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“She’s dead, Ker friends for Winsol and he killed her, right on the e”
She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe “Why?”
Theran took her hands The warmth of his hands showed her how cold she’d become, chilled to the bone by his words
“She wasn’t liked or trusted by the Warlord Princes who lived near her village,” Theran said “Whatever leash had kept some of her behavior under control disappeared after her visit here She’d been shopping and stole some items Didn’t even try to be subtle about it A boy as in the shop with his older brothers saw her and told the uards She claiifts’ because she was a Queen” He snorted softly “Which just proved she’d been tainted by the bitches who had ruled here before”
She didn’t realize she’d been whi noises
“I’m sorry, Kerirl was like You have to understand that befriending her and being influenced by her the way you were is going to make it harder for the Warlord Princes and Queens to trust you They aren’t going to tolerate having that kind of Queen rule in Dena Nehele Not again”
She didn’t speak Couldn’t speak
“She had to reveal everything she had taken Because of her age, the humiliation was deemed sufficient punishment But the next day, she attacked the boy when he was out with friends” Theran closed his eyes When he opened theive me the details I can find out if you need to know But they called in Healers froe Healer Even with that much skill, not all of what she did to the boy can be healed He acted with honor—and he’ll never be the same because of what she did”
What kind of people are they to kill a Queen over some stupid boy?
“The Warlord Prince as in the village hunted Correne down and executed her on the main street”
She sed against the sickness clogging her throat “What did they do to him? What did they do to the bastard who killed a Queen?”
He gave her a queer look “Nothing He did the sa an enemy who had no honor”
She pulled her hands out of his “I don’t feel well I’ up to my room to rest”
“Of course” He stood up and held out a hand
She didn’t want to touch him Wasn’t sure she could stand to touch him
She’d known the males here could be brutal After all,every Warlord Prince was brutal Maybe she hadn’t wanted to see that Theran wasn’t any different from the rest of them
She looked into his eyes and saw grief for the boy, as still alive, and no regret—none at all—for Correne’s death Did she really want to live a these people?
She stood up, avoiding his hand Somehow, that didn’t surprise him
He opened the door for her She walked out of the study
Theran’s dismissal of Correne’s death troubled her, even scared her—but it didn’t scare her half asthat pleasure was there because he’d heard the news
CHAPTER 31