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Though she sported no visible weapons, a huge hawk perched on one shoulder--and three enor their fangs

Pet wolves in the liest I’d ever i and scars all over Raised lines crisscrossed their snouts One wasan eye Another li his crossbow

Her tableau flashed over her, a girl controlling the gaping one

Finn stared at her, his lips parted All of his recent illusions began to waver over hiirl He went invisible--twice--as he mumbled to her, "We b-both have infinity syroup, "I’m Lark And we’re in trouble"

12

"Why shouldn’t I kill you right now?" Selena deirl’s face "Why should we trust anything you have to say?"

"Because I’ve come here as an ally," she said "And to prove h and drew back farther on her bowstring

Finn and I gaped at the Archer "Let her talk!" he said

"She’s been following us for days? And now all of a sudden she’s here to help?"

Lark nodded "Yeah I had to make sure you weren’t psycho like other Arcana I’ve seen Besides, you haven’t needed my help before"

"But we do now?" Selena scoffed

"You’ve got a horde of Baggers to the north and gaining fast"

"We know this"

"Did you know that cannibal scouts to the east spotted you and are CB-ing for reinforce, full of the an aret it when you see them"

Lark cast him a surprised look "You know them?"

He nodded "I crossed these "

Selena relaxed the tension on her bow a fraction "Baggers to the north, cannibals to the east? What about south and west?"

"One direction dead-ends in a sheer rock face," Lark explained "The other funnels into a narrow pass that’s littered with snares Bear traps and pitfalls"

I was familiar with the latter

"And it’s rocky" Lark turned to me "Not a lot of dead trees for you to revive, E me that

To Selena, she said, "And it’ll be close quarters with no vantage points Not favorable for an archer"

So she had recognized our tableaux and knee were, which uys come this way?" Lark asked Rain ran off the briot the Fool with you, and he led you here? Tactically, this is about as bad as it gets"

"The better question?" Selena said "Why would you stay here?"

"This is my hood I know these brutes, know the mountains and the mines" Her accent did sound Southern "Plus the Teeth keep the worst of the Arcana away But now they’ve expanded their territory"

"Why? When?" Finn’s voice scaled an octave higher Whatever he’d seen had done a per down in the mines For fresh meat and three breeders, the Teeth’ll hunt us to the ends of the earth"

"Breeders?" I asked

In a deadpan tone, she said, "Cannibals need love too"

I glanced at Finn He appeared fascinated by Lark

Selena glared at hiirl ouldn’t want her forood news is that they will try to take us alive Flesh wounds and clubbed heads"

Finn eration" Had he sidled closer to Lark?

"Then we run" Selena finally lowered her bow "We take our chances on that pass, if it’s rigged as you say"

Lark scratched one wolf behind its scarred ear "You try running that canyon in the dark, you’re going to die"

"Why aren’t you running?" Selena demanded "You could’ve slipped away from all this"

"I told you--I want in on your alliance"

"Obviously you know all about this garoup is a little different We’re not planning to play We don’t want to kill anybody" Except for Death

Lark’s lips parted, as if this neas too good to be true Her tough-girl façade cracked a little, and I thought her brown eyes watered "Not to kill?" God, she looked so young "I’ve been alone out here, and when I saw Gabriel and his crew closing in on the area, I freaked, thought I was done for sure"

Selena’s shoulders tensed "They were here?"

Damn it, I would’ve expected them to head in the opposite direction!

"So close that Gabriel almost ran into my falcon They turned back, but I realized er Sooner or later, Arcana are going to come for the Hierophant"

"We’ve heard his call, then," I said We go now to our bloody business "He’s near"

Lark nodded "Figures, since he’s in charge of the cannibals His naion He’s got them all enthralled It’s a cult, a cannibal miner cult They file their teeth to look like hiet eerier in my mind They just had

Selena’s expression was suspicious "Why has the Hierophant never targeted you?"

"I’a at hi"