Page 27 (1/2)

"You don't want to know But we could make a mint if you can put a lock on this"

Everyone in the castle knew she was failing in her bid for power And she was about to enter court-a ruthless jungle of backbiting and betrayals Not only would this be dah in the poorshipping Pravus, her very life could be in jeopardy

Sabine heard more snickers Hettiah and her coterie of worthless Sorceri friends strolled past the sisters on their way into court Their lances made it easy for Sabine to see she would have to strike out

Lose face, lose life This was her world She hadn't gone through the effort of surviving in it this long just to be killed when she was on the cusp of soed"

Though she and Lanthe had no battle sorcery, they both were scrappy and had become fair somen In battle, Sabine used her illusions tothe merrily

It wasn't very valorous, but then, only stupid people held valor over life

"I know you'll have to," Lanthe said quietly "And I can't be there with you"

"Hey, don't worry" Sabine held up her gauntlets "I just had ether, and the s, Lothaire traced in front of theht

Sabine raised her hands up to hihtmares "I've heard friends of yours plan to visit?"

"I'll trace away before you madden me, sorceress," he said, his words laced with a thick accent Some said he hailed from Dacia, and had been a true Transylvanian

Sabine's lips thinned, but she lowered her hands He hadn't threatened her, and she wasn't supposed to attack Lothaire Technically, he was part of the New Pravus

One of the inner circle His blood was in that tablet that hung on the east wall

He said, "Just to be clear, I have no friends And my soldiers are in the bailey downstairs"

"Then who lurks in our forest?" she asked

"One of the splinter factions breaking away fro died My spies indi­cate they'll attack toht"

Tornin had protections in place-basically a mystickal moat-so the vampires wouldn't be able to trace directly inside At least, not for long "What do they want?"

"The well"

The Well of Souls Arht to control it, because each faction of the Lore had its own legends surrounding it

The Lykae believed it cured the madness that accom­panied the transformation to olf The vampires believed it allowed them to be daywalkers and to turn human females into vampires for their potential Brides The House of Witches believed it gave them the abili­ties of all five of their castes