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.Molten stonework fountained through the sky and superheated masonry exploded in an example of demolition such as all Faerun had never seen.In an instant, the palace of Ilego was no more.Svarezi surveyed the lifeless ruins with a cold, unwinking eye.Turning into the arms of an adoring, cheering crowd, he rode forth to take the city as his own.* * * * *"Never! He shall have neither my blessing, nor my hand." Lady Ulia Mannicci, looking like a veritable storm front in her black widow's gown, glared down across a multitude of chins."I am the widow of this great city's rightful prince.I shall not besmirch his name by wedding myself to a foreign usurper!"Ugo Svarezi's envoys, a Colletran Blade Captain and a representative from Sumbria, both kept diplomatic smiles as they held their bows."Madam, the prince's offer is sincere.He is now the prince-elect both of Colletro and Sumbria, and is moved to offer marriage to the greatest lady of the age."Ulia gave a snort and cracked a cast-iron fan into her fist.The death of her husband had left her disgruntled, but not diminished.With the coming of peace, Svarezi had wasted little time in sending emissaries of his love.Lady Ulia had been found in command of one of her own palace towers, a place in which she had gathered almost a hundred young girls to save them from the ravages of the civil war.She had defended this treasure through two weeks of constant battle, keeping all comers from her door by a combination of hurtled rocks, chamber pots and invective.and the largest trebuchet battery in the Blade Kingdoms.Peace had come, and Ulia's teeth had been carefully drawn.She now stood and confronted new enemies, glowering at them with the eyes of a maddened bull."I am aware of exactly what your master wants, and he shall not have it! I have read all the same books as he.If he wishes to legitimize his conquest of Sumbria, he may seek marriage elsewhere."Colletro's diplomat changed his expression to a sly, calculating smile."Perhaps we can persuade the great lady to change her mind?" The man flipped his colleague a lazy glance."Were she to sample our hospitality, she would surely see the error of her ways."Alas, the chambers we have to offer are a trifle cramped.We cannot guarantee her ladyship's total satisfaction."Ulia gazed down at the man as though about to crush him like a snake."You would not dare! The prince has an heir, sir.An heir who will avenge slights delivered to his family!""An heir?" Awake at last, the Sumbrian delegate raised a sardonic, mocking brow."Cappa Mannicci sired no heirs.""I refer, sir, to his daughter Miliana, who has escaped this city to organize an army to reconquer her lost home!""Aaaaaah.then it is vengeance my lord must fear!" The Sumbrian delightedly clapped his hands."I am sure he will lie awake in terror at nights, dreading the arrival of your stepdaughter and her avenging sword."Still pretending to a veneer of friendliness, the Colletran emissary intruded himself at Lady Ulia's side."Seriously, my lady, the prince's offer is the best for us all.Would you let mere pride destroy the bright hopes for our new nation?""I wish your new nation to the dogs, sir!" Ulia let her bodice creak with the swelling of her pride."I can smell a despot as well as anyone, and despotism is the stench that creeps across this land.The people still cheer too much to notice it, sir, but they shall come back to their senses in time.""By which time, my lady, it will all be far too late." The Colletran snapped his fingers and summoned a horde of guards."With your permission, my lady, we shall install you as our master's special guest.Diet and exercise may help clear the evil humors from your mind.A good brisk run tied behind a team of horses twice each day, and a diet of bread and salad greens." The man chuckled as he saw the color flush into Ulia's face."You may halt our little regimen at any time, of course; simply agree to become my master's bride, and you may once again return to the lap of luxury.""Varlet! Do your worst!" Ulia shoved her guards aside and proudly hefted up her hems."Toril itself shall expire before you manage to break the likes of me!"Trailing a nervous procession of guards, Lady Ulia stormed away into the talons of her enemies.Outside the palace walls, the street crowds still excitedly bubbled as the new prince of Sumbria was showered endlessly with praise.* * * * *As far as cities went, Lomatra placed itself at the picturesque end of the scale.Overlooking the clear waters of the Akanamere and capped off with spectacular limestone promontories, the city had the look of a sleepy fishing village grown to unmanageable size.It seemed a land of pastel colors and evening hush, of warm lakefront and eccentric little trees bounded by a broad, deep river that masked the city from the mountain pass above.Miliana, who had spent her life confined to the Mannicci palace in Sumbria and a few closely chaperoned bridle paths, found the place utterly enchanting.The city's general air of sleepiness and disarray were what annoyed Lorenzo the most.Clad in bedraggled clothing, tired and filthy from long sleepless nights beside the road, he surveyed his native land from the hills up above, and gave an irritated snarl.The Blade Kingdoms were each quite tiny when measured on the scale of other lands.Each nation consisted of a single town, a few surrounding villages, and their supporting fields.Most could be crossed in less than a day's ride.Even so, the escape route taken by Miliana and her band had taken two weeks of vile, uncomfortable tedium.They each had only a single set of clothes, and those had been damp and muddy from their trip under the river gates
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