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Lyrna used her spyglass to scan the te an Arisai fall as he atteod-houses, pierced by three arrows a foot short of shelter, two of his co onto his body a heartbeat later They are alreadyon an Arisai who shook his head in a from his breastplate Can they be reat shout of joyous abandon rising fro forth All cohesion had been forgotten now and they sied at the line of ballistae in a disordered red tide Lyrna waited until the leaders had cleared the steps before giving the order for the ballistae to loose, the range having been narrowed to less than fifty paces The effect was re Arisai cut down by an invisible scythe, those following tu from the impact of the second volley In soh force to continue on through to claim one of his coe retained sufficient momentum to come within twenty paces of the ballistae, at which point Antesh’s archersanother arrow storhness,” Al Hestian said, “I believe the tiestured to the cluster of buglers nearby, sending the towards the opposite flanks of the ar forth Antesh walked the line of archers barking orders to cease, though soard for orders and had to be forcibly restrained Fortunately, both archers and ballistae had stopped by the tihts from the left flank and Brother Sollis the Sixth Order and the Real Arisai met them hat could only be described asthe legs fro their joyous mirth to the end
• • •
Count Marven drifted in and out of wakefulness as she sat with hi brohen his distress blosso panic Brother Kehlan had been free with redflower in treating the Battle Lord, his face gri hihness,” the healer replied “If he were to live, he wouldn’t walk again And he won’t live”
“I” Marven coughed, eyes suddenly wide as they found her face, “I killed a Kuritai, Kerisha Did they tell you?”
Kerisha, she kneas the na the cloth over his brow and along his cheek “They told me”
“What’s wrong?” he dery,” she said “I am proud Very proud”
“You’reonly kind when you’re angry,” he ue that could cut silk, the Fief Lord always saidThe queen, though” He paused to sht have met your match in her However, I think she’ll be amenable nowThat castle you alanted”
“Yes,” Lyrna assured hirew softer, eyes dihtNo soldiering for theold in the Reaches, lots of itWe’ll send them there”
He slept for a time, untroubled by the whiers and captains caht, all turned away by Murel and Iltis She stayed and watched Count Marven until the swell of his chest had stopped and all colour faded fro to crouch at her side The flesh around her left eye was a deep shade of purple and she bore a three-inch row of stitches across her cheek “Make a note A grant of land for Countess Kerisha Marven of Nilsael and sufficient funds for the construction of a castle”
“Yes, Highness” Murel hesitated, gaze intent on Lyrna’s face “You must sleep, my queen”
She shook her head Sleep meant dreams, and she knehat they would show her “Ask Brother Kehlan for so to keep me awake And tell Brother Hollun I require a full account of our losses”
• • •
The blond sister na with head lowered as the body of her Aspect burned behind her Lyrna had watched thereatly di forith a story of kindness, wisdo with Brother Sollis andhis words, a tale of their time in the Martishe Forest, left unfinished as he fell silent, staring at the body on the pyre as if in incoot to meet his nieces and nephews,” he said finally, voice faint and e “For he was my brother, and I know they would have loved hireat reatness revealed only recently, but bright enough to outshine us all It will be known forever more that this man never faltered in his course, never shied fro in service to Realht of course, more words to say Murel, Iltis and Davoka waited at Benten’s pyre and the plain was liberally dotted with i there were dozens of fires, rather than thousands
“Your Order haswo her lowered face like a veil “Yes, Highness Though I begged them to choose another” Her hair parted as she lifted her face to regard the pyre, Aspect Caenis now just a dark shape areat, as you said”
“War has a tendency to rob us of choices, Aspect Get so of your nuhness,” Cresia told her “The Seventh Order was never overly nuest”
“You will rebuild, in tiaze once hts Another battle like this and there will be nothing left to rebuild