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It was a good decision I was grateful that we hadn’t tried the docks Even as our raft neared a lonely beach farther down the coast, I could still s city, and it smelled like barbecue and winter fires I salivated for a second before I re smell, then I threw up over the side of the raft before we reached land

Tabitha snickered "She’s a tough one, eh?"

"Keep it to yourself, lass, unless you want a tender shove," he said, but he grinned

"I don’t think I’d mind a tender shove fro, Tab"

She gave his He chuckled

I waswith the murderous harpy?

I wiped my mouth and huddled in the bottom of the raft, miserable

Out of irritation, I didn’t offer to tow the raft through the deadly salty sea, but the breaking waves did it for me We were tossed up onto the beach with a crash, and Cri round and strutted toward the moors His eyes followed her ass as I heaved and choked at his feet

I apparently had a rival, and Criminy didn’t seem to mind as much as before

I was a lot more bothered than I wanted to be

It was half a day’s walk to Feverish, which was unchanged No fires, no influx of new citizens or inn visitors, which proved Cririreet us I had remained sullen and silent the whole way as Criminy and Tabitha chatted and flirted He held the door open for her, and she let it slay or the will to catch it And then we stood before Master Haggard

"Do you have a vacancy, sir?" asked Criminy as if they had never met

"We do, lad," the old man replied "How many rooms?"

"Three, please," Criminy said "If you’ll accept this as payment"

I was surprised to feel my heart drop like a stone Three? As Criraved silver froard nodded sole?

And why did I care so much? Just because he made my toes curl in bed didn’t mean that I loved hi victorious, it didn’t show In fact, she looked nedly as Master Haggard showed us to three roo hall Criers at each other It felt like a middle-school field trip, and I was the dork in braces

"Good night," Criminy called softly as he shut his door

My door and Tabitha’s door slammed shut at the sa,

He had come back tothat the darkness hid er

The door shut softly I couldn’t see his shadow or hear his footsteps Had he just checked on one back into the hall?

"Crilove clapped overmy head into the pillow

"Did you actually think it would work?" ca love’s pressure didn’t lessen I whiainst the soft leather and started to buck and thrash in panic I couldn’t breathe

Tabitha’s face appeared inches from mine, her eyes feral with fury

"I don’t knohat spell you used, but I’rowled, a sound so low that I could barely hear it The scent of copper and death and rawacross her cheeks with my pointed nails When I touched her skin, the jolt came unbidden, and the surprise love

No wonder she hadn’t wanted to touch me, before or later He’d have flayed her alive for this

She hadn’t actually been captured by Jonah Goodwill She had sought hiift She was helping the Coppers in return for enocide on her people She was a spy, a decoy, and an assassin