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of me as was possible!
"Darlanis will have your head if she ever gets her hands on you," I answered.
There was the Janis.
The Squala. We could flee to Dularn. Throw ourselves on the mercy of Queen
Tulis. The thought made me smile to myself. Sanda suddenly "perked up" as she
saw my grim smile. Not knowing what its true cause was!
"She's been after me for the last ten years," Sanda smiled. I recalled
Darlanis having mentioned something about the matter. About an "outlaw Lady"
that her people had been after for years! I had thought she was referring to
some 26th Century version of "Robin Hood". Just some woman outlaw with a small
following! I had never dreamed that this "outlaw Lady" was my own major domo!
"You realize what all of this means?" I asked her. Was she aware of what
Darlanis would do? The power that she possessed?
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"Jon Richards says that Darlanis has lost `face' and that if we `play our
cards right' (that made me smile) that we just may be able to take her without
a fight and get Sharon away from her," Sanda answered, perfuming me. The
perfume was my own. It was obvious that Sanda was a capable, competent woman
even now! "I will take the Squala to Trella and acting as your employee, under
your orders, see if I can get her to come back with us." I suspect that the
idea would have worked too, had
Darlanis not been so "eager" herself to see me that she pulled that "bonehead"
stunt that she did by taking the Ronda without any escort to try to get to my
estates. Getting herself nearly killed and my poor
Sharon left with memories of the horrors she endured that only my best efforts
with hypnosis have ever been able to even partially relieve! DAMMIT DARLANIS!
WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A
DAMM FOOL TO TAKE A CHANCE LIKE THAT??? ESPECIALLY WITH MY SHARON!!!
"Sanda," I said to her, taking her hands in mine. I was na- ked but for clips
and strap. Heavily perfumed, which was just as well as the sweat was just
rolling off me. "Why didn't you tell me what you were planning to do? Why
couldn't you trust me?" I was after all the woman that she wanted to be
"Queen of Trelan- dar"! As her "Queen" I thought I deserved at least that
much!!!
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"I `knew' you would have never `gone along' had I told you," Sanda answered in
a soft voice. She started to sob again. Her eye makeup running. I would have
to take care of that before we stepped back out into the "public eye" as the
Queen of Trelandar and her very capable, competent Prime Minister!
One must keep up "appearances" regardless of how one feels. Darlanis and I
share much now as I write this. She is more than a "friend" to me now.
"Why me?" I asked. "Why not you?" She was after all the late Queen's sister.
About as "royal" as I
was. It is true that my mother was a "Countess", but I never thought very much
of it.
"You are `Lorraine'," Sanda spoke. "Our `Lorraine'." I supposed it made sense
in a way. I wondered if she realized what was going to happen if she didn't
manage to trick Darlanis into coming aboard the
Squala. Perhaps it would be better if I went myself. If worse came to worse, I
preferred that Darlanis'
blood be on my blade than another's. I feared however, that by now Sharon
would be "Darlanis'" so much that it would do but little good. I had a vision
of Sharon holding a dying Darlanis in her arms, saw the hatred in those lovely
eyes as she looked up at me!
"Queen Lorraine of Trelandar!" Sanda spoke, standing beside me as I stood on
that hastily erected platform before the people of Thistle. More running
towards us in the twilight of the set- ting sun as the word spread to the
outlying areas. How long would it be before word reached Trella? The other
major cities?
"Our Queen!" "Our Queen Lorraine!" I heard cries. Swords lifted in my honor.
Hara Eslund stood at my side. She was my Warlady. The commander of my royal
forces. Sanda had done well. As Jon once said of her, "a capable, competent
woman". She is.
I looked into Gayle's eyes, saw another. I threw my head back, nearly losing
my crown. The royal
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