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He ran his thu the pendant, relanced about "Where is my pendant?"

"You’ll have it back, in time" He turnedit Your parents erous and unpredictable The manner in which they’ve mechanized it blinds you to the netherside If themoment--"

I wasn’t convinced I wanted to see the real world anyes and only sweet Mary knehat else "Perhaps it’s better that I not know such things"

"You can’t hide forever from what you are, love" He sounded weary now "No ainst his neck,asleep on your lap?"

"You’ve had a long day" He sounded peevish now, as if talking were toopink, and very hot, and with all th I pushed myself off him My limbs turned to noodles and I landed heavily on the floor

"Charainst the cushions "Fire"

I grittedfro s anymore Nor could I turn over to see who had co toward us

A hard boot kicked me over ontoover h the ic, but you’re still obliged to breathe, now, aren’t you?"

Chapter Seven

The next hour came to me in blurry flashes as I drifted in and out of consciousness I glied past me and dropped onto the dirty boards of a cart, and snow falling into my eyes The cold roused ether until they ed into a veil of snowy lace above my head By the time my ere restored they had moved us to another place and put , but I shiftedand contracting

Lucien still breathed They hadn’t killed hily tones all about us; I could hear Lord Walsh, his diseased son, and so over so Montrose spoke insistently, his father responded harshly, and the Talian see to placate both of thehpolished stones from a pouch, which he rolled in his hand like coins he was reluctant to part with, until he held theloved hand chose one More words were spoken, none of which I understood, and the glove lowered a white stone to Dredmore’s face

I felt a movement of air over me, terrible and cold, which rushed at Dredht shoot past my face, and felt Dredue I rabbedit a shake

"She’s coain "Can I have her, Dad?"

"No" That was the Talian "He took great trouble to protect her She et it out of her," Montrose offered "Cohter in ages"

"Shut up, Monty" Walsh cain e"

I surged up and drove m As Walsh doubled over, I shoved him aside and ran A short er pointed at htood tihted, Charmian," Dredmore’s voice rasped, "if you would first reet to you just now" I regarded the oily-headed one "I don’t suppose you’d oblige hilanced down "Master?"

"Kill the stupid bitch, Celestino," Walsh groaned froestured, and Montrose appeared with a length of rope "I can do as his lordship wishes, miss, and cut your throat Or you can sit down and hold out your wrists Hoill it be?"

I backed up against the bed "Screa" As the villains converged onbackward across Dred away the small white stone they had placed in the center of his forehead Montrose uttered some vile words, while the Talian dove at the bed Drededic didn’t work near lanced over his shoulder

"They’re not using it on you," he ainst Aramanthan-charmed icestone"