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.Although, I must admit that my own skills do not live along thatpath either.""I am simple like my people, Zujan.That is where my strength lies.In helping them, being one of them.""We must all play to our strengths.Your challenge will be to hide your weaknesses."The books caught his eye again, page after page teaching how to rule, how to control, tales of heroesand villains."You mean like you do? Hiding how small you really are?"Zujan nodded, not really even paying attention, then the words hit him.Being in this room made himcomplacent."I'm not that small.""Sure.And I'm not your slave.""You are here as a consequence of your own actions."Wintras snorted and his arms dropped away, the long, warm body stepping back."And you had nothingto do with it.""You cannot control me; you can only control your own actions." He could feel the fury, the frustrationagain, threatening at the base of his spine."I would never dream of trying to control you, Zujan." "Amazing.You do have a self-preservation instinct.Your father will be pleased."Wintras snorted."My father would have been pleased to have me return with him instead of my beingheld prisoner here.Why do you still pretend you've done this to help me?"He turned, heat leeching from him, fire blazing anew."Because one day, Prince, your mouth will find youbeheaded and your lands lost, either to me or to another strong as I am.""And if you and your ilk were not greedy warmongers, it wouldn't be an issue.My people have no wishfor war or more land and jewels.They wish only to be happy, left in peace." Wintras was back to thestiff angry boy, glaring at him, dark blue eyes shooting a fire of his own."And the war that earned your father his crown? Are your histories so short you cannot remember evena generation ago?" He would not have this.Not here.Not in his home.Not in his rooms.Zujan moved through the door, through the barrier, the bar'cha flocking to him.They offered himforgiveness, strength, the illusion of size.All they asked was his soul.Wintras followed him out, a look of disgust on his face."Our wars are in the past, there is peace now.Iwish only to preserve it."Soft voices hissed in his ear.*Send him away.He hurts us.Send him away, our love, and all the painand fury will fade.We will play again.We will call for the harem and have them warm us.*Wintras shook his head."I don't understand how you could let them do that to you.I don't care howpowerful it makes you, it's." Wintras shrugged and turned his back.He almost laughed.Let them? They were the first things he remembered, the lights surrounding hisworld. *Send him away.*"Go home, Wintras.Go home and tell your father if I see him or you on my lands again, it will be warand I will destroy every single human on your lands."Wintras whirled back around, looking at him as if he expected to be struck down."Go? Just like that?" The Prince advanced on him."What's the catch?""Go.If I ever see you again, I will bathe you in the fires of regret and let the bar'cha suck the marrowfrom your bones.You are not welcome here." The words made the stones vibrate, his heart calling to hismother and her need to defend him."You are not welcome here.""Your faeries don't scare me, but I will happily go and never darken your castle again." Wintras turnedand walked away, the Prince not running, though he could see the tension in the muscles, fighting thedesire to do so.The last of his heat faded, turning his heart to ice, and he went to find his clothes.He never looked back.Chapter Six"The castle is yours, Wintras.Have the treasures split three ways and send a share to Dumas and ashare to me with our cut of the crops and our split of the servants."Wintras nodded at his father, the old man looking fat and pleased with himself, though Blethin andDumas had done no actual fighting, leaving that to Wintras and the men."A king must survive to lead, son." Personally, Wintras thought it was a sign of weakness, that a king wouldn't lead his men thoughbattle as well as into it.But then it seemed his ideas of ruling were far different than most.His time here atthis castle two years earlier had taught him that if nothing else.A small contingent of guards was left as Dumas and his father led the rest in a triumphant march backtoward the northlands.They'd done it.They'd wrestled Zujan's lands from him.It had been surprisinglyeasy.The fire resistance they had all expected had never materialized and it made Wintras wonder what hadhappened to Zujan.He told himself very firmly he wasn't worried, that if Zujan's slaves had turned on himand killed him, the man only had himself to blame.He ordered the guards to set up camp in the guardhouse, refused a personal body guard anddismounted to inspect the staff.The castle was worse for wear, but the stones held.Most of the battlehad taken place in front of the gates until the last hours.The North and West borders had not beenguarded, both his father and Dumas were Zujan's pawns until Wintras had convinced them that boundtogether, they could overcome Zujan's forces.He walked slowly along the line of Zujan's slaves, recognizing most of them -- by sight if not name.Hestopped in the middle of them so they could all hear him."If there's anyone here who wishes to return totheir home, you may do so." He looked from one end to the other, waiting for a response.The staff looked from one to the other, the scantily clad harem boys holding one another, sobbing softly.No one moved, no one spoke."Where's Zujan? Why didn't your master protect you?" Their beloved master, where was he now?Wintras spit in the snow."Wintras?" A tall, pale man leaned forward, blinking."Is it really you?""Furn?" Could this tall lad be the boy he had shared pleasure and friendship with? He nodded and smiledat his old friend."Look at you." "Are you going to kill us all now, then? That's what they're saying.""Who's saying that? Zujan? Where is he?" He looked into the scared eyes."Come now, Furn.Is that thekind of man I was?""No.You were the same as we are and you're not, not now.""You think I have changed so much in two years?" Perhaps Furn did.The boy himself certainly had, stillslender, the man was now taller, face far more serious
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