behind thehtened, or at least angry, at the treath, it just didn’t seeo of her and thumped his way down a set of stairs Vivenna followedher of the cellar in Denth’s hideout She shivered At the bottom, fortunately, the similarities between cellars ended This one had a wooden floor and walls A rug sat in theon it A couple of them rose as Vasher rounded the stairs

"Vasher!" one said "Welco to drink?"

"No"

The lanced uncomfortably at each other as Vasher tossed his sword toward the side of the roo on the wood Then he reached back and pulled Vivenna forward

"Hair," he said

She hesitated He was using her just as Denth had But rather thanthe color of her hair The men watched with awe; then several of them bowed their heads "Princess," one whispered