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"Fine But the knots are really tight Could you just loosen theht, it’s because you irritated Conner’s vigils, and you probably deserve it"

"Conner wouldn’t want him to be hurt" Latamer crept toward me and said, "Turn around"

"I can’t maneuver with my arms behind me Just reach back there"

Lataht with my hand and twisted behind him Roden jumped up to one knee, startled, but with my other hand I slipped a noose over Latahtened Roden froze, waiting to see what I’d do next

Getting the rope offit into a noose was a bit trickier, although noas not the time to admire my handiwork Roden didn’t look i Clearly, he’d never atte like that before, or he would have been Or le Latamer in front of him

"Not an inch closer to me," I warned Roden "Or else I’ll dump him over the side of the cart and you can describe to Conner the sound of his snapping neck"

"Please don’t do that," Latamer breathed

Roden sat back down "I don’t care if you kill him and I don’t care if you run away Leave if you want, and pray Conner’s vigils don’t find you"

I stood, apologized to Lataave a cereht’ve been a an whacked me in the back with the flat end of his sword I fell forward, all air knocked fros

"You knohat’d happen to an snarled

I knew, and I wasn’t entirely opposed to it

"You said you’d kill anyone who tried to escape," Roden re his teeth when I turned to look at hion in two steps I rolled over to rabbed my shirt, shoved me back down, and pressed the knife to my throat "Master Conner doesn’t need all of you And I think he needs you least of all"

Suddenly, I had a ru," Cregan said

"I often lie But not about this I’ll cooperate"

Cregan smiled, pleased to have humiliated me He replaced his knife in the sheath at his waist, then yanked on "We’ll see"

A on with Mott and a boy walking beside hinized him He was tall and unusually thin His hair was darker than both ht and more in need of a trim than mine, if that was possible

The boy clilanced atdown an "Any trouble?"

"None, sir," Cregan responded "Only I believe you’ll find Sage to be more cooperative now"

Conner smiled as if that was all he needed to know of the lad to hear it Boys,us in our quest"

"What quest?" I asked

Conner shook his head "Patience, Sage Patience is the mark of a ruler"