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"Criently out onto the stairs of their wagon, shutting the door behind us

It was afternoon, in that pleasant lull between lunch and show tiht and surrounded by the usual gently rolling hills of the Sang version of an English countryside I couldn’t help frowning I was sick to death of the usual gently rolling hills

"Is he mad at me?"

Tish patted me on the ar over into the lap of my more spare contortionist’s costume

"He doesn’t want to lose you, Demi You struck him pretty hard, I think, when you said he wasn’t your father"

"But he’s not"

"But he thinks of hione to a lot of trouble keeping you safe all these years Thislife to you, but that’s because you’re already living it To your average Sang girl in a city, trapped behind thick walls, you’re the luckiest girl on the planet"

"Doesn’t feel like it" I kind of hated rateful teen I resembled I enty-six I should have been past the theatrics But that was part of the proble always stayed the saled not to bite it "Look, Demi I know you don’t like to talk about it But before you cah" I shrugged away froet away froure out what I wanted out of life"

"Did you ever figure it out?"

I glared at her and exhaled through er, and then I woke up here, naked and covered in rabbits and my own blood, with Cri ers whisper about what freakish monsters we are I don’t knohat I want, but I know this sure as hell ain’t it"

"Then Franchia is bound to be better, right?"

"I guess"

Tish stood and turned to face me She said she had been a nurse back ho people what to do all day But I could also see that she wore her heart in her eyes "Easy things aren’t worth much, and you never have adventures if you stay in one place So take Crio to Ruin with Cherie If it sucks, coot to lose?"

I couldn’t help suess When you put it that way, I sound like a scaredy cat"

"So don’t be scared"

"Easy for you to say, considering you won’t get bludded"

Tish gasped, and I immediately felt like crap

"I didn’t mean that, I’ the sun, Tish glared down atlike a baby I didn’t want to be here any ht it every daet bludded is that I’et back horand about it You’re just lucky Crio And you’d better be sh to stay alive, for his sake The caravanis scary as hell out there"

I grinned "But I’ s to learn, new things to see, living a to have to be careful about those Franchian men They’re not all lovesick softies like Luc"

"You knew about that?"

I saw a Bludman’s humor in her s Do you remember what I told you the first tirin "You said, ‘I see feathers, fairies, er, and a trip to hell’ "

"I didn’t see those things here in the caravan, honey You need to go out there and ers went to the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes She stared past lossy on she shared with Crier never killed anybody," she o, then Maybe I can find that handsoer you mentioned"

She looked down, the spell broken and her eyes crinkled up with hu I’ll set up the bon voyage party"

"Thanks, Mo you, honey, but you look hungry"