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There was no pretense of amiability now, no cal me into the wall, the face that was usually so like his son’s suddenly alien as it twisted in pain, in fury

"Through thousands of years, across hundreds of generations, even your people could not forget the vague but persistent reatest hunt of them all! It’s in your statues, on your vases, in virtually every depiction of her ever made The memory of the --"

"No!"

"Yes! The butchering of the greatest a of the de "Just where, my dear, do you suppose my father went? Why am I Lord of the Incubi, and not him? Did you never wonder what became of him? Never crossed your mind? No?"

I shook my head This couldn’t be true Couldn’t be The de, but they weren’tthey couldn’t have deservedit wasn’t true

"She killed hi elsewhere and followed hiht not have bothered to venture into our world otherwise, as her daughter would so recklessly and thoughtlessly do, for we incubi, we’re not worth the effort But when he fled for his life, in mortal peril, the instinct of the hunter--"

"I don’t believe you! Why should I believe you?"

"You don’t need to take my word for it You wish to have your day in court? Please Feel free Go plead your case in front of the survivors of your et! But this one," Rosier said, grabbing the shoulder of the son who still hadn’t moved "The one you took from me, as your mother took my sire--no No, little child of Arte ca on Pritkin, of his fingers digging into his flesh So I didn’t understand except as a trickle of that dark eain, trapped and coddled at his father’s court, dressed in finery he had no use for, surrounded by sleek, sterile perfection instead of his usual cheerful ht, no potions, no books, no crazy weapons for fighting the creatures that were his jailers now

Just a man lost and bitter and alone, in a world he hated A man surrounded by the jealousies of a court ould happily see hi for one reason, and one reason only

Because he had dared to help me

And suddenly, the trickle beca Rosier’s hand away, "anywhere I damned well please, deance of the goddess Unfortunately, you are not your irl You do not have the power to back it up You don’t have the power to do anything Why you’re not dead yet, I will never understand, but I have the strong suspicion that it has a great deal to do with bewitching my son

Soed to tie hier his life again and again But no more!"

"That’s for the council to decide"

"It’s not their concern!" Rosier snapped, and pulled on his son’s arm "Any more than it is yours Cousted sound "You kno this will end!"

"He doesn’t know!" I said "None of us do, until the council rules And my mother said--"

"Your mother hasn’t seen the council in thousands of years! She doesn’t know anything about it! She was lying to you, girl, probably to get you to stop plaguing her life!"

I flinched, because I’d had a siht myself But I didn’t really believe it And even if it was true, it wouldn’t change anything

What other choice did we have?

"I don’t knoill happen if we go in front of the council," I told Pritkin honestly "But I knoill happen if you go back there, back to that life And so do you"

He didn’t look at me--it was almost like he didn’t even hear me--and Rosier sreat house You would have hie court, and have influence in countless others You would have hi up your endless debacles! I will give hiive hiry I could hardly see "His freedoh "That hoary platitude Soet what a child you are"

"It isn’t childish to want to choose your own life!"

"No, it’s criutter And he’s only free to be cuffed about by his betters Everyone of any substance has obligations It is time for Eain, and this tirabbed his other ar

"Pritkin, please Mother wouldn’t have sent

"Why won’t you play for that chance?" I said,in panic because I didn’t understand this I didn’t understand any of this!

"You’re better off if I don’t," he toldhis head

"What?" I asked incredulously Because he looked like he meant it

"Finally, he co his son away, only to have Caleb step in front of hie! I have taken no oath to spare you!"

"Right back at you," Caleb said, eyes steady and feet planted

"You’re as foolhardy as she is," Rosier snapped And then kept on talking, which he liked to do as

"How can you say that?" I asked Pritkin "How can you just give up?"