She knew exactly how long she had left,” Jack said with a small shake of her head.“That’s why you wouldn’t let me take the time to do any rese...arch,” Will said.Jack nodded. “I’d already done enough on my own. There was no time, and I was afraid you’d figure it out if you started researching that ruin.”“So you knew what you were doing from the very beginning,” Will said.Jack gave a small nod.“Before we’d even left, you’d already made the decision to ... sacrifice me.” Will continued.Jack nodded. When he finished, the chief guard motioned towards a cross they had erected in the yard. I suspect it was Black and his friends that set that one up. At any rate, Susan saw the cross, smiled, and then gave me her shirt saying she wouldn't be needing it anymore."They tied her to the cross in the morning. That afternoon Rick and his men raided the camp. The last thing I saw was the cross standing bare in the compound. Rick had already taken her down. It was the last time I saw Susan Jennings. . which resulted in the old lord dying of grief some few days later. A tragedy, really. But this left Marie as her late husband’s heir, and her sole daughter, Angeline, to inherit after her.All of what once belonged to old Lord Nessane was now Marie’s. Including his beloved garden.Marie was carefully trimming back dying blossoms when the black-armoured royal guards came for her. She had to bite back a curse- she had always suspected that the king was too bright for his own good. She carefully. Now Ling had four women kneeling at his feet, looking up at him. “Please, anything...”“Let me understand. You are, all four of you –”“Five!” another figure, black as the night, black as ebony, black as, well, black as a native of the southern isles, walked over and stood facing him. She was the family servant; with four women to cook and clean only one servant was needed. This was Verisa and even she was willing to sacrifice herself for this young boy.“-you see?” he said, turning to the boy.