Benedict was silent a moment and then he sighed. “This city makes me sad. The people make me sad. Disappointed. I would think they would be grateful for the changes which are being made but the more I hear change is wanted, the more I see a city of people content to sit around and complain about their fortunes or lack thereof while they blame everyone else.” “Yes they do, your Majesty. It is a cancer.” “Are you unhappy with my decision lady?” Hester coughed briefly, smiling as she did so. “Your decision was not mine to make. Why should I have an opinion?” “We know about Gelyn’s involvement with Atomas lady. ‘Tis no secret.” “That’s right. It is no secret. But it was not her fault that Atomas all but kept me as a buffer between the people of the kingdom and himself. He strayed long before Gelyn. To her credit, she was able to make an honest man out of him. His philandering became exclusively reserved for her after he met her. I no longer had to be embarrassed by a string of girls,

Benedict paused for a moment. “Yes. Sadly it haunts many people. I think people in higher society more than most. I am sure I have contributed to it as well keeping you in the palace as I have done. I wondered if I should let you go and live outside the palace after all. It has been on my mind all evening since I gave you a ride to the party.” “Perhaps being kept here has prolonged my loneliness but it was there long before your decision to keep me here. If I were free to leave it might be lessened. But I questioned the fundamental reason for my loneliness. I came to the conclusion that it is the absence of a significant other. It has been so for a very long time.” As Hester spoke, she recalled Dargo’s desire to press her to make plans to leave Atomas so he could marry her. She remembered her anger at him then and realized now how foolish she had been. What a difference a few hours had made in the rest of her life. While she loathed Breeger and did not wish to do as he wanted, she k

Benedict paused. He could see the reasoning. “And is the latest lady not loved by the people?” “Indeed Benedict but the association with the kingdom’s past leaves them uncomfortable.” “Well they had better get used to it,” Benedict retorted. “I believe that Lady Hester and I will be spending a lot more time together. As for Lady Gelyn, she has left the city and will not be returning any time soon I believe. She is thus but a memory.” “Benedict, we are simply trying to advise you. We all know how difficult this transition has been. It has taken longer than we imagined and is still not complete. We are no closer to making contact with the Black Cloaks.” “There was a protest this morning,” said Tordor. Both Raeme and Benedict looked at Tordor. Neither of them had heard news of it until now. “What protest?” Benedict asked. “It was a protest at the temple of the Order of Keln.” “What were the people protesting?” “You.” Tordor replied bluntly. “What do you mean me?” “They asked th

They made a cold camp late that night and Alexa questioned her escort.“Who are you? What’s your name?”“I am a Cloak. Call me Rath.”“Ok. Rath. Where are we going?”“You have been sent for by someone high in our organization. I do not know who they are. It is my job to deliver you to them.”“Will I be coming back here?”“I have no idea,” Rath replied not looking at Alexa. “Looks like I arrived just in time back there.”“Yeah,” Alexa nodded. “Thanks. I guess you did arrive just in time.”“Lover’s spat?”“Break up, caught cheating, all of it.”“Thought as much,” Rath replied. “So what about your new boyfriend? Sad to leave him behind?”Alexa shrugged. “I don’t know. Are these the ideal circumstances to fall in love out here? Desert

They had stopped Samnom on the road and demanded his money. He had given it to them but when they had started talking about taking his clothes, Samnom realized he was in danger.They attacked him from behind and beat him with a club. Samnom went down and was soon being beaten and kicked by all five thugs. At some point everything went black. The pain of the blows faded as did the noise. It was as if he had drifted far away from the place on the road. He thought he must be dying. Somewhere in the black cocoon that enveloped him the shouts and cries of his attackers took on a different dimension. They became screams of terror.Somewhere in the blackness, the blows and the pain stopped. The screams of terror subsided and silence ensued. The black fog cleared and Samnom looked around him. Five bodies lay twisted and broken around him on the road.Samnom looked around for someone else. A helper? He still doubted his abilities. Had he really done this? There was no-on