a horrified Malkon gaped athim. And you didnt suspect that either, I gather. Really, Mal,such an obtuse fool youve turned out to be! Well, no matter.Verily, we werent going to allow you to live long enough tointerfere with Abasrule or Larals. But we would have waited a decent while beforearranging for your demise. Your actions however have forced us to doit much sooner. We do have to put our interests first after all.Ashe listened to Sivars discourse, Dylen saw Laral slip behindMalkon next to Talvas. The Ferrenda heir noticed his stare andhalf-turned with a jerk. Dylen caught a glimpse of Talvas knifeblade as he passed it to Laral. He jerked his attention back toMalkon as the Deir tried to back away from Laral. There was the soundof another blade sliding out of its sheath behind him. Malkonwhirled.Finemetal flashed. Dylen could only stand by as Malkon screamed.Hisscream ended in a gurgle as he was skewered front and back. Sivar andLaral held him there between them, uncaring of the blood that stainedtheir garments.Laralchuckled. Goodbye, Malkon, he murmured into the mortallywounded Deirs ear. Rest assured we shall accord you all theburial honors of a member of the family.Withthat, he yanked his blade out and rammed it up and into the base ofMalkons skull. The cousins withdrew their knives and stepped back.Malkon slumped to the floor in a heap amidst the pooling crimson ofhis blood.Amirgrunted approvingly and said, Well done. He gestured to hisguard-captain son and instructed, He died from a fall. See to it,my good Talvas.Talvasobeyed with grim satisfaction. Two of his soldiers dragged the corpseout of the chamber. Another was tasked with quickly mopping up theblood, erasing all signs of Malkons execution.Amirlaid a steady gaze on Dylen. A walk along the cliff wall when oneis in his cups is very reckless, dont you think, Essendr-tyar?Dylenlooked from the Shaja to Sivar and Laral. He let out his breath and,addressing Sivar, said, You have my deepest condolences, YourHighness.ChapterTwenty-FourAftershocksRiodanlistened intently as Dylen related the events that occurred while hewas unconscious. He grimaced ever so often as more of the Ferrendasperfidy came to light and stared wide-eyed when Dylen described hisbattle to gain entry into Malkons consciousness. Finally, hewinced at the tale of Malkons slaying.Aday and a half had passed since Riodan fell into a deep refreshingsleep. Hed awakened to find Dylen drowsing in his chair by thebed. When Riodan attempted to turn on his side to face Dylen, themotion pulled on his still tender back, forcing a sharp hiss out ofhim. The sound, soft as it was, roused Dylen at once and prompted himto call a physician to Riodans bedside.Withmost of his discomfort alleviated, Riodan had demanded a detailedaccount of what he had missed or been too distracted by his injuriesto notice. Dylen obliged, and when he was done, Riodan half-closedhis eyes and fell silent while he mulled over everything he hadlearned. At length, he sighed and looked at Dylen.Laraland Sivar, he murmured. To kill anyone with such cold-bloodedefficiency... I confess I dont know whether Im impressed orhorrified.Theywill make a most formidable pair when Laral comes to