These excerpts from Liane Merciel's novel, The River Kings' Road, introduce a complex political conflict between the bordering kingdoms of Oakharn and Langmyr, sparked by the massacre at Willowfield which involved powerful magic-users known as Thorns. The narrative focuses on Brys Tarnell, a surviving knight who attempts to protect the infant Wistan, the heir to Bulls' March, with the help of a common woman named Odosse and her son, Aubry. Concurrently, the Celestian Knights of the Sun, specifically Kelland and his companion Bitharn, are investigating the killings, which are revealed to be part of a plot by Albric, a disgruntled knight who conspired with the Thornlady Severine to destabilize the region and secure the succession of Leferic to Bulls' March. Ultimately, Wistan dies, but Brys and Odosse arrive in Bulls' March, where Leferic, driven by political expediency and newfound honor, chooses to adopt Aubry as the surviving heir, falsely naming him Wistan, in a bid to secure peace and his own rule.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.