A Record of the Delfinian War

Book Twelve: The Farott Seduction


Lee figures that if she rips up her marriage certificate, then Woll will be free to marry Paula. As soon as he hears what she's doing, he races to the temple to beg her to stop. She doesn't understand that a king isn't allowed to divorce. Even if her plan succeeded, the country would believe that the "Goddess of Victory" abandoned their king, leaving the soldiers with crushed morale in the face of an imminent threat from Skenia. Not only that, but Paula would be the one to take the blame. All of Woll's friends show up to persuade her, but Lee can't see why she should have to stay married to the king when there's another woman who deserves the position more.

Finally Baluro fetches Paula, who is aghast that the queen would even suggest such a thing. Once Baluro assures Paula that becoming the king's concubine means first and foremost being Woll's friend, and she shouldn't feel any more pressure than that, she accepts the offer. She moves to a large house in the innermost circle of the castle. It takes Woll a long time to get over his fear of turning her into a repeat of his own mother, but after Lee slaps some sense into him, he begins to enjoy life as a "newlywed."

Woll confronts Jil about his true identity, yet the man firmly denies that he's really Jordan Berringer, despite the evidence. Lee asks him about his relationship with Even's parents. He was involved in a love triangle, Even's mother Bianca unable to decide between the pair of friends. At the end, Jil felt responsible for Georg losing a leg, so he left the two of them. Lee is certain that Jil is Even's true father. Since Jil doesn't want Policia Plain, Woll decides he will give it to Even in a few years when he's ready to settle.

Sharmian is troubled that her father is arranging a marriage for her. Lee tries to get her to admit she's in love with Even, but secretly Sharmian wants him to show some sign of feelings for her first. She doesn't realize that her father has already warned him off, and Even isn't in a hurry to get himself killed. Woll tries to encourage him without revealing that he's the heir of a prestigious noble family.

Baluro finds out about Rosamond's pregnancy. He wants her to marry him, yet she turns him down on the basis of not wanting to have her child be the focus of those who are dissatisfied with the king's peasant blood. Baluro agrees to the necessity, though he hates the idea of their first child being illegitimate. Still, he does want to marry her as soon as possible. He gains Woll's support and finally gets her to agree to hold the ceremony in the spring right after the baby is born.

Letty's first assassination attempt interrupts everyone's happiness. Luckily, it fails due to Lee's sensitivity to poison. His next tactic is to kidnap Sharmian and use her as a hostage to draw Lee out to meet him. Lee is surprised by his strength, speed, and insensitivity to pain. If not for her magic sword, which changes shape and flies to her hand during the struggle, and the timely intervention of one of her wolf friends, she would have been killed. She rescues Sharmian, but she leaves Letty alive.

He meets her at a bar several days afterward, and they chat. Although he's trying to kill her, Lee finds him to be a kindred spirit in a way other humans can't understand. She suspects he has a nerve disorder that prevents him from feeling any physical sensations, such as pain or temperature. He doesn't consider himself to be human. He can identify with her experiences of being the only one of her kind surrounded by an alien species. He is also the ideal sparring partner, which is another thrill for Lee's warrior spirit.

Shera and Woll are horrified that she *likes* the enemy, afraid that Letty has somehow seduced her into acting contrary to her personality. She insists that he merely matches a part of herself that she keeps hidden around humans. Though she accuses Woll of being unfairly jealous, he maintains that he is concerned for her safety. Once she promises that she is still capable of killing Letty to defend herself, he accepts her judgment and leaves the matter in her hands.