It took some time for Devrim to receive the response to his sarcastic communication. He was beginning to wonder if he had been too harsh, but the frustration he felt made him refuse to send a second message to apologize.Nurlan and Junayd were in the Emperor's tent with him. Everyone else was too busy getting the new arrivals situated in the camp. Mairwen and Renat had gone to change and clean up in the proper areas, leaving the three men alone."Renat is a good lad, though a bit awkward." Nurlan had finished recounting the events from the palace until now. He told of the dragons leaving, prison, Brinn and Alvar and even of Alaron letting them leave. Devrim had listened closely and even wrote down a few things that he thought were of particular importance.Now that Nurlan was finished, he felt obligated to put in a good word for Renat after all his effort. "Renat has been dead-set on stopping the assassin ever since Hemel escaped the palace. He even asked me to train him so that he wo

Because wood was scarce in the desert, other sources of fuel were used to create the bonfires for the evening's feast. The acrid smell could not dampen the excitement of those who danced and sang in time to the music.Mairwen was clad in a dress of purple with silver trim. Orhan's wife had made it especially for the princess, and the effect was magnificent. The fire played off the silver thread, giving the girl the appearance of flickering starlight along the fitted bodice. On anyone else, the dress would have outshone the girl, but the princess rivaled its beauty in every way.The feast was meant to honor the princess and Emperor, as well as to mark the upcoming Fate's Dilemma. Orhan has spared no expense when it came to the festivities. And his people, who had graciously accepted all the extra visitors, were happy for the change. Even Timur attended with his small band of followers, but they made sure to situate themselves far enough away not to cause any trouble.Seated between Orh

"I still cannot believe he challenged you. I have half a mind to make a challenge of my own against Timur." Renat was complaining as he watched Mairwen train.The scientist had taken a break from setting up his laboratory in order to check in on his love. The past two days still felt like a dream, and Renat was afraid that if he did not seek out the princess at least a few times a day, he would wake up and find none of it had happened. This was his excuse for dropping in now."Do not waste your energy on Timur," Mairwen scolded after releasing her final shot."But did you hear him running his mouth yesterday? You would have thought he invented archery!" Renat had come close to blows when Timur had been bragging about his superior skill."He is scared. Even his few followers sense he is nervous. Why else would that one fool, Qulu, spend so much time propping up his ego?" Eira scoffed as she walked away from the pair toward the target."Exactly, we cannot let Timur or Qulu muddy our tho

Even from the further distance, the second arrow also landed dead center.Mairwen watched with her father from the shade of the canopy. "Well, he is a good shot. I will give him that." Her voice was calm even though her body was tense. She was glad she had not watched him practice up until this point, or her nerves might have gotten the better of her.Orhan gave a pained smile. "Timur has enjoyed archery since he was young. He is the best shot among the Dunesmen."The scientist crossed his arms defiantly "He is not as good as the princess," he said without hesitation."When she is at her best, I agree," Devrim responded."Which I most certainly am not today," Mairwen added with a wry chuckle, finishing her father's unspoken thought.Timur walked over with an outstretched arm to welcome the princess to the field. His bow was slung across his back. "It is your turn, Your Highness."The girl gave a brief nod. "So it is." Mairwen took the man's hand, and he helped her from her seat.While

Blue and white banners adorned the palace and flapped outside in the breeze. The balcony was the outfitted with all manner of royal finery to accept the participants in the coronation. Below, nobility and commoners waited for the ceremony to begin.Dressed in a fine gown of blue and white, Brinn, disguised as the princess, took her place in the seat on the balcony for the coronation. Earlier, the terrified ladies-in-waiting could only tell her that Alvar had been dragged from the room after being knocked unconcious and that the guards commented that he was heavier than he looked. They had no idea where he was nor how to find him. So she was forced to attend the coronation without back-up and blind to the situation.She fingered the lace of her gown idly, but really she was sizing up the two guards standing on either side of her throne. They were wide but not tall and smelled of dirt: obviously gnomes. Brinn could probably take them out and leap to the ground hoping for the best, but e