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Al Bera gave a stiff nod She had noted before his discomfort in her presence, a wariness presumably born of the low station froreater in nuhness,” he replied “I was a captain in the Reale of his excise them into an effective arm of the Crown took time, andthe strangle-hold the s the port revenue in the process”
Al Bera gave a cautious smile “With a little help froave you ell earned” She reached for the small wooden chest on the desk “Sadly, I do not have another to give you As you ht expect, the Volarians stole the entire royal collection But I did find an old trinket of mine in the ruin of as once my own rooms” She extracted the item from the box The chain was new, fashioned from finely crafted silver but attached to an ancient ale bluestone
“It’s said this orn by theNahris,” she continued “The first to claim overlordship of all four fiefs of the Realm Sadly, he was prone to bouts ofhis dominion fell to his formidable ent of the Unified Realm A title I myself held briefly towards the end of the Alpiran war, and this”—she placed the ae of office”
The right choice, she decided, seeing the way he eyed the a a snake for the first ti a little “I ahness?”
“You are to serve this Realm as ordered by your queen”
“If it is a question of my fitness for battle”
“It is a question as to whoovernance of these lands ine of office”
He fingered the silver chain for ato conceal a faint treood at catching shness?”
She smiled blandly and shook her head
“Because reat kindness at home but vicious temperament in business, a business that would have been mine had I not fled to join the Realm Guard at thirteen By then I had come to understand what manner of man he was, hoas steeped in deceit and murder, and I wanted no part of it” He removed his hand from the chain “And I want no part of this”
Shethe chain and a toas she lifted the chain over his head and laid it on his shoulders, although it weighed no more than a few ounces “Exactly, my lord” She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, choosing to ignore his flinch as she moved back and he rose unsteadily to his feet
“I will leave you twenty thousand Real vestige of criminality within Asraelin borders, all miscreants to be executed without exception under the Queen’s Word I feel we have been too lenient of late You will, however, steer clear of Cuency or called upon by Lady Veliss I will provide a list of other priorities, Aspect Dendrish’s legal refor”
She angled her head, studying the way the a that his stoop had worsened a trifle “It suits you very well, ave the most shallow of bows, his reply tense and clipped to rehness”
• • •
Orena liked to dance in the afternoons, race, so her into a whirl, laughing her girlish laugh Today she inter-bloo like stars in the dark mass as she spun and spun
“Sit with me,” Lyrna said as her dance finally ca as she whirled to the ground with an exhausted but happy giggle “I have cakes”