There are tidings, actuallyMarius won his combat...
- Posted at 12:26 AM on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 by shuibudong565
There are tidings, actuallyMarius won his combat in the Grove of Oaks again this summer
"I did hear about that," Devin said, shaking his head in rueful admiration"A crippled man, and he must be fifty years old by nowWhat does that make it, six times in a row?"
"Seven," Rovigo said soberlyHe paused, as if expecting a reaction
"I'm sorry," Devin said"Is there a meaning to that?"
"Marius decided there wasHe's just announced that there will be no more challenges in the Oak GroveSeven is sacred, he's proclaimedBy allowing him this latest triumph the Mother Goddess has made known her willMarius has just declared himself King in Quileia, no longer only the consort of the High Priestess
"What?" Devin exclaimed, loudly enough to cause some heads to turnI thought they had a matriarchy there
"So," said Rovigo, "did the late High Priestess
Traveling across the Peninsula of the fake cheap chanel handbags with cc logo Palm, from mountain village to remote castle or manor, to the cities that were the centers of affairs, musicians could not help but hear news and gossip of great eventsAlways, in Devin's brief experience, the talk had been only that: a way to ease the passing of a cold winter's night around an inn fire in Certando, or to try to impress a traveler in a tavern in Corte with a murmured confiding that a pro-Barbadior party was rumored to be forming in that Ygrathen province
It was only talk, Devin had long since concludedThe two ruling sorcerers from east and west across the seas had sliced the Palm neatly in half between them, with only hapless, decadent Senzio not formally occupied by either, looking nervously across the water both waysIts Governor remained paralytically unable to decide which wolf to be devoured by, while the two wolves still warily circled each other after 925 tiffany's necklace almost twenty years, each unwilling to expose itself by moving first
The balance of power in the peninsula seemed to Devin to have been etched in stone from the time of his first awarenessUntil one of the sorcerers died, and sorcerers were rumored to live a very long time, nothing much would or could come of khav room or great hall chatter
Quileia, though, was another matterOne far beyond Devin's limited experience to sort out or defineHe couldn't even guess what might be the implications of what Marius had now done in that strange country south of the mountainsWhat might flow from Quileia's having a more than transitory King, one who did not have to go into the Oak Grove every two years and there, naked, ritually maimed, and unarmed, meet the sword-wielding foe who had been chosen to slay him and take his placeMarius had not been slain, thoughSeven times he had not been buy miu miu slain
And now the High Priestess was deadNor was it possible to miss the meaning in the way Rovigo had said thatA little overawed, Devin shook his head
He glanced up and saw that his new acquaintance was staring at him with an odd expression
"You're a thoughtful young man, aren't you?" the merchant said
Devin shrugged, suddenly self-consciousCertainly not with any insightI don't hear news like yours every afternoonWhat do you think it will mean?"
One answer he was not to receive
The tavern-keeper, who had quite efficiently succeeded in ignoring Rovigo's intermittent signaling for another bottle of wine now strode to their end of the bar, black anger visible on his features even in the darkened room"Your name Devin?"
Taken aback, Devin nodded reflexive agreementThe tavern-keeper's expression grew even more malevolent
"Get out of here!" he rasped"Your Triad-cursed sister's new chanel bags outsideSays your father's ordered you home and, Morian blast you both!, that he's minded to turn me in for serving an underageYou gutter-spawned maggot, I'll teach you to put me at risk of being shut down on the eve of the Festival!"
Before Devin could move, a full pitcher of soured black wine was flung into his face, stinging like fireHe scrambled back, wiping at his streaming eyes, swearing furiously
When he could see again it was to observe an extraordinary sight
Rovigo, not a big man, had moved along the bar and had grabbed the 'keeper by the collar of his greasy tunicWithout apparent effort he had the man pulled halfway over the bar top, feet kicking ineffectually in mid-airThe collar was twisted to a degree sufficient to cause the helpless tavern-owner's face to begin turning a mottled shade of crimson
"Goro, I do not like my friends being abused," Rovigo said replica rolex ladies watch calm
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