Fifth Quarter by Tanya Huff Page B

word get back to the Emperor that the Sixth Army was less than sincere in their support of his son. Vree, her own head eggshell fragile, had shouted as loudly as the rest although she'd aimed her voice directly at Bannon, who'd turned a pale green at the noise.
     
    "No."
     
    Bannon/Aralt smiled. "Aren't you being just a bit hasty? Don't you think you should talk it over with your brother first? I mean, you do realize what your alternative is…" Picking up one of her daggers, he tested the point against the ball of his thumb and frowned at the crimson bead of blood. "Very sharp."
     
    "Vree…"
     
    "No. We swore an oath to serve the Imperial House. We've been serving the Imperial House all our lives. Don't ask me to break those oaths, Bannon." She tried to swallow around the sudden obstruction in her throat that seemed to have edges sharper than her dagger. If he asked her, she'd have to do it and then there wouldn't be anything left of her at all. She'd already given him the army, surely he couldn't want her honor, too.
     
    "Do you think I could break those oaths so easily?"
     
    "I…"
     
    His mental voice held equal amounts of hurt and anger. "I've served the Imperial House just as you have. I've killed for them. I've bled for them. What makes you think your oaths mean more to you than mine do to me?"
     
    Vree closed her eyes, shutting out the distraction of Bannon/Aralt. "He has your body." It was the only answer she could give him.
     
    "And that's all he's getting."
     
    "I'm sorry. I should've known."
     
    "Yeah. You should have." He sounded as though he'd been betrayed.
     
    She was too tired to react, too tired for that underlying accusation to cut as deeply as it would have under other circumstances. Given the way she felt— physically drained and emotionally flayed—a quick death looked almost inviting. She only wished they could have died in battle. "I wonder if we'll get stuffed into the same crow."
     
    "What?"
     
    "Because we'll die in one body," she explained, wondering why he hadn't understood. It'd seemed obvious to her.
     
    "We're not going to die."
     
    "Bannon, I'm tied like a festival goose. What am I supposed to defend myself with? Spit and a prayer?"
     
    "Lies."
     
    "What?"
     
    His grin lit up the inside of her head. "We're going to lie to him. It's a long way to the Capital and the prince, and we'll be chewing at his defenses the whole time."
     
    "And if we can't get through?"
     
    "Vree, there're two of us to one of him. And we're the best. There's never been a defense we couldn't get through. Has there?"
     
    "No…"
     
    "So we agree to give him the prince, but we get my body back before we have to."
     
    "He'll think he's safe because I won't hurt the body he's in, and he doesn't think you're strong enough to push him out."
     
    "That's the only reason he would have made the slaughtering offer." His tone held an approving nod. "The arrogant carrion eater."
     
    "I'm waiting for a decision."
     
    Vree opened her eyes. "We'll help, on one condition."
     
    "Vree!"
     
    "Shut up, I'm trying to make this believable."
     
    "I hardly think that you—either of you—are in a state to be imposing conditions, but what is it?"
     
    "After you're in the prince and Bannon has his body back, we're to be given time to get away. No yelling for the guards."
     
    "And what makes you think you can trust me?"
     
    She lifted both brows and layered silent sarcasm onto her response. "The same thing that makes you think you can trust us. We have something you need."
     
    "You won't after I'm in the prince."
     
    "I won't be tied then." Vree dropped her gaze pointedly to her weapons. "After all the trouble you're going through to become the prince, I'd think you'd like to live a while longer."
     
    "If you kill the prince…"
     
    " You'll have already killed the prince!" she snarled.
     
    "Very well. If you kill the prince's body, the palace guards will kill you. Both of you."
     
    She shrugged. "We're not