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of Adria's voice. Xylina felt her voice quavering, and she did not try to stop it. Let the Queen think that
it was fear and not anger. "Am I to attempt this alone, Queen Adria? This hardly seems better than the
choice I have without your quest! Is this not a kind of exile? Do I not face death equally if exiled from
Mazonia or on your mission? Prison would be safer!" She did not mention acceding to Ware's desires.
The Queen laughed. Oddly, it did not sound as if she was gloating, but as if she were truly amused.
"Alone? Hardly, child! You are one of our best and brightest subjects, and if you survive you will be
invaluable to us in the wars of the future. It is not in our interest for you to fail, after all; we want this
stone, and we can make use of your abilities when you bring it back. We will not force you into an
impossible task; we will give you whatever assistance you might need. We will send you with an ample
entourage: servants, guards, supplies, and whatever gold and silver you might require. It will be a
military party, in fact, of which you will be the leader. We send you to a far and hostile land, but we will
not send you alone or unprepared. You will represent Mazonia on this mission."
Xylina pondered the "solution"; certainly if she were killed, this would solve Adria's problem, with no
guilt or censure being attached to the Queen afterward. But she was making the offer of help and
supplies with Ware still present as a witness, and demons were acceptable as witnesses. Her promise of
help was genuine. She truly wanted that stone; this was no ruse. Perhaps even more than she wanted
Xylina dead or compromised.
"Do think," the Queen added, coaxingly. "You will be the head of a military expedition. When you
return, you will already have had experience commanding in the field. We would not be averse to
granting you a high position in our Guard or our Council based on that experience. Ware will go with
you, of course, but the presence of our guards should guarantee your safety with him. This is an
excellent chance for you. There are many among my Guard who would be glad of such an opportunity."
Then why not offer it to them? Xylina thought wryly. She knew, of course, that it probably had been
offered to Guards in the past-and that since the Queen still did not have the stone, they had in all
probability died in the attempt to fetch it.
Xylina was not particularly sanguine about her own survival, as far as that went. Still-this would be
better than being escorted to the edge of Mazonia and left there with only the clothes on her back. It was
preferable to prison. And it was much preferable to giving in to the demon. She had been maneuvered
into this commitment, but it did have its points.
"You are right, Queen Adria," she said, trying to sound naive and sincere. "This is a good solution to the
entire situation. I must accept your offer with all gratitude. I would, indeed, be a fool if I did not."
"Excellent." The Queen applauded. She rang again for the major-domo, and directed him to bring her
seal and paper. When he returned, she wrote out a note under her seal, guaranteeing the debt and
specifying both the "service" and that the debt would be paid when Xylina returned with the stone. This
she gave to Ware, who accepted it with a bow.
"It will take about a week to assemble the party and supplies," the Queen said, when she had finished.
"If you can think of anything you might need, simply send word to my majordomo and he will arrange
for it to be added to the expedition. We will send for you when the party is complete, to give you your
final instructions and send you off."
"Thank you, Queen Adria," Xylina said.
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The Queen smiled winningly. "We simply do our best for a loyal subject. Now remember, Ware must
accompany you wherever you go, and this must begin from this moment."
Xylina had forgotten that, and it irked her, but she nodded her agreement. Ware, too, had maneuvered
her rather more neatly man she liked.
The majordomo escorted them both out a side door. Ware looked about for observers, but there was no
one in sight. Nevertheless, he waited until they were some distance from the walls before he said
anything. "This is rather what I had expected her to do," he said, as Xylina wondered if he were more
her foe than the Queen. "This is the most serious challenge that the Queen could have arranged for you,
but I did not expect less from her."
"You might tell me something I could not have guessed for myself!" she snapped. "The likelihood is that
I am going to be killed on this foolish quest!"
But Ware only smiled. "This is where she miscalculated. She still does not realize that I intend to help
you. Without me, you would certainly die. But my desire for you is extraordinarily greater than
incidental lust. With me, and with my help, you can complete this task. However, there are special
precautions that you must take."
Once again, Xylina was taken aback by both how human and inhuman he was. And by how accurate his
reading of the Queen was. Certainly, if Adria had thought that Ware intended to aid her rival, she would
have done something to prevent him from going along, instead of the opposite. Now that she thought
about it, she realized that Adria could have assumed the debt herself, buying it from Ware. Xylina would
still have been forced to go on this quest, but without Ware's help. Surely the Queen assumed that the
only action Ware might take would be to whisk her away from certain death, and take advantage of her.
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