"
The whip sang through the air, hissing past my shoulders. I dodged to
one side, retreating step by step as Kyral swung the powerful thongs. It
cracked again, and a pain like the burning of red-hot irons seared my
upper arm. My skean rattled down from numb fingers.
The whip whacked the floor.
"Pick up your skean," said Kyral. "Pick it up if you dare." He poised
the lash again.
The fat woman screamed.
I stood rigid, gauging my chances of disarming him with a sudden leap.
Suddenly the girl Dallisa leaped from her seat with a harsh musical
chiming of chains.
"Kyral, no! No, Kyral!"
He moved slightly, but did not take his eyes from me. "Get back,
Dallisa."
"No! Wait!" She ran to him and caught his whip-arm, dragging it down,
and spoke to him hurriedly and urgently. Kyral's face changed as she
spoke; he drew a long breath and threw the whip down beside my skean on
the floor.
"Answer straight, on your life. What are you doing in Shainsa?"
I could hardly take it in that for the moment I was reprieved from
sudden death, from being beaten into bloody death there at Kyral's feet.
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