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."Oh." Victor's expression darkened with unhappiness."Father-""Speak your piece." Victor was about to say something he thought Rolend wouldn't like, butthe King had never forbidden his son to speak his mind before and he wasn't about to startnow."Father, I can't be sorry.I think you were wrong to try and-" The young man hesitated,choosing his words with care."To try to-get rid of him-in the first place.He has never doneanything to give you a moment of lost sleep-never even tried to come home! Why should hetry to conspire against you now?"Rolend sighed, and tried once more to make the boy see the whole truth of the situation.Hedidn't blame Victor for the way he felt; the boy remembered his cousin quite clearly, andwhen Victor thought of the assassins his father had sent out to Rayden, he probably picturedhimself in Sional's place."Even if he were as innocent as a babe, son, he's still a danger tome.As long as he lives, he can be used against me.And the hard fact is, he's not the cousinwho you taught to ride and the one you gave your old pony to.He's probably been fed hateand bitter words with every meal, and he's probably looking forward to spitting you like askewered capon, right beside me."Victor shook his head stubbornly."I can't believe that, father.Master Darian loved QueenFelice, and he hated Uncle Charlis for what he did to her.He's the one that took Sion, andhe took him into Rayden, not to the Guild here! You know that no branch of the Guild reallygives a clipped coin for what happens to another, so long as nothing happens to them! Ican't believe that Master Darian would bring Sion up to be as twisted as you think.""It doesn't matter, son," Rolend sighed."It really doesn't matter.Once the Church and theGuild here find out he's alive, they'll have him.And once the Church mages have him-thedark ones, anyway-they'll strip his mind bare and put what they want in there."Now Victor fell silent, and nodded.Reluctantly, but in agreement.He'd seen at first handwhat a dark mage could do to someone's mind, when they'd taken back what had oncebeen a faithful guard from those who had captured him.No matter what had been in therebefore, when the dark mage was done, there was nothing left of the original but the shell."I don't like it," he said, finally."But I can't think what else you could do.""Do you think I like it?" Rolend burst out.He lurched up out of his chair and began to pace infront of the fire."I've ordered a murder-I ordered the murder of a child.I sent those agentsout when the boy was fourteen-perhaps fifteen! But what else am I to do?" He sat downagain, heavily; buried his face in his hands, and confessed to his son what he would nothave told another living man, not even his Priest."I hate what I've done, and I hate myself forordering it.And sometimes I think that perhaps this is my punishment from God for trying tomurder a child.Maybe I deserve to find myself facing Sional across a blade.But what elsecould I have done?""I don't know, Father," Victor whispered."I don't know."Rune took her turn at the reins, with everyone else closeted inside the wagon.The capitalcity of Kingstone loomed ahead of them, a huge place that had long ago spilled out past itswalls.She wondered what was going on in Kestrel's mind right now.They were near the endof their goal, and still he had not decided what he wanted to do-Well, if he has, he hasn't told us.The elf hadn't lied, or even exaggerated.The people of Birnam were content with KingRolend on the throne, and were secure in the belief that his son would be just as good a ruleras his father.Nor had the elf made any mistake in the quality of King Rolend's enemies.He had them, butthey were all too often the kind of men-and a few women-who made Rune's skin crawl.Selfish, greedy, venial, power-hungry.there were some honest folk among them, peoplewho felt that the "rightful King" should be on the throne
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