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I’d spent ling to exist as so that shouldn’t exist And now that I fit the nor The world I’d yearned to be accepted into wasn’t all I’d drearass wasn’t any greener on the other side

Just a lot brighter

I was the first out of the car e got toher job as uard seriously It didn’t surprise me in the least to find o first After a moment she popped her head out into the hall

"It’s relatively safe"

"Relatively?"

"Like, no one is actually going to kill you, but you it, let her in," caet this over with"

Yeah, that made me want to rush inside

"I gather I don’t have much choice" Besides which, Desmond had joined me in the foyer, and there wasn’t a lot of rooit stepped aside, letting h Holden had taken his fa He was in front of the fireplace, staring intently atsaid "I’m sure you can understand why"

"You’re older than Jesus?"

He snorted a hu before him, and it has always been a fool’s narrative Those who do not kno to think for theods do not speak, they look to liars who claiion is a farce of liars and those with no minds of their own"

This didn’t seem like a discussion, so I stayed quiet and let hiion can often say truly res in spite of their own inherent stupidity" He picked up the silver katana, careful not to touch the metal, and turned to face me, the weapon in his hand "Have you ever heard of Henry Ward Beecher?"

"No"

"No, of course not You’re too young Much, ht of the sword, adjusting it so it was perfectly balanced "Ward once said, ‘You have come into a hard world I know of only one easy place in it, and that is the grave’"

"Sounds like Henry was a cheerful guy"

Sig gave me a look that plainly said noas still not the tih when I first read it, because what is a varave? And is our life easy? No, there is nothing easy in the life of a va or undead So what does that mean for you?"

I didn’t like the implication of his buildup "I didn’t do this intentionally"

"As Mr Chancery explained it to me, the choice was entirely yours"

"And did Mr Chancery tell you my other option was to leave one of them behind?" I pointed at Holden, then back to Desmond "I don’t leave people behind"

"You are not a Marine, Secret"

"No, I’m just not as cold as you people apparently I can’t sacrifice so what I want"

"You can’t sacrifice so spun the blade in his palht have the ability to make people calm, but I was as far fro?"

"If the only easy place is the grave, you have made certain you’re in for an easy future"

"But you can’t kill her," Brigit said meekly "It’s in the handbook"

At those words Desmond moved fro If the Tribunal leader wantedto be able to stop hi it’s words and watching Desave us an amused smirk and lowered the sword "Are you all stupid? I have no intention of killing her"

Holden hadn’thonest Holden was devoted to the council, but he was more devoted to me I’d been the one to save hiiances owed anywhere, they were owed toto protectI needed protection fro hat calling hi rooaze leave his, I drovethe sword into the air It went straight upwards and fell back, co the silver blade betweenI wouldn’t have been able to do if I wasn’t hu burned Letting the sword slip the rest of the way to the floor, I held it by the handle and gave the two-thousand-year-old va leaned closer and cuppedon a serpentine quality "You haven’t been listening, have you? Living is what’s hard It’s dying that is easy"

I frowned,on the handle of the sword

"I’ my defensive stance "A choice, even, which is et"