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‘Brace yourself,’ Sparhawk cautioned with a gentle smile

Ehlana ran to them, threw her ar for joy

The queen’s tears were not the only ones shed that afternoon Even the hard-bitten Church Knights were misty-eyed for the most part Kalten went even further and wept openly as he knelt to receive Sephrenia’s blessing

‘The Styric woessa asked curiously

‘A very special significance, Atan Engessa,’ Sparhawk replied, watching his friends clustered around the small woman ‘She touches our hearts in a profound way We’d probably take the world apart if she asked us to’

‘That’s a very great authority, Sparhawk-Knight’ Engessa said it with soessa respected authority

‘It is indeed, reed, ‘and that’s only the least of her gifts She’s wise and beautiful, and I’m at least partially convinced that she could stop the tides if she really wanted to’

‘She is quite sessa noted

‘Not really In our eyes she’s at least a hundred feet tall – e people with strange powers, but I had not heard of this ability to alter their size before’ Engessa was a profoundly literal rasp ‘Two hundred, you say?’

‘At least, Atan’

Sephrenia was co of affection, and so Sparhaas able to observe her rather closely She had changed She see No Styric could ever co Elenes Thousands of years of prejudice and oppression had taught them to be wary – even of those Elenes they loved the most Sephrenia’s defensive shell, a shell she had kept in place around her for so long that she had probably not even known it was there, was gone now The doors were all open

There was so more, however Her face had been luretful longing had always seeone now For the first time in all the years Sparhawk had known her, Sephrenia see, Sparhawk-Knight?’ Engessa asked politely ‘Sarsos is close at hand, but…’ He left the suggestion hanging

‘I’ll talk with theht be able to persuade them that they can continue this later’ Sparhaalked toward the excited group near the carriage ‘Atan Engessa just estion,’ he said to them ‘It’s a novel idea, of course, but he pointed out that we could probably do all of this inside the walls of Sarsos – since it’s so close anyway’

‘I see that hasn’t changed,’ Sephrenia observed to Ehlana ‘Does he still ets?’

‘I’ve been working on that, littlehether or not you ladies would like to ride on into the city, or would you like to have us set up caht’

‘Spoil-sport,’ Ehlana accused