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"I know."

"And you also know what that means?"

"I would rather be with her than make her go alone," Quinn said. "She should have someone, perhaps several someones, with her."

The king sat quietly for a moment, considering his assassin's request, a dour look on his face. "Very well," he said. "Make sure she understands that this was your request, not mine. I do not want her to leave this place thinking that her father was too much of a coward to deliver the news to her in person."

"Yes, my lord." Quinn bowed. "You have my word."

"She's going to be angry."

"I know."

"She's going to argue."

Quinn nodded. "It wouldn't be like her not to." "Good luck, son." "Thank you, my king."

+++++

"So he sent you to do his dirty work, then?" Mariko waved her hand and the entire table of books blew over, slamming to the floor, some against the wall.

"No," replied Quinn. "I asked him if I could be the one to tell you."

"Still protecting him, huh? I guess I know where your loyalty lies."

"That's not fair, Mariko. It was very difficult for him to allow me this. He wanted to tell you himself, but I convinced him to let me do it."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going with you. I'm not letting you leave here alone."

Quinn tried to take her hand, but she was too angry, and she pulled it away.

"You listened to him yourself," said Quinn. "There is little other choice."

"There's got to be another way."

"There is," said Quinn. "But it requires that many, many people die in our place."

Mariko stood at the window to her chamber, looking out onto the southern plain below Klarsamryn. "I know," she said after a long silence. "But I'm just not done here yet." She sobbed.

Quinn came up behind and put his arms around her. This time she did not pull away.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Mariko please," pleaded the king. "Won't you even look at me?"

The princess sat atop her horse, her eyes averted. "I will do what you ask. I will uphold my duty to Erlkazar as the heir to the throne." She softly spurred her mount forward. "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 father And 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