He gave me some sort of two-handed benediction as I locked it in my trunk.  
This was her third horrific miscarriage from mating with Venport. Deep disappointment and anger boiled inside her. I chose you for your bloodline, Aurelius, she muttered through dry lips. What went wrong?
 
He looked at her, still expressionless, as if his passion had been washed away. Genetics is not an exact science.
 
Zufa closed her eyes. Failures, always failures. She was the greatest Sorceress of Rossak, and yet she had endured so many disappointments. Sighing with disgust, Zufa thought of her stunted daughter, not wanting to believe that the ugly dwarf was the best she could achieve.