leo4life/algoml_bookcorpus_10p · Datasets at Hugging Face

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`` tomorrow .
i 'll allow my journey to seem casual so that it will go unremarked .
while i 'm there , i 'll take the opportunity of looking around their quaint little city .
who knows what i might find that would be of value to you ladies . ''
`` kartane 's in beldon mor , '' dorothea said as she refilled her wineglass .
`` no doubt he can save you a great deal of preliminary work .
contact him while you 're there . ''
greer gave her another oily smile , bowed to them both , and left .
`` you do n't seem pleased with the choice , sister , '' hekatah said as she drained her glass and stood to leave .
dorothea shrugged .
`` he was your choice .
remember that if it goes wrong . ''
she did n't look up when hekatah raised her hands and pulled the hood away from her face .
`` look at me , '' hekatah hissed .
`` remember what i am . ''
it always amazed dorothea that the demon-dead did n't look any different from the living .
the only distinction was the faint odor of meat beginning to spoil .
`` i never forget what you are , '' dorothea said with a smile .
hekatah 's eyes blazed with anger , but dorothea did n't look away .
`` and you should remember who owns sadi , and that it 's my generosity and my influence over prythian that 's making your little game of vengeance possible . ''
hekatah flipped the hood back over her face and flung out one hand .
the door opened with a crash , its brass knob embedded in the stone wall .
with another hiss of anger , she was gone .
dorothea refilled her wineglass .
she 'd seen the slight sneer , the change in greer 's eyes after he 'd met the dark priestess .
but what was she anyway ?
a bag of bones that did n't know enough to fall to dust .
a leech .
a scheming little harpy who was still trying to get back at a man who cared for nothing in terreille .
nothing at all .
she was n't sure she believed this story about a child the priest was besotted with , was n't sure what difference it made if he was .
let him have his toy .
she 'd thrown enough youths into the dark priestess 's lair .
now the walking carrion wanted her to give up the use of sadi for a hundred years , and as gratitude for dorothea 's willingness to make such an accommodation , was trying to sway her best servant , to make him untrustworthy .
very well .
let greer fawn .
the day would come when he would realize his error-and pay for it .
greer sat in a dark corner booth , sipping his second tankard of ale and watching the worn , weary faces of the men at the other tables .
he could have gone to a tavern where he would have had a better dinner and the ale would n't have left an aftertaste of wash water in his mouth , but he would have had to smile and fawn over the blood aristos that crowded a place like that .
here , because they were afraid of him , he had the table of his choice , the best cut of meat , and privacy .
he drained the tankard and raised a finger at the barmaid who hurried to refill it for him , fending off roaming hands as she passed between the tables .
greer smiled .
that , too , in this place , he could have for the asking .
when he was sure everyone else was preoccupied , he lifted his right hand and laid it on the table .
he still did n't know why sadi had done that to him , what had provoked the sadist to such calculated destruction .
he 'd been sitting quietly in a tavern not unlike this one , exploring a wench 's luxuries , when sadi had walked up to his table and held out his right hand .
since sadi had said nothing , since there was only that blank , bored face looking down at him , greer had extended his own right hand , thinking sadi had come to grovel for some favor .
the moment sadi 's hand had closed around his , everything changed .
one moment there was only the firm pressure of a handshake , the next he felt his bones being crushed , his fingers snapping , felt himself held in a mental vice so he did n't even have the luxury of fainting to escape .
when the vice finally did allow him to escape ... his first thought when he came to was to get to a healer right away , get to someone who could reshape the pulp that used to be a valuable tool .
but someone had already done a healing .
someone had tenderly shaped his hand into a twisted claw and healed the bones sufficiently so that a healer would have to crush them all over again in order to straighten the hand , and even .
greer knew the best a second healing could do was make the shape a little better .
it could never make that twisted claw into a usable hand .
sadi had done the healing , knowing what the result would be .
sadi , who had never failed thereafter to greet him courteously , mockingly , hatefully , whenever they were both in attendance at dorothea 's court .
sadi , who now was going to butcher a child for the illusion of freedom .
greer drained the tankard for the last time and threw a few coins on the table .
there was a web coach heading west in an hour 's time .
he had wanted to wait , wanted to seem casual , but in truth , he could n't wait to make this offer .
chapter nine 1-kaeleer saetan sat in a comfortable chair in what had become known as the `` family '' room at the kaeleer hall , his legs crossed at the knee , his fingers steepled and resting on his chin .
he watched jaenelle happily weave bright-colored ribbons through a thin sheet of wood .
her lessons were no longer private , and he resented having so little time alone with her , but she was a living ball of witchlight who drew the males of his family to her ; and he , who understood so well what drew them , could n't find it in himself to shut them out .
today prothvar and mephis haphazardly played chess while andulvar relaxed in a chair with his eyes half closed .
jaenelle sat on the floor in front of saetan 's chair , brightly colored sticks , playing cards , and ribbons scattered around her .
the lessons were getting better , saetan thought dryly as he watched jaenelle weave another ribbon through the wood .
all he had to remember was to start at the end and work back to the beginning .
the lesson was supposed to be on how to pass one physical object through another .
the idea was that once a witch knew how to pass one object through another , she could eventually learn how to pass living matter through nonliving matter , thus being able to pass through a door or a wall .
that was the idea anyway .
he had explained it in every way he could think of , had demonstrated it over and over again .
she simply did n't get it .
finally , after an hour of frustration , he 'd said brusquely , `` if you wanted to pass your arm through that wood , what would you do ? ''
jaenelle paused for the briefest moment , thrust her arm through the wood , and wiggled her fingers on the other side .
`` like this ? ''
andulvar had muttered something that sounded like `` mother night . ''
mephis and prothvar had upset the game table , spilling all the chess pieces on the floor .
saetan 's eyes had glazed as he studied the wiggling fingers .
`` like that , '' he 'd finally said , choking .
working backward from what she already knew made him queasy-he had never forgotten the young warlord who had been too cocky about the lessons and then had panicked halfway through the pass-but it had only taken a few minutes to translate from flesh and wood to ribbons and wood , and it had been so pleasing to see that spark in her eyes , to almost hear the click when she put the pieces together and understood .
so now she was happily weaving ribbons through a piece of solid wood with an ease that women at a loom would envy .
`` oh , i almost forgot , '' jaenelle said as she picked up another ribbon .
`` the prince asked me to send his regards . ''
andulvar 's eyes flew open and immediately closed again .
mephis 's hand froze above the piece he was about to move .
prothvar 's head whipped around and immediately whipped back .
only saetan , who was sitting in front of her , did n't react .
`` the prince ? ''
he asked lazily .
`` mm .
we have a hayllian warlord prince living with us now .
he 's sort of a playmate for leland and alexandra . ''
she paused in her weaving , her brow puckered .
`` i do n't think he likes it much .
he does n't seem happy when he 's with them .
but he does n't mind playing with wilhelmina and me . ''
`` and what does he play with you and wilhelmina ? ''
saetan asked softly .
he noticed andulvar 's sharp look , but he ignored it .
daemon was n't just in beldon mor , he was in the damn house !

`` tomorrow .

i 'll allow my journey to seem casual so that it will go unremarked .

while i 'm there , i 'll take the opportunity of looking around their quaint little city .

who knows what i might find that would be of value to you ladies . ''

`` kartane 's in beldon mor , '' dorothea said as she refilled her wineglass .

`` no doubt he can save you a great deal of preliminary work .

contact him while you 're there . ''

greer gave her another oily smile , bowed to them both , and left .

`` you do n't seem pleased with the choice , sister , '' hekatah said as she drained her glass and stood to leave .

dorothea shrugged .

`` he was your choice .

remember that if it goes wrong . ''

she did n't look up when hekatah raised her hands and pulled the hood away from her face .

`` look at me , '' hekatah hissed .

`` remember what i am . ''

it always amazed dorothea that the demon-dead did n't look any different from the living .

the only distinction was the faint odor of meat beginning to spoil .

`` i never forget what you are , '' dorothea said with a smile .

hekatah 's eyes blazed with anger , but dorothea did n't look away .

`` and you should remember who owns sadi , and that it 's my generosity and my influence over prythian that 's making your little game of vengeance possible . ''

hekatah flipped the hood back over her face and flung out one hand .

the door opened with a crash , its brass knob embedded in the stone wall .

with another hiss of anger , she was gone .

dorothea refilled her wineglass .

she 'd seen the slight sneer , the change in greer 's eyes after he 'd met the dark priestess .

but what was she anyway ?

a bag of bones that did n't know enough to fall to dust .

a leech .

a scheming little harpy who was still trying to get back at a man who cared for nothing in terreille .

nothing at all .

she was n't sure she believed this story about a child the priest was besotted with , was n't sure what difference it made if he was .

let him have his toy .

she 'd thrown enough youths into the dark priestess 's lair .

now the walking carrion wanted her to give up the use of sadi for a hundred years , and as gratitude for dorothea 's willingness to make such an accommodation , was trying to sway her best servant , to make him untrustworthy .

very well .

let greer fawn .

the day would come when he would realize his error-and pay for it .

greer sat in a dark corner booth , sipping his second tankard of ale and watching the worn , weary faces of the men at the other tables .

he could have gone to a tavern where he would have had a better dinner and the ale would n't have left an aftertaste of wash water in his mouth , but he would have had to smile and fawn over the blood aristos that crowded a place like that .

here , because they were afraid of him , he had the table of his choice , the best cut of meat , and privacy .

he drained the tankard and raised a finger at the barmaid who hurried to refill it for him , fending off roaming hands as she passed between the tables .

greer smiled .

that , too , in this place , he could have for the asking .

when he was sure everyone else was preoccupied , he lifted his right hand and laid it on the table .

he still did n't know why sadi had done that to him , what had provoked the sadist to such calculated destruction .

he 'd been sitting quietly in a tavern not unlike this one , exploring a wench 's luxuries , when sadi had walked up to his table and held out his right hand .

since sadi had said nothing , since there was only that blank , bored face looking down at him , greer had extended his own right hand , thinking sadi had come to grovel for some favor .

the moment sadi 's hand had closed around his , everything changed .

one moment there was only the firm pressure of a handshake , the next he felt his bones being crushed , his fingers snapping , felt himself held in a mental vice so he did n't even have the luxury of fainting to escape .

when the vice finally did allow him to escape ... his first thought when he came to was to get to a healer right away , get to someone who could reshape the pulp that used to be a valuable tool .

but someone had already done a healing .

someone had tenderly shaped his hand into a twisted claw and healed the bones sufficiently so that a healer would have to crush them all over again in order to straighten the hand , and even .

greer knew the best a second healing could do was make the shape a little better .

it could never make that twisted claw into a usable hand .

sadi had done the healing , knowing what the result would be .

sadi , who had never failed thereafter to greet him courteously , mockingly , hatefully , whenever they were both in attendance at dorothea 's court .

sadi , who now was going to butcher a child for the illusion of freedom .

greer drained the tankard for the last time and threw a few coins on the table .

there was a web coach heading west in an hour 's time .

he had wanted to wait , wanted to seem casual , but in truth , he could n't wait to make this offer .

chapter nine 1-kaeleer saetan sat in a comfortable chair in what had become known as the `` family '' room at the kaeleer hall , his legs crossed at the knee , his fingers steepled and resting on his chin .

he watched jaenelle happily weave bright-colored ribbons through a thin sheet of wood .

her lessons were no longer private , and he resented having so little time alone with her , but she was a living ball of witchlight who drew the males of his family to her ; and he , who understood so well what drew them , could n't find it in himself to shut them out .

today prothvar and mephis haphazardly played chess while andulvar relaxed in a chair with his eyes half closed .

jaenelle sat on the floor in front of saetan 's chair , brightly colored sticks , playing cards , and ribbons scattered around her .

the lessons were getting better , saetan thought dryly as he watched jaenelle weave another ribbon through the wood .

all he had to remember was to start at the end and work back to the beginning .

the lesson was supposed to be on how to pass one physical object through another .

the idea was that once a witch knew how to pass one object through another , she could eventually learn how to pass living matter through nonliving matter , thus being able to pass through a door or a wall .

that was the idea anyway .

he had explained it in every way he could think of , had demonstrated it over and over again .

she simply did n't get it .

finally , after an hour of frustration , he 'd said brusquely , `` if you wanted to pass your arm through that wood , what would you do ? ''

jaenelle paused for the briefest moment , thrust her arm through the wood , and wiggled her fingers on the other side .

`` like this ? ''

andulvar had muttered something that sounded like `` mother night . ''

mephis and prothvar had upset the game table , spilling all the chess pieces on the floor .

saetan 's eyes had glazed as he studied the wiggling fingers .

`` like that , '' he 'd finally said , choking .

working backward from what she already knew made him queasy-he had never forgotten the young warlord who had been too cocky about the lessons and then had panicked halfway through the pass-but it had only taken a few minutes to translate from flesh and wood to ribbons and wood , and it had been so pleasing to see that spark in her eyes , to almost hear the click when she put the pieces together and understood .

so now she was happily weaving ribbons through a piece of solid wood with an ease that women at a loom would envy .

`` oh , i almost forgot , '' jaenelle said as she picked up another ribbon .

`` the prince asked me to send his regards . ''

andulvar 's eyes flew open and immediately closed again .

mephis 's hand froze above the piece he was about to move .

prothvar 's head whipped around and immediately whipped back .

only saetan , who was sitting in front of her , did n't react .

`` the prince ? ''

he asked lazily .

`` mm .

we have a hayllian warlord prince living with us now .

he 's sort of a playmate for leland and alexandra . ''

she paused in her weaving , her brow puckered .

`` i do n't think he likes it much .

he does n't seem happy when he 's with them .

but he does n't mind playing with wilhelmina and me . ''

`` and what does he play with you and wilhelmina ? ''

saetan asked softly .

he noticed andulvar 's sharp look , but he ignored it .

daemon was n't just in beldon mor , he was in the damn house !