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Annon stared into Lukias’s fearful eyes "I don’t bla you a choice You have been wrong about our chances so far Youabout the future as well If we succeed and the Arch-Rike falls, you have lost nothing you would not lose anyway"

"Persuasive," Lukias replied, "but not convincing I die either way I respect you, Annon I do not lie You have great power and a cunning mind There is wisdoers lie ahead I knohat you face Believe ers ahead will kill you"

"We have no alternative but to succeed," Annon said He glanced at Khiara and nodded

With a swift blow, she struck the side of Lukias’s neck with the flat of her hand Erasht Lukias as he fell The Preachán withdrew a coil of rope fro Lukias’s wrists behind his back and his ankles together

"Help me," Erasmus said to Annon and the two hauled him to the side of the door Eras in Lukias’s mouth

"We should kill him," Erasmus said with a sniff "It would improve the odds of our survival considerably But I know the Vaettir are squeah he will die anyway, after the Arch-Rike questions hier "He will die when the keramat fails"

"We will not kill him," Annon replied sternly to Erasmus "He had a chance to choose" He turned to the doorfra the wall Using the fla the one hi his wrist as he held up the torch and let the light chase off ahead "Remember the dark of Drosta’s Lair, Annon?"

"I have a sense this will be more difficult than e faced there, Eras down the dark shaft of the tunnel The uneven edges angled doard into the s blackness The air felt stale and thin and had apitch froree with your prediction Who is co set of eyes appeared in the vastness ahead of them, reflected by the torches Nizeera padded forward into the light Her lea into the studies of the Rikes of Seithrall They are experts at the anatomy of all life forms, both human and animal When you visit their temples, you see the remains of the skeletal lineaether with e glass vials full of oil and internal organs They are thethem in a public cearding the cause of death and the condition of the various organs and tissues They harvest this knowledge that they may learn to prevent and treat illnesses and docus They truly are the overseers of death It is even whispered ast some in the population, the more superstitious ones, that the very touch of a Rike of Seithrall can induce death This is, of course, a foolish belief"

--Possidius Adeodat, Archivist of Kenatos

Annon stared at the cat’s grislyhis bones into water Nizeera?

He is dead, Nizeera thought to him The hackles on her back were ruffled and spiky These tunnels s this place

Annon knelt as she approached What did you see? Why did you kill him?

She shook her head slowly Soic that blinded me and then sent a crossbow bolt at ed and he fled toward an archway in the dark Great ht not be able to follow I caught his heel as he was nearly through and dragged him out

Her tail lashed and swayed

He did not cry out The portal beyond reeks ofwith dread, Annon rateful the bolt hadn’t struck her His fear deepened The darkness was barely dispelled by the light from their three torches It illuminated only a short way ahead as if the tunnel could s light Annon felt his breath quicken as well as his pulse Sweat began to trickle down his back as they walked, the weight of theheavily as they descended deeper Tributaries branched off regularly along the way, like branches sprouting from a vine Above each one, a stone piece of slate was fixed fros with sye