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‘Itas simple as your accent, learned one My wife’s a coent, but she does have her irrational ht be best if I avoided her, then I’ll travel on horseback froe exacerbates her dislike, I expect I’ve worked with people who’ve disliked reat inconvenience When I have leisure, I’ll win her over’ He flashed a quick s when I set e where the rapids swirled and foa darkness ‘Is there any possibility that you ht be able to retrieve the Bhellioravely ‘I’e without it We need soh to achieve soroup of Gods Are you at liberty to tell ht be able to aid you in its retrieval’

‘There weren’t any restrictions placed onit, learned one,’ Sparhawk replied ruefully ‘There wasn’t any need for that, since I haven’t got the foggiest idea of where it was Aphrael chose the spot, and she very carefully arranged things so that we couldn’t identify the place You ht ask her, but I’m fairly sure she won’t tell you’

Zalasta smiled ‘She is a bit whimsical, isn’t she?’ he said ‘We all loved her in spite of that, however’

‘That’s right, you grew up in the sae with her and Sephrenia, didn’t you?’

‘Oh, yes I a trying to keep up with Aphrael She had a very agile ive you any reason for her desire to keep the location a secret?’

‘Not in so many words, but I think she felt that the jeas far too dangerous to be loosed in the world It’s even more eternal than the Gods themselves, and probably in to understand where it originated, but it seems to be one of those elemental spirits that are involved in the creation of the universe’ Sparhawk saveso that could create whole suns not six inches from my heart I think I can understand Aphrael’s concern about the Bhellioh She told us once that the Gods can only see the future iht happen if the Bhellio hands She and I took a very real chance of destroying the world to keep it out of the hands of Azash She wanted to put it where nobody could ever use it again’

‘Her thinking is faulty, Prince Sparhawk’

‘I wouldn’t tell her that, if I were you She ht take it as criticism’

Zalasta smiled ‘She knows me, so she’s not upset when I criticise her If, as you say, the Bhellio of the universe, it must be allowed to continue its work The universe will be flawed if it is not’

‘She said that this world won’t last forever,’ Sparhawk shrugged ‘In time, it’ll be destroyed, and Bhelliom will be freed The ather that the space of ti from the moment Bhelliom was trapped on this world until the moment the world burns ahen our sun explodes is noof an eye to the spirit which inhabits it’

‘I sort of choke on the notions of eternity and infinity myself, Prince Sparhawk,’ Zalasta admitted

‘I think we’ll have to accept the notion that Bhellioood, learned one,’ Sparhawk told hie, certainly, but I don’t see any help for it We’re going to have to deal with this situation ourselves, I’ht, Prince Sparhawk, but we really need the Bhellioe on that stone I think we should concentrate our efforts on Sephrenia We must persuade her to intercede with Aphrael She has an enorreed ‘I’ve noticed that What were they like as children?’

Zalasta looked up into the gathering darkness ‘Our village changed a great deal when Aphrael was born,’ he reminisced ‘We knew at once that she was no ordinary child The Younger Gods are all very fond of her Of all of theeously over the aeons’ He s a child All children are lovable, but Aphrael is so skilled atpeople love her that she can et what they want, but Aphrael makes us do what she wants out of love’

‘I’ve noticed that,’ Sparhawk said wryly

‘Sephrenia was about nine when her sister was born, and from the moment she first saw the Child-Goddess, she coe note of pain in the ician’s voice as he said it ‘Aphrael seemed to have almost no infancy,’ he continued ‘She was born with the ability to speak – or so it see in an incredibly short period of tih a nors as teething and learning to crawl She wanted to be a child, not a baby I was several years older than Sephrenia and already deep into my studies, but I did observe them rather closely It’s not often that one has the opportunity to watch a God grow up’

‘Very rare,’ Sparhawk agreed

Zalasta smiled ‘Sephrenia spent everythat there was a special bond between them It’s one of Aphrael’s peculiarities that she adopts the subservient position of a young child She’s a Goddess, and she could co scolded She’s obedient – when it suits her to be – but every so often she’ll do soeously impossible – probably just to remind people who she really is’

Sparhawk re the flowers in the palace garden in Cimmura

‘Sephrenia was a sensible child who always acted older than her years I suspect Aphrael of preparing her sister for a lifelong task even before she herself was born In a very real sense, Sephrenia became Aphrael’s h that occasioned souments Aphrael absolutely hates to be bathed – and she really doesn’t need it, since she can o ahenever she wants to I don’t know if you noticed it, but her feet always have grass-stains on therass For soin to fathohed ‘When Aphrael was about six or so, Sephrenia was obliged to become her mother in fact The three of us were off in the forest, and while ere gone, a e and killed everyone there’