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The cold, manipulative smile curled acrossso

"I’ve been keeping a little secret of ed a hand down the front of , warm and heavy, since London The silver links were tarnished, but the stones danced in the dappled light of ined their wise and hungry eyes captured by the glittering dialacier that was ruods

"Where the hell did you get that?"

"Shut yourIt’s a necklace" I sratifying, giving her yet another reh on the ship, ere inhave you had that?" Casper asked quietly

"I pulled it out of the suitcase on the way to Reve’s"

"And ere you going to tell us?"

"When I had to"

In a flash, he was across the clearing and inmine "All this tiht our berth on a safer ship We could have kept Keen away froer and h his hair, and I noticed that his nails were sharp and going narrow "Dammit, Ahna! I sold my harpsichord for you I played an out-of-tune box on a ship while old men nailed whores beside me on the bench You could have fixed it with one damn stone off your fancy-ass necklace"

"It was a last resort," I said through gritted teeth

"Maybe for you" One finger poked ht overwe had You wouldn’t be here without us And you’ve never apologized for any of it Not once"

"I"

I faltered What could I say to that? He was right, of course Part of me wanted to screech at him, the spoiled princess so sure of herself and her place The necklace wasit before absolutely necessary? And wasn’t it the saving grace now, the one sure thing we had left? And as he to judge me? Every step toward Minks, whichever direction it as a step further into my world and closer to the country I planned to rule

And yet

I shifted uncomfortably In my hand, the necklace was too heavy, and I letto, I let the chain slip froround

Dear Aztarte This feeling This awful, heavy, suffocating feeling This sensation that made uilt?

"I’m sorry" The unfain to cover it," Casper said

I held up h, one harsh note "I’ll only say it once Look around you, Casper We’re in a forest, surrounded by hidden enemies, creatures of blud and monsters on two feet We can’t tarry here WeTo Muscovy and to Ravenna’s blud The faster the better"

He stilled, as he so in his head "How do you do that?" he o and say so extraordinary"

I could read hih I inning him over, so I pressed harder "What’s done is done We have e need now Can we just put all that behind us and start frohsparkles over the tree trunks "I bet one of the little stones could get us separate sleeping cars on the train to Muscovy"

Keen watched, her eyes gone sharp I could alht of what even the daintiest geiant trees and bloodthirsty unicorns, ere still closer than we’d ever been to our et my own room, a new shirt, and all the hot food I can eat," she finally said "And when you’re the queen, I get a pony"

"Deal" I held out

Before I knehat had happened, Casper had swept us both into a tight,The swoop in my heart wasn’t all that different from the one I’d felt the last ti airship I realized he had let go of Keen and was hugging ed toward the crush of skin, the press of cloth, and a uys done?" Keen asked, voice flat

I pulled away, breathless My eyes met Casper’s, and I could sense his response, so si fire of his blue eyes We were on the ground, ere alive, and ere on the road to victory