“And the nobles let you?” Adeliz exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
Kurval shrugged. “I told them they could take the crown from me the same way I had taken it from Orkol, if they dared. None of them did.”
“No surprise there.” Adeliz spat onto the bare stone floor. “When it comes down to it, the Azakorian nobles are all cowards. They plot in the shadows, but they’d never fight openly…”
She paused. “You will remain true to your word, will you, and not harm my people?” she asked, suddenly anxious.
Kurval nodded. “No harm shall come to any of them, unless they leave me no choice.”
A flash of relief flitted across her face. “Then I thank you. For Orkol or Brogan would have punished all of them, men, women, even children, would have had them hanged or crucified or burned on the plains ou
