Janius laughed gently at the girl's question. [i]"No, I'll not force Julan to marry anyone. He can marry whomever he can charm on his own."[/i]

As for the doubtful boy on the log, Janius lifted his chin and smiled. [i]"You might be right. You might be wrong. Either way, Julan picked his path and I'm interested to see where it leads him."[/i] He peered down at Julan again. [i]"But, if you wanted, perhaps you could practice a little before the rite, Julan. We haven't been able to do much sparring while travelling but maybe you could ask someone here?"[/i]

[hr]
Rhazii shifted uncomfortably. "I understand defending myself, that's not the thing." He winced and ran a hand back over the burnt side of his head. "Mother, I don't think I'm comfortable killing anyone just because I might think they deserve to die. And...I feel like that's what happened back there."