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The bushes stirred again Maggie’s searching fingers found only acorns and licorice fern, so sheout fro herself ready

A forray dots but she couldn’ttell anything about it

There was a long, tense moment, and then a voice came to her

"I told you you’d never ie almost fainted with relief

At the same moment the moon caand over the slender figure standing with a hand on one hip The pale silvery light turned red hairalular face and narrowed skeptical eyes were unmistakable Not to , shuddering breath "Jeanne!"

"You didn’t get very far, did you? The road’s justover there What happened? Did she drop deadon you?"

It wasaie She laughed shakily "No, Cady’s not dead Bern’s dead-you know, the bigslave trader guy But - "

"You’re joking" Jeanne’s voice sharpened with respect and she moved forward `"You killed hunt’

"No It waslook, I’ll explain later First, can youhelp etting freezing out here, and she’s co at Arcadia "I toldyou before I wasn’t going to help you if you gotin trouble"

"I know," Maggie said "Can you sort of pick herup froht be able to walk a little"

`Bull," Jeanne said shortly "We’d better chaircarry her Link hands and we can get her up"

Maggie clasped a cold, slender hand with calluses and a surprisingly fir the unconscious girl

"You’re strong," she grunted

"Yeah, well, that’s one of the side benefits ofbeing a slave The road’s this way"

It ard, sloork, but Maggie wasstrong, too, and Jeanne seeuide theood just to be with another hu as healthy and clear headed and didn’t want to kill her, that Maggie felt alhthearted

"What aboutPJ? Is she okay?"

"She’s fine She’s in a place I know-it’s not"

"You took care of her," Maggie said She shook her head in the darkness and laughed

"What are you snickering about?" Jeanne paused and they spent a few y ie said "It’s justyou’re prettynice, aren’t you? Underneath"

"I look out for myself first That’s the rule aroundhere And don’t you forget it," Jeanne said in a threatening mutter Then she cursed as her foot sank into a swaie said But she could still feel awry and wondering s up the corner ofher mouth

Neither of theie was in a sort of daze of tirednessthat wasn’t completely unpleasant Her mindwandered

Delosshe had neverHer entire body reacted just at the thought ofhi that she didn’t understand It was a physical pang

But then everything was so confusing Things had

happened so fast since last night that she’d neverhad ti that had happened between themwas only one part of the whole mess

He said he’d killed Miles

But that couldn’t be true Miles couldn’t be deadAnd Delos wasn’t capable of anything like thatWas he?

She found that she didn’t want to think aboutthat It was like a huge dark cloud that she didn’twant to enter

Wherever Jeanne was taking her, it was a long,cold trek And a painful one After about fifteen pulled out of the sockets, and a hot spot of pain flared at the back of her neck Her sascla down her back and her feetwere nuive up, and Jeanne didn’t either So They had traveledfor maybe about forty-five minutes, with breaks,when Jeanne said, "Here it is"

A clearing opened in front of theht shone on a crude little shack erously to one side andseveral boards were gie, it looked beautiful

"Runaway slaves built it," Jeanne said breathlesslyas they took the last few steps to the cabin "The Night People hunted them down, of course, but they didn’t find this place All the slaves at the castle know about it" Then she called in a slightlylouder tone, "It’spause, and then there was the sound of awooden bolt sliding and the door opened Maggiecould see the pale blob of a small face PJ Penob scot, with her red plaid baseballcap still on backwardand herslightbodytense,wasblinkingsleepy, frightened eyes

Then she focused and her face changed"Maggie! You’re okay!" She flung herself at Maggie like a sie swayed and Cady’s lilad to see you, too," Maggie said To herown surprise, she found herself blinking back tears"But I’ve got to put this girl down or I’ todrop her"

"Back here," Jeanne said The back of the cabinwas piled with straw She and Maggie eased Arcadia down onto it and then PJ hugged Maggie again

"You got us out We got away," PJ said, hersharp little chin digging into Maggie’s shoulder

Maggie squeezed her "Wellwe all got us out,and Jeanne helped get you away But I’ht?" PJ pulled back and lookeddown at Arcadia

"I don’t know" Cady’s forehead felt hot underMaggie’s hand, and her breathing was regular butwith a rough, wheezy undertone Maggie didn’tlike

"Here’s a cover," Jeanne said, dragging up a pieceof heavy, incredibly coarse ged or folded"If we all get under it, we can keep warie and PJ onone side of her and Jeanne on the other The cover was h to spread over them

And the hay s sleeves and jeans protected her There was a strange coht bodycuddled up next to herlike a kitten, Maggiethought And it was so blessedly good to not be anyone, but just to sit still and relax her sore muscles

"There was a little food stashed here," Jeannesaid, digging under the hay and pulling out a smallpacket

"Dried meat strips and oatcakes with salalberries We’d better save soie tore into the dried her and gaht at the et Cady to eat some, but it was nouse Cady just turned her head away

She and Jeanne and PJ finished the meal offwith a drink of water, and then they lay back onthe bed of hay

Maggie felt alone, herup,and she could feel a war to tell me about Bern "Jeanne said froiant yawn

"Yeah" Maggie’s brain was fuzzy and her eyeswouldn’t stay open "To on a pile of hay in a tiny shack ina strange kingdoers to her before this afternoon and who nowseemed a little like sisters, she was fast asleep

Maggie woke up with her nose cold and her feettoo hot Pale light was co in all the cracks inthe boards of the cabin For one instant she stared at the rough weathered-silver boards and the hayon the floor and wondered where she was Thenshe re

"Cady" She sat up and looked at the girl beside her