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."But that is all."She rode away from the king and the palace, not looking back.Quinn and a half dozen of the King's Magistrates followed her out of Klarsamryn.It was still dark, the sun not due up for some time.The king stood at the end of the drawbridge."Good-bye Mariko," said Korox, waving weakly at her back."Know that asking you to save this kingdom was the hardest decision of my life."He watched as the escort reached the crest of the first hill.Just as they began to drop down the other side and out of sight, Mariko looked back at her fatherAnd then she was gone.+++++"You might wish you had said good-bye," said Quinn as they reached the bottom of the first hill."It will be over soon enough," said Mariko."He can share in the pain.""You know you don't mean that." Mariko sat silent in her saddle.The riders moved on, veering off the road toward the Obsidian Ridge, hanging over the rooftops of the homes and farms in the valley.Their path took them through a small copse of trees.It was very dark, and Mariko's eyes had a hard time adjusting.Riding out from under the leaves, not far from their destination, a familiar figure stood in the middle of the clearing, wearing the uniform of a Watcher."It's about time you showed up," said Evelyne, a dagger in each hand.Quinn kicked his horse and bolted out in front of the other riders.Turning his mount sideways, he pointed at the young man leading the Magistrates with the blades of his one remaining gauntlet."This is as far as you go," he said."I'll take it from here."The other riders came to a stop.The ranking Magistrate looked to his comrades then gritted his teeth."I can't let you do that.The princess must be delivered to the Obsidian Ridge.""She'll make it to where she needs to go just fine.But you're not coming along."The young man pulled his blade."The safety of the entire kingdom is at stake."Quinn responded by leaping down from his horse and pulling his enchanted long sword—single blade in his right hand, four blades on his left."I do not wish to hurt you.I am trying to save your life.But if you do not back down now, I will take you apart."The young Magistrate held his ground, clearly nervous and unsure what he should do."Put your sword away, son," said Mariko."That's an order.""But—""The king is not here, and I am still the heir to the throne.You are bound to follow my orders, are you not?"He looked to the other Magistrates, but they just shrugged.Finally he nodded and slid his sword back into its sheath.Quinn let out a sigh of relief."You are to wait here, at the edge of this copse of trees." He pointed to the youngest of the Magistrates."You there, hop down from your horse.We're going to need it."The Magistrate did as he was told, and Evelyne took hold of the reins and leaped into the saddle."I'll take good care of her, sweetheart, don't worry," she reassured him.Quinn jumped back up on his horse as well."When you see us enter the Obsidian Ridge, then you return to the palace.Go slowly and take your time.We want people to see you ride back without the princess.If you are asked, say that you were turned away, as a show of Xeries's good faith.""And what should I say happened to my horse?" asked the now-on-foot Magistrate.Quinn smirked."Tell them it got spooked and threw you off." He spun his horse around and took the lead.Mariko fell in behind him, and Evelyne behind her."Judging from the way you sat in the saddle, you weren't much of a rider anyway," said Evelyne over her shoulder."They'll believe you, no worries."The three of them took off at a gallop, leaving the King's Magistrates behind.When they were out of earshot, Mariko rode up alongside Quinn."My father is going to be furious if he finds out we ditched his Magistrate escorts.""This was your father's idea," said Quinn over the stomping of the horses' hooves.They had reached the base of the Obsidian Ridge and were slipping underneath it as he spoke."What?""He wanted you to find a way to take down the ObsidianRidge from the inside.He thought maybe, just maybe, a single person could do what his entire army could not." "But why didn't he tell me?""Because I convinced him that three would be better than one." He slowed his horse, coming to a slow trot at the very center underneath the floating fortress."And we both knew you would argue with that."+++++Xeries stood up with excitement."She's here," he said.At his feet, he could see the image of three riders, two female, one male, as they approached the base of his citadel.Adjusting his robes, Xeries stood as tall as he could, stretching his deformed back to walk almost as he had when he was a younger, fitter man."Come, my dear," he held his hand out to his wife and helped her from her throne."I have something to show you."Must I?" She shied away from his hand, fussing with the veil covering her face."Yes, yes, come," urged the arch magus.Reluctantly, she gave him her hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.Her body was frail, and she moved quite slowly.Xeries held her arm, supporting much of her weight as they made their way to a smaller chamber
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