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She shrugged ’Finally, I have no control over Garath, or Baaljagg Of that I assure you’

He bared his teeth ’Leaving just htly on his ar, I am simply a woman’

He shook her hand off ’There’s sorcery in your charms, Lady Envy Don’t try and tell me otherwise’

’Sorcery? Well, yes, you could call it that, I suppose Mystery as well, yes? Wonder, and excite, is a ic And, my love, it is one to which I am not immune …’

She leaned closer, her eyes half closed ’I will not force er Don’t you see? The choice must be yours, else you shall indeed be enslaved What do you say?’

’Ti ’Obviously, I won’t be hearing any honest answers froiven theh,’ he said, collecting his gear ’I’ve stopped playing, Lady Envy Take the game elsewhere’

’Oh, how I dislike you when you’re like this!’

’Sulk away,’ heoff down the road

’I shall loselanced back ’We’ve got a few leagues’ worth of daylight left’

’Oh!’ She stamped her foot ’You’re just like Rake!’

Toc’s lone eye sloidened, then he grinned ’Take a few deep breaths, lass’

’He always said that, too! Oh, this is infuriating! It’s all happening again! What is wrong with all of you?’

He laughed, not harshly, but with genuine war, Envy I’ll bore you with a detailed recounting of my youth -- it’ll pass the time I was born on a ship, you know, and it was more than a few days before Toc the Elder stepped forward to acknowledge his fatherhood -- my mother was Captain Cartheron Crust’s sister, you see, and Crust had a te just beyond Bastion’s walls were devastated Far heaps; to either side of the road the ground itself had been torn into, ripped open like wounds in flesh Within sight of the small city’s squat walls, the remnants of massive bonfires dotted the landscape like round barrows dusted hite ash No-one walked the wasteland

Ss Above the grey wreaths rode the white flags of seagulls, their faint cries the only sound to reach Toc and Lady Envy as the group approached the city’s inland gates The stench of fire masked the smell of the lake on the other side of the city, the air’s breath hot and gritty

The gates were ajar As they neared, Toc caught a gliure swiftly passing, dark and silent His nerves danced ’What has happened here?’ he wondered aloud

’Very unpleasant,’ Lady Envy agreed