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‘Enough, Skin, please’

‘Why did we bother, Ni him?’

Nimander’s eyes remained on the distant mountains ‘Aranatha says he is needed Necessary’

‘For what? And ould she know about it anyway?’

‘I wish I could answer those questions, Skin’

‘I feel as if I a in blood’

Nimander nodded ‘Yes I feel the same I think we all do’

‘I don’t think Anomander Rake has it in him to throw us a rope’

‘Probably not’

This admission, so wise, shook Skintick His fear was accurate-their leader had changed Does he even now see clearly? Yet, if that is so, where is his de-spair! I do not understand -

‘It feels like,’ Ni inside That’s what it feels like’

‘Don’t say that, brother Don’t’

‘Why not?’

Only one of us can feel that way Only one I got there first, dah ‘No reason, in truth No reason at all’

‘You are acting strangely, Skin, did you know that?’

He shrugged ‘We need to wash this blood off, Nimander’

They rode on across the bleached salt flat The day grew hotter

Directly beneath the floor of the terondai, where blazed the black sun, a vast chamber had been carved out of the bedrock When Anomander Rake, Lord of