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"I don’t reht Remember him?
Leesha looked down at the ankle-deep water "You have to let us in, Aunt Milli It looks like there’s a flood"
"It’s the ht," Millisandra quavered
"No, it’s early yet," Leesha said She paused, then said, "There’s a dance at the pavilion by the lake, and I thought you ht like to come"
There was a pause, then, "Really? It’s not too cold?"
"It’s a lovely night," Leesha coaxed "Theon the water, and I bet you can hear the band all the way to Canada"
"Oh,time Perhaps I could co at the lock, and then the door eased open, revealing a shyly sht up her hand and fluffed a powder puffin her aunt’s face Geht her smoothly before she hit the tiles He lifted her in his ar
They joined the strea the lakefront toward theAunt Milli," Leesha said, touching his arm "I don’t think I could’ve carried her"
Jason said nothing
They took a half dozen more steps, then Leesha said, "Jason, look I’m sorry About Barber"
"Seph and Jack told ht ahead
Leesha seeht she wouldn’t have another chance "Barber beat me up He told me he’d out me to all of you if I didn’t help him You’d throw me out of the sanctuary, and then he’d kill ht before he left for Coalton County Leesha’s face had been bruised and swollen
"So you had no choice," he said "Understandable"
"After I put the lodestone in your pack, I knew I’d made a mistake I tried to call you, to warn you, but you didn’t answer"
Jason remembered the missed calls on his cell "Guess it’s my fault, then" Every ti out
"Jason" She put her hand on his arain, and he shook it off "I… I didn’t mean that, I just wanted you to know that … I didn’t want to"
He was afraid to look at her, afraid he’d give in "Okay," Jason said, kicking fallen branches out of the way They were co up on the police checkpoint at the entrance to the ave uess … he hurt you?" She shook ice from her curls, blinked it froht It was his own fault It wasn’t like he’d walked into it blind "I’ht up a stretcher, and he carefully laid Aunt Millisandra on it "Better stick with her,what kind of chaos she’d create in the o do another sweep"
But Leesha wasn’t going to let it go She sidestepped into his path "If you believe I had no choice, what is it, then?" When he didn’t say anything, she persisted "What?"
"I thought you actually liked me I didn’t realize it was all a setup" Pathetic
She grabbed his hand, gripped it tight in both of hers, like she never ot to believeAnd I don’t believe you Not anymore" Gently, he extricated his hand froree
Jessabranch was tired of the privations of war
She ardens layered in white roses, the servants aited on her hand and foot, the uise of wizard politics
Shivering, she pulled her jacket close around her shoulders and pushed away her plate of shri
The probleers were as trapped as the besieged Itto play army for a day or two, but this was excessive
She couldn’t shake the nagging sense that they’d been cheated Where were the Anaweir citizens of Trinity? Why weren’t they bursting through the Weirwall to be snatched up by the waiting wizards? Where was the panic in the streets? Just what this siege needed to end the iht it would work
Leaning forward in her chair, she poured herself another glass of wine Then nearly spilled it when so it was already too late to defend herself
"Relax," Jason Haley said, raising his hands to show that he was as unarmed as a wizard can be "If I’d come to kill you, you’d already be dead"
"Then why are you here?" Jess denored her question and dropped into the chair opposite her "I need safe passage out of the sanctuary"
Jess blinked at him in surprise "What? Why?"
"McCauley’s insane," Haley said bluntly "He’s going to get us all killed"
"Ah" Jess settled ue and dissension Perhaps she wouldn’t call the guards just yet "So this weapon he’s talking about isn’t so powerful after all?"