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.“It’s the Bond, nothing more.”“What if it is? What difference does that make? His feelings are just as strong! We threw them together, my lord! This is the result!”Tension showed in every line of the duke’s tall, youthful form.The winter-grey eyes, so like Michael’s, burned with cold fire.“I thought he was wise enough to know the difference…”“Maybe he is.Maybe it’s we who weren’t.He confessed to me once we know very little about the naragi.Even you, I daresay, have only what legend and tradition have left to you.”“It sounds as if you’re making excuses for my graceless grandson.”“Not just anyone can be a naragi’s cethe.Maybe the Bond is only a manifestation of something deeper.” Severyn floundered, trying to put order to his thoughts.Uncle Damon made a sound of disgust.“Regardless,” he said, “Michael risks catastrophe by going into the stronghold of the Church! We need him, Severyn.You have the throne, but the path to uncontested power will not be easy.My marsh witches cannot stand against knightmages.”“Michael is not a tool!” Severyn’s voice rose.“He is a friend and a brother.It was unforgiveable to sacrifice him to my future, to a fate with consequences neither of us understood!”“Don’t lose your focus,” the duke said.“He had every chance to refuse that sacrifice, but chose to go ahead.He understood the prize we sought.Now he threatens to throw it away for the sake of a sin-catcher whose blood is poisoned with evil.Are you really ready to risk everything to let him do it? Are his desires really more important than Tanyrin’s deliverance?”Severyn stared at his surrogate father.“No,” he said slowly.“No, they’re not.”Lord Damon nodded, relieved.“Then you’ll send someone after him.”It wasn’t a question.“Yes,” said Severyn quietly, emphatically.“Yes, I will.”PART XXVIIWith the foul murder of Aramis IV, in the Year of Loth’s Dominion 1422, the direct line of kings descended from St.Aramis was ended.The throne passed to his first cousin, the Duke of Messerling.His Grace William Lothlain was the only surviving male relative bearing royal blood.His Grace, at his coronation, took the name Arami Lothlain in honor of his ancestor, Aramis I, founder of the royal line and Hero of Tanyrin.A pious and sober man, Arami I ruled Tanyrin for twenty years and is today known by all as Arami the Just.from: A Modern History of Tanyrin,Year of Loth’s Dominion 1505Michael woke, heart in his mouth, pulse thundering in his ears.He lay, his breath coming rapidly, looking up through the branches of the evergreens at the night sky.Stefn!Rolling over, he pushed aside his blanket.Remy, bound to a nearby tree, slept with his chin on his chest.Auron slept, too, wrapped up in his bedroll on the other side of the fire, snoring.Michael sat up, hugging his knees to his chest, trying to quell his sense of panic.Stefn was in trouble.He remembered acutely the same terrible feelings when his grandfather’s men had tortured Stefn in the delta.It took real effort to subdue the sense of panic and urgency.“They’re hurting him, aren’t they?”Michael looked up.Remy was awake, staring at him, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.Rising to his feet, Michael approached the tree, stopping only long enough to pluck a burning stick from the fire.The captain shrank back when Michael dropped to a crouch in front of him.Michael replied.“Tell me, Remy, if I were to torture you, would he feel it? Your master, Locke?”Remy, frightened, turned his face from the glowing end of the stick.“It is Locke, isn’t it?” Michael thrust the end of the stick at him.“Leave off, Mick!”Michael rocked back on his heels.Looking over his shoulder, he saw Auron looking up from his bedroll.“No,” said Remy.The word was a breath.“Our bond is not so close.”Rustling at his back told Michael Auron was up.A moment later, his friend was crouched beside him.“Don’t do it,” he said.“You aren’t one of those bastards.”“I wouldn’t be so sure.” But Michael let him take the stick and throw it back into the fire.“They’re torturing Stefn.”“You can tell?”Michael nodded.“Loth.” Auron ran a hand through his tousled hair.“So you are Locke’s cethe!”“I’m his aide and shield brother,” Remy retorted.“He is not a naragi!”“The hell!” Auron exclaimed.“Semantics,” Mick replied, not taking his eyes from Remy.“Mazril is a knightmage, the same as St.Arami was! He wields the power of lothria, not black magic!”“I see little difference,” retorted Michael.“You lose your power if you sleep with a woman,” replied Remy.“The knightmages do not [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]