Grace said, for the twentieth time.“You can’t go,” MacRobert said. “You’re the Rector; you’re not in the military, and you have a half-grown arm.” He had said that before, with the usual effect people had when trying to talk Grace Vatta out of what she wanted to do: none. This time he went on. “A...
Captain Pont decided to delay at least a day, and the barn filled with drying clothes. Everyone felt stiff and grumpy at first, but by noon they were all awake enough to be restless. Paks even welcomed a walk through the rain to the inn for food. A caravan bound for Verella had come in; great wag...
She was uneasily aware that doing so admitted more and more people to the very secret she and the king wanted to keep: that she was leaving the kingdom on a long journey. Of course her man of business was supposed to be discreet, but how discreet was he, really? Some of the necessary documents re...
It was dark. She began to shiver from the cold. A pungent, resinous odor prickled her nose. When she tried to rub it, she found she couldn’t move her arms. Sudden panic soured her mouth: dark, cold, trapped. She tried to squirm free. Now she could feel pressure along most of her body. Nothing mov...
She crouched in the ditch her half-cohort had dug in the summer, icy water up to her neck, watching the strange fire race toward her. She had never seen anything like it, the purple-white glare tree-tall, as intense as the hottest fires smiths made. She was going to die—they all would—...
He spoke quietly enough, with a rumbling chuckle when amused. Paks began to think he might be an asset after all. “So we’re to find the place first, and find sign—then she’ll lead a troop?” He gave Paks a sharp look. “Have you led troops before, lady? I don’t mean to be like Doryan, but—” “I was ...