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’Aye!’ two voices chorused

Whiskeyjack saw the wizard’s sudden tension After a moment, the commander twisted in his saddle Kala down his brow Flanking hie, both with their crossbows trained on the assassin Sain

’You two have played an extraordinary game Fiddler sniffed out the secret communications -- the scuffed stone-faces, the postures of the bodies, the curled fingers -- one, three, thatever was needed to complete the cipher -- we could have cut this to a close a week past, but by then I’d grown curious Eleven e to you -- knowledge she was unable to use -- it was just aWhat choice did the others possess? Death by Raraku’s hand, or mine Or … a kind of salvation But was it, after all? Do their souls cla to escape their new prison? But I aame -- you and Kalam -- to what end?’

The illusion of deprivation slowly faded froed a strained shost of a life is better than Hood’s embrace, Commander We’ve achieved a balance, you could say’

And you a host of powers uniranted, but I’ve no desire to use theame we played, Whiskeyjack? Only one of survival At first We didn’t think you’d ht Raraku would coh not in a way I would have anticipated What you and your soldiers have become ’ He shook his head

’What we have become,’ Whiskeyjack said, ’you have shared You and Kalam’

The wizard slowly nodded ’Hence this fatefulSir, Kalam and I, we’ll follow you, now If you would have us’

Whiskeyjack grunted ’The Emperor will take you from me’

’Only if you tell him, Colanced back at the assassin

’The Claill be displeased,’ the man rumbled Then he s, Whiskeyjack twisted further to survey his soldiers The array of faces could have been carved from stone A coht, hard core ’Gods,’ he whispered under his breath, ’what have we e of G’danisban -- a e, an assassin, and seventy soldiers ept into a rebel stronghold of four hundred desert warriors and crushed theht had burned low, but the tent’s walls revealed the dawn’s gentle birth The sounds of a ca for the march slowly rose to fill the silence that followed Whiskeyjack’s tale

Ano’

’Aye’

’I have heard of shifting one soul -- sending it into a vessel prepared for it But to shift eleven souls -- eleven es -- into the already-occupied body of a twelfth …’ He shook his head in disbelief ’Brazen, indeed I see nohy Quick Ben requested I probe hiht, you unveil him I did not ask-’

’To have asked, Lord, would have been a presumption,’ Whiskeyjack said

’Then you understood me’