"When do we leave?"
"We dinnae. I'd be departing a daybreak."
He stared at her incredulously. "She's sending you alone?"
"She reckoned me battle skill'd be more than needed in case of an...incident."
"Incident?"
"Her words, ye ken."
"It's a deathtrap."
"Might well be." She shrugged and shut her bag.
"You can't go, Anala."
"I must, Aro."
Instantly she was wrapped up in his arms in an embrace so tight she could barely breathe. "No. I won't let you," he said into her hair.
"Would ye take on an Empire, Aro?"
"Yes," he said vehemently. He couldn't let this happen, couldn't go on without hearing her speak his name with her accent that made it sound like 'ara', rather than a misspelled weapon. He couldn't go on without her smile, without seeing how clear her eyes were when she looked
