
between the Dragon Mountains in the North and the Undish desert in the south, the fortress of Kellsjard
had been a simple square tower made for defense rather than comfort. It occupied a high hill on the very
edge of the great plain of the Kellsmarch, situated so that any invasions from the kingdom of Shalai would
have to pass by it before penetrating farther. But over the intervening centuries, its lords had added on to
the original keep. Most often, this additional architecture matched the fashion of their own times, in blithe
disregard of anything else around it. As a result, Kellsjard had evolved into a lunatic's dream of sealed-off
courtyards, corridors that went nowhere, and rooms whose purpose had been changed so many times
that they were no longer useful for anything. Visitors were well advised not to stray, and even inhabitants
who thought themselves familiar with the structure's every twist and turn sometimes became confused. If
any enemy were ever to breach the walls, they would find battle in the corridors a nightmare.
Auglar's study was in one of the oldest sections of the keep. The walls were of unfinished stone that held
in the chill even in high summer. Tapestries struggled to enliven the setting, although their colors had faded
through countless decades. Although the air outside was beginning to feel of spring, a fire burned in the
enormous hearth, perfuming the room with wood smoke.
Auglar glanced up as they entered. Black hair straggled into his face and framed a pair of startlingly pale
blue eyes, and ink stained his slender fingers. Although he had come young to his lordship, and had
fought a bitter war of succession to gain it, scholarship was still his first love. “Ah, that's everyone,
then,― he said with a smile that failed to hide the worry that lurked in his eyes.
The small room was crowded, Suchen saw. On Auglar's right sat his wife, Sifya, her belly swollen in the
late stages of pregnancy. Sifya's brother, Brenwulf, was also present. The Sworn—Buudi, Gless, and
Suchen's brother Peddock—were arrayed about the room. Garal, Suchen's assistant, sat nervously at
the far end of the table, along with Wildstorm the scribe and Jiara the healermage.
Three empty chairs remained. Gless sank into one with an audible sigh, his bad leg stretched out before
him at an angle. Suchen sat in the next one, expecting Yozerf to slip in beside her. But instead he stopped
just inside the door and leaned against the wall, his chill eyes taking in the gathering dispassionately, an
outsider observing a scene that had nothing to do with him.
Suchen frowned uncertainly, wondering what this deliberate distancing could mean. But before she could
motion for him to come closer, Auglar rose to his feet.
"I suppose that there's no mystery about why I summoned you all,― he said. Clasping his ink-stained
fingers behind his back, he wandered over to one window, then stopped and stared out. “Most of
you know the events of last fall and winter."
"Only too well,― murmured Buudi, the first among the Sworn. Although silver had begun to streak his
black hair some time ago, he seemed to have aged years over the course of the last winter. The lines on
his rough face were deeply graven now, and the decades looked out sadly from his brown eyes.
Auglar cast him a rueful glance. “Yes. Last fall, the wizard Ax came to Suchen and asked her to
escort a young woman here. Little did we know then that she was Queen Rozah, fleeing in disguise from
her Regency Council, which had kept her prisoner and usurped her power. The Council was destroyed,
but not without the loss of Rozah's life as well."
No one said anything. The Sworn had been charged with keeping Rozah safe, but they had not been able
to save themselves from treason within their own ranks. Although no one could blame them—they had
done all that they could—Suchen knew that they held themselves responsible for the Queen's death.
For that matter, so did she. What she would have done differently, she didn't know, but there had been
many nights when she had lain awake in Yozerf's arms, wondering if she could have done