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Her breaths sat high on her chest She needed to know so important--whether she could be with this ave her hope, but could he handle who she was?

She put her hand back on his arm and watched his lips part and his chest rise He turned to aze She overlaid his mind with a question Would you do me a favor?

He didn’t hesitate, not for a second, as he sent, Anything, beautiful one

What a perfect response

Aloud, she asked, "Would you kiss ht to life is old,

But beware the price

--Collected Proverbs, Beatrice of Fourth

Chapter 10

Thorne whipped his phone from the pocket of his kilt, ran his thumb over the strip, then wiped his forehead with his ar on and off for hours Hisfor relief

"Central"

"Hey, Jeannie We’ve got a mess for you to clean up at the Superstitions" He stood with his back to a wall of cliffs The land in front of hiht and streith unfriendly cacti and the bodies and feathered debris of slain enemy … the usual

Luken sat nearby, his hands planted in the dirt behind him, which enabled hih The warrior didn’t flinch as the healer held the wound closed and murmured soft prayer-like intonations Jesus, that had to hurt

"How many, duhuro?" Jeannie asked

"Hey, what’s with you and the duhuro shit?" His hands shook and he felt like his entire chest cavity was on fire

Jeannie chuckled "Just showin’ the love, boss"

"Yeah, but you haven’t used that expression in, what, the last how ht it needed a comeback"

"You knohat Medichi says, don’t you?"

"About duhuro? Yeah He says it means ‘slave’ but we know different"

"Whatever" But he laughed

Jeannie’s throaty chuckle rippled through the line as well What would they do without the wo?" He glanced down and kicked at a sain?" His gaze scanned the horizon, ever-seeking Dawn, unfortunately, was still a couple of hours away, and since death vaht he’d be stuck out here for a while

"Yeah She’s really into him He’s six-four, two sixty, all muscle, just like you warriors"

"Well, you just ht If he doesn’t, you knohere to find h "Aye-aye, duhuro So, what kind of nuht now?"

"Twenty-three"

"Holy shit At least you got ’em all"

"Amen to that" Sweat once more rolled down his face, dribbled off his nose He folded a washcloth froot sliced across his left quad I had to bring Horace in to do his healing runted He heard a series of taps on the screen, then Jeannie came back on line "Cover your peepers"

Thorne called out to Luken and Horace, who both closed their eyes A flash of light and this ti nuht disappeared, Thorne looked around All the carnage had vanished Thank God for technology It wasn’t so long ago he and Luken would have spent part of each night doing the large folding work theround debris as one helluva job: dropped weapons, body parts, feathers, you name it

For soround "Thanks, Jeannie"

"You headed over to the Convent later?"

"What do you mean?" How does she know?

"You always do about dawn"

"I do?" Jesus Had he been so obvious? He needed to break up his routine, although the thought of anything preventing hio tied his stomach into a double knot A visit to the Convent had becoy

"Hey Everyone knows you’re worried about your sister How’s she doin’?"

Oh, yeah His sister "She’s the same Excessively devoted"