“To revive Ramarren you must kill Falk, then.” “We do not kill,” the Shing said in his harsh whisper, then repeated it with blazing intensity in mindspeech—“We do not kill!” There was a pause. “To gain the great you must give up the less. It is always the rule,” the Shing whispered. “To live one must agree to die,” Falk said, and saw the mask-face wince. “Very well. I agree. I consent to let you kill me. My consent does not really matter, does it?—yet you want it.”
