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"You speak of Red equality?" Iris says Her voice is as I remember it Calm, measured She is a creature of self-control

"I do," Cal says steadily

Bracken laughs deep and long, one hand pressed against the sculpted gold on his stomach If not for the circu and war to betray their intentions or thoughts so easily

"You’re aer at Cal "And young And distracted" His dark eyes dart to aze "You don’t knohat you’re asking us to do"

Farley isn’t so easily cowed She claws her hands on the ares her cheeks "Are you so threatened by the people you spit on that you can’t allow the frorip on power truly is?"

The queen of the Lakelands widens her eyes, the whites a livid contrast to the bronze of her skin and the dark brown of her irises She looks truly surprised I doubt a Red has ever addressed her in such a way, and it shows "How dare you speak to us--" she blurts out

Dear Julian is the quickest, evenly speaking over her before she can bait Farley into so more drastic "History favors the underfoot and the oppressed, Your Majesty," he says He sounds enchanting and ht of Silent Stone The queen is reluctant, but shuts her , but eventually, always, fortunes shift The people rise Such is the way of things Either let change co, or face the wrath of such force It ht not be you, or even your children But the day will coates of your castles, break your crowns, and slit the throats of your descendants as they beg for theafter he is done speaking, as if dancing on the wind They have a sobering effect on the Lakelander queens and Bracken, who exchange uneasy glances

Maven is not subdued in the slightest He leers at the Jacos lord, eyes alight He has always despised Julian "Did you rehearse that, Julian? I alondered why you spent so much time alone in your library"

It’s too easy to throw the barb back in his face "I doubt anyone spendsforward to display htly open Breath whistles between his exposed teeth He looks like he wants to kiss me or rip my throat out I doubt he knohich

"Careful, Maven," I push on, pressing hiht slip"

Cold fear flashes in his eyes Then his faceback to show more of his teeth With the shadows under his eyes and beneath his cheekbones, he looks like a skull, white as ht "I could kill you, Red," he snarls, brazen in the eers brush the brand "But here I a the allies at his side "Maven Calore is unstable at best" As I speak, I’ht of three crowns staring ht of Silent Stone, a constant, squeezing pressure I wish I could feel th from my ability Instead I have only h