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The lad held up his hand for s for my eyes "You take care, miss," he yelled over the sound of the oldhi a fond wave

The carri puttered along steadily as I drove it to the Silken Dreaet’s storefront I could see the houses on the Hill still burning out of control, and the long line of carris and heavily laden carts clogging up the roads down If anyone survived this night, it would likely be the rich, as they had all the cops dancing attendance on theet kept a spare keylace in one of the lilac-filled planters flanking the front door, which I used to let myself in The dresses on the forohich would be impossible to put on without aa selection of day and evening frocks on long racks, and I searched through the si bitch Get your filthy hands offbehind et, it’s s to show her my face

"Kit?" She lifted the lantern in her other hand and peered, and then lowered the gun "What in nine hells are you doing here?"

"I needed soestured ata bit cleaner"

She set down the lantern "Ru the ton and slitting the throats of disbelievers, and not a cop to be had away fro octave "And you’ve come to borrow a dress?"

I nodded "If you wouldn’t"

"Blindher hand about "Take whatever you want I don’t care Take it all"

"Only need one, but thanks" I pulled a pretty light green silk froers "Why are you still here in the city?"

"Charlie got wind of this yesterday," she said as she cao south We’ve a place down in Zhuma, on the coast, where they can wait it out They’ll be safe there"

I knew her husband to be an extremely practical man ould naturally protect his family first "He wouldn’t leave you behind"

"He thinkshim by train Lift your arms" As I did, she pulled my skirts over my head and tossed theotten, fell to the floor Gingerly she retrieved the kneecapper blades?"

"Because a cannon’s a bit too bulky" I watched her set them on a pin table "Why aren’t you and your parents on a train now?"

"You know Da; he won’t leave the oods still on the looms Mum won’t leave hi to the shop to see if any of the gels were using it as a hidey-hole" She stripped off my petticoats "God, you reek Don’t you ever bathe?"

"Not of late" I wriggled as the first fresh petticoat went over my head, and withstood another atop that before I protested "That’s enough Any more and I won’t be able to run"

"These are silk, not cotton You can fly in theet eased the dress overthe full skirt and adjusting the sewn-in waister "I’ to the mill when I leave here, and that’s where I’ll stay until it’s finished You should coh supplies to last us to Doouards They’re proper bruisers, all of theet to the s your Da has about the place "I picked up a thin hairpin fro table and tucked it inside in"

"What?" She stopped buttoning me up "That’ll mash ’em to pieces"

"Exactly" I told her what Mr Jasper had said, and added, "You don’t have to believe it Just do it for me Please"

"No, I believe you" She backed away from me and pulled out the pistol "What I’d like to know is, how did a stupid little twit like you find out?"