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. Hold still, he said, staring intently at her face.He brought up a single finger and moved it as if to pokeher in the eye.She could feel the heat radiating from it.What? Kip was a sub-red, too?There was a hiss as he touched the eye cap, and he must have hit the fuse point because the eye capdissolved.Then he did the other.And like that, Karris could draft again.Oh, hell yes. What do you say? Kip asked.What was he talking about? Thank you? Karris asked. I say we go kill us a king, Kip said, grinning recklessly.When they were in the grip of their color,greens didn t tend to be real big on common sense.Karris looked and saw that Rask Garadul was just getting to the gap they d blown in the wall.Half of hismen were already through.It was the perfect time to attack well, other than the fact that Karris andKip were on the side of the wall with King Garadul s entire army.Drafting some red off the pools of gore around them, Karris felt the comforting wash of red rage.Shefelt strong. Let s go kill us a king, she said.Chapter 84I m not important enough for this, Liv thought as Lord Omnichrome came back to the top of the hillwhere she was tied up.From her vantage point, she could see a familiar form taking a big red stallionfrom a groom, then mounting.Kip.If he turned around, he couldn t help but see her.For a moment, Liv wasn t sure if she wanted him to see her or not.She had no doubt what he would doif he did.He d come charging up the hill, and to hell with the odds.That was Kip.That was who he wasand who he always had been.Not always smart, but always ferociously loyal.She ducked her head.There was only death here for Kip.And sure enough, he turned for one secondas he sat unsteadily atop the big horse.Then he kicked his heels in and almost tumbled out of the saddlePage 358as the animal surged forward.Liv almost grinned at the sight, but the looming figure of Lord Omnichrome wiped away any thought ofamusement.As he came close, she realized he wasn t as big as he seemed from a distance.His whiterobes and the white cape hanging off great blue horns rising from his shoulders made him seem biggerthan a mortal man, but he wasn t even as tall as Gavin Guile.But he glowed.It was like yellow luxin filledhis veins instead of blood.His hair had been sculpted into a spiky crown with yellow luxin, so it dazzled,as if he d been crowned by the sun itself, and his eyes beneath were a constant riot of colors.And hewas staring at her.I m not important enough for this, she thought again.Her cheek was throbbing, still dribbling blood.Thepowder wagon s explosion had knocked her unconscious, and shrapnel had cut her in a dozen places.She didn t know how they d found her among all the bodies.She didn t know why they would want her. How did you come to be here, Aliviana Danavis? I walked, mostly, she said.Danavis, so that was it.They knew her father was commanding the enemyarmy.And she d stupidly delivered herself into their hands.Well done, Liv.Lord Omnichrome s retainers surrounded them: broken-haloed drafters of every type, soldiers,messengers, and a few high-ranking officers from King Garadul s camp who looked decidedly uneasyaround all the drafters, much less Lord Omnichrome.Lord Omnichrome picked up a strange musket aslong as he was tall.He lifted it, fitted its leg into a slot on the barrel, propped it up in front of himself, andaimed down the hill toward the fighting. Dead center on that green door, he said. Third house from the left? a spotter asked.Liv didn t know much about muskets, but she knew you couldn t make a shot that accurate at threehundred paces.Not that you d want someone shooting in your direction, but past one hundred pacesaiming was more a general hope.Nonetheless, Lord Omnichrome took a deep breath, sighted down thebarrel through the mists, fired.The musket roared. Three hands high, one hand left, the spotter said.Lord Omnichrome handed the musket to an attendant, who began reloading it.He turned to Liv. I wantyou to join me, Liv.I saw you, last night, listening.You understood.I could tell you did.Orholam, she thought he d looked at her, but then she d dismissed it as her imagination.There had beenthousands listening last night.And how did he recognize her? You love your father, don t you, Liv? More than anything, she said.How did he know her name, much less her nickname? And how old is he? Maybe forty? she said.Page 359 Old, then.For a drafter.If he weren t a drafter, he could live another forty years.But as a drafter loyalto the Chromeria, he s an old dog already, isn t he? Most men don t make it to forty.Your father mustbe very disciplined, very strong. Stronger than you know, Liv said.She felt a surge of emotion.Who was this bastard, talking about herfather? She wouldn t let anyone speak badly of him.He was a great man.Even if he had made mistakes.The attendant handed the long musket back to Lord Omnichrome.He raised it, stabilized its significantweight on its leg, and said, Blue drafter, just right of the gatehouse.Liv watched, horrified, as Lord Omnichrome waited.The blue drafter was ducked behind a crenellation,popping up to throw death down on the men below and ducking down again.He popped up, LordOmnichrome said, Heart. The musket roared.A burst of light and blood and the drafter disappeared from view. Shoulder, your left, the attendant said. One hand left and three thumbs high.Lord Omnichrome handed the musket back to the man with a polite thank-you. When the time comes,will you tell them? he asked Liv. Tell them? Tell them about my father? Liv hesitated
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