“I thank you for your kindness and generosity your Majesty. I think that people do deserve second chances but sadly I fear, the population of the city and even the kingdom at large differ.”“Perhaps. But I am their ruler. They must do as I say.”Gelyn opened her mouth as if to say something, then hesitated and closed it again.“You would say something more my lady?”“’Tis no matter your Majesty.”“No please. I would hear your opinion on the matter.”“Forgive me your Majesty. I am but a dead king’s whore. I dare not be so arrogant as to spar verbally with the new king.”“No matter the labels we attach to ourselves or that others attach to us, we all have a voice that should be heard.”A smile touched the corners of Gelyn’s mouth. “You contradict yourself your Majesty. The people must do as you say but you would hear what they have to say anyway?”Benedict smiled as he realized the point Gelyn made.“You give yourself too little credit my Lady. Perhaps you should be the King’s advisor?”

Both Tordor and Raeme relaxed visibly. It seemed that since Benedict had become King he had become more stubborn and was wont to do things spontaneously and without heeding advice. They both knew that Benedict had let Gelyn go and had used the city funds to acquire her house. A house given her by Atomas. The Kingdom had thus paid for the house twice. If people on the street heard about it they would be up in arms. He had given Hester luxurious chambers in the palace which did not sit well with some people in the palace. While this was still defendable in that Benedict refused to let her go until her daughter returned, people believed she would be just as comfortable in smaller, less opulent chambers. Hester had said the same but Benedict refused to listen.Their meeting moved on to other matters. Raeme reported that much of the corruption elsewhere in the kingdom was being pushed back and eradicated but that little progress had been made in Kyrshom. Attempts to meet with the Black Cloa

Hester cleaned her face quickly before stepping outside into the bright sunshine. She hoped the guards noticed nothing amiss. Then she climbed onto the horse cart and told the driver to go to the next orphanage.The rest of the day passed too slowly for Hester. Her mind was on Dargo. She missed him and seeing him again had reminded her of just how much she missed him. She repeatedly felt for the parchment he had inserted in her dress sleeve. She longed for a private moment to be able to read it.The children at the orphanages she visited had to bring her back to the present many times during the day as her thoughts wandered.When she finally returned to the palace that evening she was exhausted. She had spent the rest of the day trying to spot the guards Dargo had told her about. She could not tell them apart though. They were clearly well trained and discreet. They obviously blended in with the people.Hester’s thoughts detoured to Dargo as well. He was clearly a man who was connected

Muhay was silent as he stared into her eyes. Then he leaned down and kissed her again. A soft, lingering kiss. Alexa did not react at all initially but then despite herself her tongue crept forward seeking his. Their tongues met and their kiss deepened as their breathing increased and hearts beat faster. Alexa felt a wave of emotion crashing through her and then Muhay’s mouth was gone. “Is that what you want?” he whispered.Before Alexa could answer he stood quickly and held out a hand to her to help her up as if they had not been locked in a passionate kiss moments before. They gathered their klakoes and climbed the dune. The aroma of desert rabbit and gluksa reached them and they ran down the dark side of the dune to where Peter sat waiting with their meal. They ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.Throughout the meal Alexa stole glances at Muhay but he remained focused on other things and made conversation as if nothing had happened between them before dinner.Peter and

“I did a geological study and found Alymcyte in the rock.” Semore paused as he absorbed the surprised glances that passed around the table. “I thought it was just small quantities but there are actually caves midway up Mt. Almall where I found big veins of Alymcyte running through the mountain. There is more than you could ever imagine could be found in one place.” To emphasize his point, he extracted a rock twice as large as his fist from his robe pocket and placed it on the table. Semore’s audience gasped in disbelief. The rock was enormous by standards of the availability of Alymcyte. “How much is in Mt Almall?” asked Raeme. “It is hard to say,” replied Semore. “But I know there is one cave where the floor, walls and roof are all Alymcyte.” Silence fell upon the group. That amount of Alymcyte in one location was unheard of. The implications of its value were astonishing. “We shall never have to charge taxes on the kingdom’s people again,” Benedict whispered as he stared at the