SCELtO OKE ual. S t alone, as emples of Adaon and Morian boto be seen observing all rites and proprieties of temples ts and tesses  faude. In w s.

    S and restless sleep and oucly, and o   dream of t slipping ao c, sensing trying to reclaim an image t  as it seemed about to fade and be lost, she remembered.

    S up slo t t s day it  t  beyond foreboding and toucainty.

    tle less t—s. Sea ers closing over errible, approaco draw o lighs.

    S in bed, uncertain of where she even was.

    And to , murmuring, rocking il tic sobbing ceased. ed , s t he doorway.

    tle brotoo, she hall by her screams.

    o  t on Dianoras bed w lighe dark.

    quot;tell me about it,quot; serell me the dream, love.”

    tell me t ty years after, Dianora felt an ac  a little  all.  to he dark?

    Sold ly so as not to umbling ers closing over  evil, to unbind trut it away.

    t morning, before opening udio and beginning aken bot tes and souto teaco s o be afraid  ter.

    Srange, t Baerd, bending over in t first morning,  a small darting fised er and pride.

    Every fine morning t summer to to sime autumn came s c as easy in ter as if it o her.

    Once, so t tinue, Valentin strolled o to plunge into traig into ter Saevar stopped, past tering o tecaps of turned around and come back to t as a gods, s of er sparkling in his golden beard.

    ter s rig it really didnt matter. o be better at everything.

    o c.

    Not, so drater world, in his imaginary Finavir, perhaps . . .

    Sill struggling to come aually looked eac terrible day by the Deisa.

    ful t t s s begin to cry.  do. Not today. No one, not even Scelto—especially not Scelto,  be alloo see anyt fe pride, and a certainty of success.

    t few  few hours.

    t o ters  and t before time, and not  a certain relief beneato an end.

    It  simplicity, from t sood by ter, drao, finally, of release.

    t same day, in told ing in Ygrat t Dorotea o o die for w so spare her, he would have no real choice.

    wiso spare her, Brandin said.

    t else o  morning ts of tern Palm. o make t vision real, he said.

    For tself, and for the people here in his provinces. And for his own soul. And for her.

    Only to become people of o stay, o sail o Girald.

    just for Stevan and t to  ant; but to build a united realm ter han he had known.

    t ant.

    Dianora ened to  ears beginning to fall, and o lay hrough her dark hair.

    he would need a Queen, he had said.

    In a voice s of for so long. ed to have sons and

    daugo start again and build upon tevans loss, t somet and fair mighe years of sorrow.

    And tly t truto . Once, s it far more likely t s grasp and o her.

    S, unable to stop, for in   ogety and prescience oo mucal soul. For al soul. triads oo mucter sorro ttom of t s, s ead of leaving  t  as muching ever had in all her life.

    Let it go! sed to say, ed so muco say t s  t tigana come back and all tness urn.

    S  do so, and kno be come by so easily. Not after all t igana and Stevan toget  o  in they lived.

    Besides o be said, everyt  as a kind of sohe sea.

    Almost a tayed. It ed, Brandin told anding on ter, c of illa sail ao to han he had ever been before.

    old er t same day t Dorotea  ever  to face.

    Sly after t came bad tidings to move norto, all tly  expected t, s nearly so soon. It oo unlike careful Alberico to move h such decisiveness.

    quot;Somet; Brandin said. quot;And I  was.”

    ime and t. itly gone Brandin needed a co sructure of order in tern provinces. to turn t giddy eup into t ruly forge a kingdom. t  o figely so hard-oppressed.

    ime, desperately, and Alberico  giving it to him.

    quot;You could send us,quot; dEymon to take s;Send t and position t of Senzio. See if t will ime.”

    tayed  t rauma—er Brandins announcement—Dianora kne dEymons deepest loyalty,  o t to tion. Moving t numbed by t s simplicity.

    But Brandin flatly refused to follow ion. She remembered his face as he explained,

    looking up from a map and streogetable in tting-room off t tern Palm still h was named Girald now.

    quot;I cannot make t alone,quot; Brandin said quietly. quot;Not to carry t made to. t be an Ygrat enoug it is more t. If  it must be made up of all of us art.”

    DEymon able, agitated, visibly disturbed. quot;t say again o go  here.”

    quot;Not really, dEymon. I  flatter myself. Girald y years.”

    quot;Girald is a traitor and sed as sucher!”

    Brandin looked up at he grey eyes suddenly chilly.

    quot;Must  t reason. I cannot go back on t: it  against t I am.quot; ;No man need stay  I am bound myself to ture, and things will hold me here.”

    quot;tea dead you h and she would be—”

    quot;DEymonl ; tone he discussion.

    But t;My lord,quot; ense, quot;if I cannot speak of t send our fleet to face Barbadior I kno o advise you.

    t go to , . It is too soon. time to see and to believe t you are one of them.”

    quot;And I ime,quot; Brandin replied  ural calm after tension of t;So I o do it immediately. Advise me on t, C noo the Palm?”

    So t  t o  last.

    I cannot go back on t; it  against t I am. Sasies of oo he defining shape of his pride.

    Sood up. tain sretcraig on t before urn back.

    tigana floo the sea.

    S . t seemed, eacime siced it, but  in t  seemed to o  seemed to ed for t to arrive.

    quot;I  for you,quot; s;I he Grand

    Dukes of C used to be done on to to good fortune in the sea.”

    S eady on  last, after so many years, t set  set  t, on t pat, she lied.

    So ains back and s beginning to lig be seen, moving lazily in to start. A great many people  t in to be sure of a place near to see  siny figure at sucance, lift a o point to epped quickly back.

    Scelto  ts of ritual. Dark green for ter robe and sandals, t t er se, rico represent, to be the King.

    After she came back. If she came back.

    S astonis  ually because s seen Brandin since early te. Easier too, because of ly clear all to be,  down somewhere else and long ago.

    Easier, finally, because so understand and accept, deeply, and itude, t so a   let her be whole.

    Not ever. t Finavir, or any suco be allo life Brandin of Ygrato to sin di tigana evan, Prince of Ygrat be unmade.

    And because of t deatigana and orn t of t and till unfolding pages of taying o seal t trute—in vengeance for o be unmade.

    So so kill  and ruined people of  on C islands ruly a  t so understand t ried to unmake it, and had failed.

    a life meant to be made  clarity, t final understanding, Dianora found the wellspring of her calm.

    Some lives  botrue of her.

    Of Dianora di tigana bren Saevar, a sculptors daug and tenderness, beauty coming to e, and er, too mucer. Coming only now.

    Sook no food, t concession to years of . S t doing so e any rituals. S didnt really matter. Scelto  in t t

    would  back from her eyes when she dived.

    ted  into to iny. ts ligains. In tance t be very large by noo to look. Sy of anticipation to teady murmur of sound t gave evidence, more clearly takes being played for this morning.

    A peninsula. t dominions  came to t. Per tigana. t coin lying on table, he name of love.

    quot;ill I do?quot; so, erminedly casual.

    follo lead. quot;You frig; ly. quot;You look as tirely of t us all behind.”

    It o o deceive  to  t to give he doing so.

    quot;Im not at all sure ts flattering,quot; sill lig;but I tempt to t t way.”

    o smile. quot;I ttle I like t; he said.

    quot;Scelto, Albericos entire army  stop t co link o time. You kno; So sound a little angry.

    It rue, it rue. But none of it rutrut and t alone he years.

    quot;I kno; Scelto said, clearly un;Of course I knoters at all. It is just . . .”

    quot;Please!quot; so stop ;I dont te to. S; Oo, you .

    opped, flinc er a moment he looked up again.

    quot;Forgive me, my lady,quot; epped foredly, took o ;It is only for you t I speak. I am afraid. Please forgive.”

    quot;Of course,quot; s;Of course. to forgive, Scelto.quot; Sightly.

    But in  s not cry. So , caring face, truest friend sually, since   in to come,  the casual, careless sound of her words.

    quot;Lets go,quot; surned o begin t into to the sea.

    t dramatic single ritual of temporal po ted by and subject to ters t surrounded them.

    t gave t armada in to trade and plunder, and it  and enclosed tale-tellers said, no   Eanna and Adaon ogether

    to engender Morian and make triad complete.

    A he sea.

    It o  of t became t  in t actually a dive, for one t into tiation and token of ackno, in turned its face to.

    time after t, a o ter t time cast it in. Some said later s sious.

    In eiters of t in her hand.

    And as t o ced and babbled in  of Morian in C o be lost: quot;Look and see! See  to to a lover!”

    And t moved to t to  in motion everyt folloe t neo  unizia, y from a farm in trada and ed togeter by Mellidar, t  of Morian, and Saronte placed tizias finger.

    t Midsummer. t autumn against Asoli and Astibar, and young Saronte di Criumply in a naval battle in te, soutory  time onual of time of Chiaras need.

    ty years later, near tes long reign, in one of triads clergy, a need  of Eanna revealed t Letizia o Mellidar, t of Morian  invited to dra triving for preeminence and power.

    A number of events, none of t, riads servants in t revelation, but none of turbances o touc neity of tual itself. taken ion of t seemed to speak to sometrue binding to ters of the sea.

    So ter all triad o t, t in tory of the Dive.

    an end to t times, ra, o Grand Duke Cazal, two y years ago.

    It , by any means, t suceered to dive for t made absolutely clear to t tely less t to reclaim from to come back  t one an exile from t ted il one of thrown rings was found and claimed.

    By contrast, to tune o nobility. More to o ts throne. Girls from

    families of little prospect  c risking ttering, ory future.

    Onestra di C, and because of er hing had changed.

    Beautiful as a legend and as proud, Grand Duke Cazals young bride ed on doing to allocate suctering ceremony to some ill-bred creature from trada on t beautiful vision any of to tual.

    ed, lifeless, to ter some distance from t of tced dead away.

    After errified pandemonium unmatced temple of Adaon on tesses  back t  ents rangled on its fear.

    Duke Cazal, fooltle t summer against te and Ferraut, after ions of eclipse, rising to poer tter, destructive . Suce .

    But no woman ra died.

    All takes oo o die in t legacy of c . . .

    It oo dangerous, successive Grand Dukes declared, ter to keep ts sea-girt po tion of t most potent ceremony.

    ed nineteen years ago t Grand Duke of Ceps of Eannas temple, and so to cast a ring into t year, even o dive for it, in searcercession and the gods.

    It  in to left  tir and bustle of trates, fragrant and colorful ed presence of o to today . ty and still save for tsteps. Dianora suppressed a srange did ted, echoing saishan seem.

    to trance to ty and silent. turned a corner toair led do of t one person at least ing for them.

    quot;Let me look at you,quot; Vencel said, t;I must approve you before you go down.”

    tform.

    Dianora almost smiled to see  bulk, and to he familiar words spoken.

    quot;Of course,quot; surned full circle before iny.

    quot;Acceptable,quot;  lengtomary judgment, tinctive voice sounded more subdued t. quot;But pero  vairstone from K your t? For luck? I broug reasures.”

    Almost diffidently Vencel extended a large soft  ried to kill the King.

    S to demur o  t day, just before so go do, and moved by VencePs gesture, s;to .quot; Sated. quot;ould you put it on for me?”

    s before  and delicate fingers ts c  of tainflo he always wore.

    Vencel o look at edly soft. quot;In Ko say to someone going on a journey Fortune find you today.quot; e robe and looked ay corridor.

    quot;t; so say more. S Scelto; tears in ily ao lead airs.  Vencel, an almost in figure, draped in billoly colored panoply of ic creature from anotirely, someranded he saishan of Chiara.

    At ttom of tairs s to  o knock. Not today. o let her pass.

    In tside ts of Morian and tesses of Adaon ing for her.

    Sriumpive glittering of expectation.

    te t  been performed in the sea.

    trained to control, being . And in silence to follow behind in orderly rows of crimson and smoke-grey.

    So trail be be part of tes. S properly said fareo  a life meant to be made whole.

    t  doo taircase. At top of tairs Dianora paused and looked dorates , permitted to come to see  nor rig  on t stair and started do only Dianora.

    So legend ep sook.

    And t ttom of taircase, as sepped onto tiles of ting by to escort  and  almost stopped.

    ter of men tayed in t Lord of t. Beside t, representing ted   ticipation of one Island poet could erbalance t to Doarde  from Corte, and a successful one clearly enougune preying on tigana t them.

    S of ting for e and sernal legends, from t ained  froze the blood in her veins.

    In ic as saff t ure, and toood Danoleon t of Eanna in tigana.

    taken Prince Alessan ao told  he saw his

    o ao follohem.

    Sriding, broad-srument t  of ernly controlling here was no way he could recognize her.

    daugist loosely attaco t? And sely chen.

    S take o be te, but ed Danoleon evanien it  Eannas  o tuary in thern hills.

    No an absurd, an almost overe, merely by here.

    It  so do  it  Dianora dre yet been opened, so see ter all time.

    Sopped and to ting a straige not used for centuries. But tion of many kinds of po s noo tic figure out of tapestry scrolls of tant past.

    quot;My lady,quot; said dEymon gravely, quot;if it pleases you and you are minded to allotend upon you noo tern Palm.”

    Carefully said, and clearly, for all to be remembered and repeated. Everyto be remembered. One reason ts were .

    quot;It pleases me,quot; s;Let us go.quot; S say more; ter less.

    It   o be remembered.

    Sill could not take  man from tigana, s so t  eased  t Eanna,  into the sea.

    DEymon nodded a command. Slo croo t ends of t anceady murmur of sound t  all morning so a crescendo as t abruptly stopped and fell a sigraining silence seemed to claim C into t stillness Dianora .

    And it o t suns  sing by t extravagance, bare of spring.

    Someted  t of  tle longer no will all be over soon enough.

    S to . And s s if  driven a er born to those years ago.

    For someone as small as  ry to see anytself

    and even t  te ain for a co vieage point. Devin o t and scrambled up to join anoto the sea.

    tions in in agility.

    Erlein errified, after ty to t o elude trackers in to o a sorcerer.

    Alessan ed  one point  couldnt see self, representing Loe in t  over it. ried not to because it made hem.

    But Alessan eously p  to travel nortnesses to the Ring Dive.

    quot;You ; t  natural t;And ake this change.”

    quot;Are you absolutely mad?quot; Erlein  boto hide his disbelief.

    Alessan , Devin t, . ually impossible to read since  quite inadequate to task of bridging t space or breaking times in tely hem.

    quot; about Savandi?quot; Erlein ;Couldnt trap for Danoleon. Or for you, even?”

    Alessan s;. And it is entirely plausible t ryside as torre made it seem. tern Palm o  rigty spies. Im not concerned about t, Erlein, but I do tude.quot; ry smile. Erlein alked away.

    quot; are you concerned about?quot; Devin he Prince.

    But Alessan  ans.

    ed o open, and tried to control t. It  tement and anticipation t arted to become over palpable so tinue, including one stooped, balding old man dressed exactly like the King.

    quot;Brandins Fool,quot; tean in t to ing.

    quot;Someto do ; ed. quot;ere better off not knowing.”

    Devin  time at troyed tigana and tried to imagine  o  no arc  not an impossible s, doer to strike a single soberly clad, bearded man standing by the sea.

    Imagining t of t arroion  t they reached Chiara.

    quot; do  to ; Devin had asked.

    ord e just before t most of the Second Company of

    Albericos Barbadian mercenaries s and cities in Ferraut and er in his gray eyes.

    Muc, but  dream of saying.

    On turned to  tion and t to sea. It e, nearer da. Neito sleep. Boter gleamed and sparkled .

    quot; do  to ; Alessan repeated. quot;Im not completely sure. I t I cant be certain yet. ts chis Dive.”

    tened to t sea. Devin cleared .

    quot;If s; he asked.

    Alessan  for so long Devin didnt to ansly, ;If tandan  I t sure.”

    Devin looked quickly over at ;ell t means . . .”

    quot;t means a number of t, almost certainly.”

    Devin tried to absorb t. If ake t take t above.

    quot;And if s; he asked.

    Alessan s ;You tell me.  against to this peninsula?”

    Devin t about it.

    quot;A lot,quot;  lengt;I t of people .”

    quot;So do I,quot; said Alessan. quot;t question becomes,  is: Is t it?”

    quot;Is there?”

    Alessan looked over at ;I  put to test very soon.”

    Devin stopped ions t ouced ance.

    quot;C; said Alessan.

    And so Devin sa time.

    quot;; ly.

    Alessan saking  dark, mountainous she horizon.

    quot;Only in my dreams,quot; he said.

    quot;S; someone sed from topmost rigging of t to tely picked up and strung from so sicipation.

    And to an eerie, co reveal thin.

    Even  oblivious of too far ao see her face clearly

    yet, but errible beauty and grace. It is told  is only because of ohem.

    And tinct, urned from to Brandin of Ygrato  angle. che woman approach.

    terly expressionless. Icy cold.

    ing tuation. Devin t. tual, everyone gatical end.  , over and above everyted ionless gaze co risk riad, o be in love h her!

    Even t old man beside ly like Brandin, was wringing  eacy and concern vivid in his face.

    By contrast, tern Palm  even  to look at urned back to the woman, who had come much nearer now.

    And because s at ters edge,   sense  and ion ando clad in t beautiful woman he had ever seen in all his life.

    do  to s ago, sailing to this Island.

    ill didnt kno looking do tirely unexpected pity. ig o ch from high, high above.

    Ster t o survive, especially in to say and do t tally dangerous place. ty o someto love, actually, bitterly  o acknoead, sanding ter ttered half so much.

    And so o breaking  multitude of people to truggling not to s raining to escape to po necessary to  in, here among so many people.

    But   from  even o look at Ro read Brandin noo any kind of future here, or anywhere.

    But tiganas ruin lay bet,  love  enougever troubadours migever  migo offer, love  enougo bridge the chasm in her world.

    to terrible, bottomless divisions in . At a price,   negotiable. One did not bargain he gods.

    So Brandin at topped and topped berick of to detacself from , to look do appear to therworldly.

    As Onestra must  Dive. Onestra  come back, and devastation . ory offered to release, and to tion of he saishan.

    t o look at Brandin. It o, infinitely easier, but s t meeting  the man she loved.

    Last nigcransit of tried to t so ual, to carry layers of meaning dohe years.

    But too, lay danger, a risk of undoing everyt o become. And  to say,  anot to to ,  it? there was no bridge across for her.

    Not in this life.

    quot;My lord,quot; s;I knoo presume, but if it is pleasing to you and to try to bring you the sea.”

    Brandins eyes ;tion, love, and infinite h your presence here.”

    t turning a.

    quot;People of tern Palm!quot; rong, a Kings, a leader of men, carrying resonantly across t among tall ss. quot;e are asked by to dive for us. If riads blessing in t is your reply? Ss to hear!”

    And amid t t follo er so muc-up anticipation, Dianora felt tal irony of it, tter jest, seize hold of her.

    Our une. In riads blessing. through her?

    In t moment, for t time,  t fear come in to lay a finger on . For truly ual of t age and numinous power and s for al . Could suche cause?

    S tains t   summit t Eanna o ars.

    And named t  . So t  and back time to take strengtude.

    . It atues and t  t sriad and t o ing for the Names would be merciful?

    Slo, tess of the dark-green robe.

    tanding by ter, clad only in tunic t barely reached her knees, and Brandin was holding a ring in his hand.

    quot;In t; ual, re;and als, ure er. ill t as a mot a ring of offering in my name and in t back to us in token of our fates bound togetern Palm, and I seek your blessing now.”

    turned to onis began at   , hing else, words only she could hear.

    turned tooness of the dazzling sun.

    S reacs apex and begin to fall. S strike the sea and she dived.

    ter

    simply toss it near to too many people . Srokes, raining aered light.

    S as o Morian.

    irely gone. Or per  so amazing after all.   did its vision offer if not tainty, a sureness to carry  terror of dark ers, to t portal of Morian? It  should have ended long ago.

    S, towards whe ring had fallen.

    t clarity, an a. A moment . Sory of Onestra and Cazal; every person in t disasters ras death.

    Brandin tle brougo oo soon. But Alberico ake . Sly  of triad upon tly self-styled King of tern Palm. t to oppose to  like a vineyard, or grind like grain beneatones of ion.

    y, s redressing t particular sorroask. t of anotion. ask s s pride, sitting by a dead fire in o bring tiganas name back into the world.

    Brandin o go far from t  someo kno ,  gift of her love.

    matter. t raitors and t ways. Drowning would do.

    Sure of t of destiny, guardian of t vision before the end. If Adaon would

    come for ern and glorious god, appearing as o Micaela on t Micaela t brig in  t she god.

    Instead, she ring.

    It o  and just above, drifting like a promise or an ansers so far belo. S, in tion in t and put it on  s die as a sea-bride h sea-gold upon her hand.

    Sered lig disappeared t gative, reflexive. S t and only  it to , and turned , a, and love.

    Do t to come.

    S,  covered yard, Valentins arm familiarly t o war.

    t-natured, seemingly al t ly in t  a as if so ime le toucill soothe dark.

    It  t agitation of e need for air. to tes of er s ando. Smoke over Avalle seen from tant fields. t even remember ed to marry  small room upstairs. tevanien. Arduini. Raking o.

    Brandin.

    And so, at t  ing to ried not to even and, for fear of  do to   do.

    My love, o me. Stevan is gone. I cannot lose you both or I will die.

    S ed to ; anyt. ords ried to co s no one could ever really cross.

    Or I will die, he had said.

    And s even try to deny  it rue. t   vision of Brandin living someo kno to t  in him.

    er so far belo as if to burst. So one side, y.

    to be someting figure furt to sea. A glimmer, glimpse of a form, of a man or a god s say. But it could not be a man down here.

    Not so far belo and t glohis form was.

    Anotold  one, to be sed to follo gentle, impossible ligo rest, to be ed,  desire.

    And tood, or t s figure o be Adaon. It o be t urned owards blackness he sea.

    S belong to  yet.

    S   invisible, so faint . But s t was. She knew.

    Far doerribly far beloal men and urned. Soucogeted ter up and love.

    . Even before ed in  t see the ring.

    iping at reaming eyes, hing else.

    Brandin of Ygrato ood t t, after all, a man ratagem had worked.

    ito t and priestess ed e and gold. Sand. But Devin, still o Brandin and offered rembling hand.

    tyrant, tter, anniing poo ly, enderness, but akable urgency of a man deprived and oo long.

    Alessan reacting it carefully dos mot  found urning ao t pe substantial level of jubilant cing all around in tomacing nausea and dizziness, tumultuous overflow.

    o gaze at t tling to see c grip of transparent need, te, seemed suddenly empty and ed sadness to s discontinuity amid tation all around. Rill, silent point of numbness amid a umult and er.

    Alessan looked at t, balding figure  a blurred, disorienting kinso ty to kno to all of this.

    o ed in entime, tieth.

    o.  Brandin again, and ting h confusion and grief.

    For  plots of making tyrant and killing iganas name ringing in tling back into the world.

    And teen feet aed, unkno  and only one roured and killed her.

    o  a blade.

    But t  Alessan couldnt kno.  tested it;  tried. ood and c s, steering toraction.

    ; too brig moved a o understand.  kno  t greatly care just no eresting, ,  perverse, detac o see hs from now.

    arted back alone ting, uproarious croo t  now, .

    Very often music   ill racing  arted to do er so long undersea.

    So long a time ually begun to calculate if to make use of t o follow upon h.

    And ter and, in tionless from t so ruck from be rength.

    And Alessan riumpasy began to she ships.

    told  a , it can be made to fit. It is coming together. In Senzio. As I planned.

    een feet a.

    It oo brigoo loud. Someone grabbed  by and tried to dra, trying numbly to steer orialla, where his room was, and a drink, and music.

    Devin  t back. Erlein . Probably still on taying afloat, as far from Brandin as est scintilla of interest in pursuing  now.

    Devin, mercifully, said not all. Only pusasted a touc p ten hird glass.

    he flagon away and buried his head in his hands.

    Someone was speaking beside wo men arguing.

    quot;Youre actually going to do it? Youre a goat-begotten fool!quot; t one snarled.

    quot;Im joining up,quot; t accents of Asoli. quot;After  ter t butc are you, friend, afraid of fighting?”

    ter. quot;You simple-minded dolt,quot; tened ;After  er nig yrants o a Queen over you.”

    Alessan pused , pivoting for leverage. t a rengtormented confusion of  into t bones crack under o t, scattering glasses and bottles ering crash.

    Alessan looked do . It o s of tupidity.

    It didnt rialla—t—grinned broadly, completely ignoring the bar.

    quot;I  in t amazingly. ting insistent demands to buy ing  on ttered face as he was carried by.

    Alessan turned a, back to tibar blue  of  Devin w all.

    tigana, ean sailor beo pound igana, let my memory of you be like a blade in my soul.

    Devin—immediately reaco pick it up and smas on tarted a predictable sequence of otly could  of t upstairs. o touc. In t the wizard glanced over as Alessan came in, and his eyes quickly narrowed and grew frankly curious.

    Alessan said noto  and closed ill ing. turally   stop t t sural creature from t force out of yrant falling to his knees and burying his face in his hands.

    not before Alessan, fifteen feet a, tering relief and t e ligar.

    terribly, but  gingerly and didnt tly couldnt  man. Everyt tando rue. All of it rue, yet none of it rut today ally confusing.

    Erlein, unexpectedly tactful, cleared  in a  offered a question.

    quot;Yes?quot; Alessan said  opening his eyes.

    quot;t you ed to  it?quot; tedly ant.

    it Alessan opened  ful and subdued. quot;Yes,quot;  lengt;t I ed.”

    Erlein nodded slo;It means hen. In my province.”

    ill t less t er up ill penetrated, a dull, steady background of celebration.

    quot;In Senzio, yes,quot; he said.

    a terrible sadness. So many years of planning, and no they?

    ake  did t mean? Could it be made to mean o?

    iful ted o be.

    Devin o give  believe t.  a  man so brutally just noered t look truly terrible, , for even Erlein to be so gentle o  I ed, ed to himself.

    quot;Erlein, Im sorry,quot; , trying to struggle uphis sorrow.

    inging reply,  ed one, but Erlein said not all at first. And ;I t is time,quot; was w ;S help?”

    ould t o minister to him so much?

    t back doairs. Devin ing for t stage at trialla. Alessan took up regean pipes.  ing and s it  going to keep o play.

    t for ed, ionless on to reaco e le while.