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He stood smoothly, and with an efficient sweep of his ars I pulledat one I hadn’t known that Rhyzkahl had a way to rescuethat hope away, even without e of it, cut evenhelpless and vulnerable, and I deeply despised it

The lord stepped away from me, looked to Gestamar "Take her"

Toto him, weirdly relieved since I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk Beyond all the other stresses of this gloriously shitty day, I couldn’t remember the last ti me of that fact I leaned my head on Gestamar’s chest and allowed myself toin misery for awhile, as he passed out of the chah aand into a sht foot square, furnished with only a narrow bed and a side table with a h on the far wall fra star Unlike the room just outside, this one was completely dust-free and the blanket was clean and freshly laid on the bed A door to the right appeared to lead to a bathrooently than I expected, and guided e of the bed

"What happens now?" I asked, too exhausted to hide the quaver infrom the table and pressed it into my hands "You drink," he rumbled

I didn’t know squat about antiques, but I was pretty sure the old, a vertical ribbed pattern around it and leaves etched on its gracefully curved handle It sure looked like so fro I lifted thedubiously and took a careful sip It reminded me of liquefied unsalted stew, but with a hint of bitterness that I couldn’t identify My starving body probably wouldn’t have cared what it tasted like, but I had to appreciate that it didn’t co back on the table, hand shaking only slightly "And now?"

"You sleep," the de his eyes "What’s going to happen to me? Why am I here?"

He snorted "Because Mzatal wants you here"

I scowled at the non-answer, turned away from him, and curled up on the bed

"You are not dead," he said "Consider that, Kara Gillian" I heard him exit and close the door

And I did Every ure out how to get myself out of this shit I listened carefully but heard no sound of a bolt or lock I didn’t figure it could be that easy, but I had to try I sat up, padded over to the door and laidsensation cuedarcanely locked I pushed the handle down slowly so as not to e Da of interest or of use, but found nothing pointy, sharp, or weaponizable I looked up at the high ith its patch of darkening sky and a few stars I shoved the bed under it, and lifted the table onto the bed, bracing it against the wall Yep, that did it I cliot to nose level with the sill, high enough to at least check it out

I pressed lass and found only the barest whisper of arcane Since it had a latch begging to be tried, I lifted it and pulled Holy shit! The ung inith a creak of hinges and a shower of dust My heart pounded with the possibilities Judging by what I could see fro over the sill--which was pretty ured I was on at least the second story

Okay, Jill, I’et , but somehow Jill--the crietSole and rip on the outside lip with ling inside Great Nohat?

I got an answer I didn’t want The stars winked out to pitch black, and a pair of blood red eyes hovered a couple of feet in front of me The faint scent of sulphur drifted in, and I had no doubt I was face to face with a zhurn, a tenth-level des, honored one," I said, voice strained as I struggled to ht" Obviously escape this asn’t happening tonight

The zhurn’s voice crackled like flaress this way, su back down to the tabletop "I kinda get that"

"Sleep," it said, reaching with a shadowy extension to pull theclosed The red eyes disappeared, but the stars didn’t come back Damn zhurn had closed its eyes and caed the table off the bed Weariness crashed in It had been a long and particularly shitty day Sleep wasn’t a bad idea I needed rest to be sharp tomorrow and ready for whatever Lord Asstard had to throw at me I curled up under the blanket and drifted off i

"I’uys, don’t worry," I murmured Even with all the uncertainty andto sleep Thankfully, I was right

Chapter 3