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Yes. You all knew& ?
No, only Lady Evelyn, Duke Farallon, Sir Jakkobb and myself. And Thistle we had to
take that chance. Because of you, we couldn t trust our own. Not even poor Der and Kelin. I do
owe them an apology and an explanation, because I do trust them, but the chemmen are
amazing at torturing for information. And, the chemmen needed to hear their honesty. He
rocked back on his heels. We thought about just telling you about going to Elloan especially
since the chemmen with all their magic and directions could not find Riverfall but that just
wasn t convincing enough. They needed to discover for themselves as well. They needed to
see their victory dangled in front of their orange eyes. So, we gave them their discoveries.
The knight s voice seemed to come from a long way away, and his eyes weren t
focused on anything in the room. He had wasted away in hours to look like he d been dying of
All Things Impossible Crown of the Realm Dalton 238
thirst for weeks. It s alright now. I think& our debt s been paid. My sin s been paid. He closed
his eyes and exhaled for the last time.
Derora Saxen! Kelin didn t jump at her. Instead, he remained sitting at the table. He
looked too exhausted to be scared anymore. He relaxed at the bench. Thistle followed in the
room. Thalon hopped and bounced across the room to his father and latched on to his leg. He
rested a hand on the child s head.
Kelin, the boy and the two dwarves had made themselves at home in a large dining hall,
full of empty tables.
She grinned, still holding the Pallens sword in her hand. Even after the battle, there
wasn t a mark on it.
Pallens, Boison wheezed. Pallens! He pointed as if she had stolen it from his own
hand.
Kelin slid right off his bench and on to the floor. What! A Pallens sword? That s
impossible!
Thalon shook his small head. The Blackhound ordered them all destroyed, even I know
that. He squeezed his father s leg even tighter.
Der pulled the weapon closer. He must have not found this one. Probably because it
disappeared before the Empire was destroyed.
Kelin shook his head. It s still impossible, because
Carak! Striggal stepped forward and shook his head, suddenly ignoring the
magnificent artifact. What Carak? What Carak?
Where s Carak? Der blinked. She glanced back through the door. He s right here.
The other dwarf rounded the corner with his eyes studying the floor incredibly intensely.
His beard ended in one straight line one inch below his chin. Boison and Striggal choked and
broke into suspicious coughing fits.
Carak bunched up his face, turned cherry red beneath his skewed spectacles, and burst
into tears. The other two dwarves ran up to him. They eventually began to share Carak s tears.
Der opened her mouth to say something, but never got the chance. Kelin saved her life.
He leapt up from the table, despite his exhaustion soaked bones, and yanked her forward. The
sword whistled through the air where she was just standing.
Vlade screamed like a wounded calvar and kept stabbing at them. Kelin pulled Der
behind a table. The dwarves tried to untangle themselves. The chemman s sword caught
Boison across his face and the dwarf died instantly.
Thistle! Der yelled and brought up the Pallens sword between herself and the crazed
chemman. Thistle!
Carak and Striggal caught Boison s falling body. Striggal screamed something in his
native language.
Vlade had paused long enough to stare at Thistle. And then at Thistle s sword. And then
at the boy quivering behind Thistle. The point of his sword dipped. But, there are no chemmen
traitors. His voice echoed hollowly inside his mouth.
And then he said, You see, Vlade, I knew it. Your sword proves it. But& this& is
impossible, Dis. You ve lost your mind, Vlade, you were the one who suspected
Der and Thistle lunged at the same time. The sound surrounding them deadened as
Thistle s sword moved. Vlade slipped like a fish out of the grasp of their weapons. He backed
All Things Impossible Crown of the Realm Dalton 239
away from their onslaught, his sword strong and fast enough to counter them both in the
moment.
Thistle moved his blade higher and higher against the commander s chest. Stay low!
he hissed.
Der realized his plan. If she attacked low on the chemman s body she would force his
blade to be level with hers. But, Vlade would also have to counter high at the same time. She
struck for his thighs, going as low as she dared without opening herself to attack. Thistle thrust
at his neck. But, Vlade s sword was in time to parry everything.
Thistle pressed his attack faster. Der strained to keep pace. She moved as fast as she
could but her sword couldn t match their speed. Vlade s sword found an opening, and licked
along her arm. Snarling, she rolled her body out of the way, but thrust anyway. She felt her
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