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"She won’t belong to ht now! She takes the roolint sparked in Conner’s eyes He smiled and offered a hand to her "Very well, my dear Come with me"

I swatted his hand away and Mott sat forward, saying, "I’ll stay in the carriage with Roden and Tobias, to en the second bed and hang a sheet for her privacy Conner and Sage, you two can share the rest of the rooen didn’t seem happy about it, but it was the best of her options She refused either e, and followed Conner and me into the inn

As alked, I asked Conner why the inn was so full

"Keep your head down," he hissed "The ruhout Carthya Everyone has coht"

"Are you still confident in your plan?"

"Less confident than I was," Conner whispered "I didn’t anticipate so ood job torin spread across e rooh for the three of us for one night Two sen’s bed against the opposite wall, then quickly offered to sleep on the floor

"I’m still an orphan and you’re still a noble," I said to Conner "You should have the other bed"

"Of course I should And watch your tongue when saying I’m still a noble I will always be a noble if you hope to re on whatever expression of huen and I took a sheet off her bed and hung it fro It wasn’t a perfect solution for her privacy, but it was the best any of us could hope for She removed one of the blankets from her bed for me to sleep with on the floor I put myself directly between hers and Conner’s beds

He noticed "You think I’d try any irl? I knew her en’s safe with me, boy It’s you she should worry about"

I let that comment pass No doubt she orried about me, but for entirely different reasons

It was very late at night when I heard her roll off her bed onto her feet Conner’s snoring was ferocious, so it was no surprise that he didn’t hear her and wake up She stepped fro sheet and touched er to her lips, then motioned for me to follow her

In the chance that Conner did awaken, I positioned my blanket so that in the darkness, it would appear someone was here But I’d learned froht that he never woke up

Once on Ien’s side of the makeshift curtain, she pointed to the

"Are you too warm?" I asked

"Can you take me out there?" she whispered "Is it safe?"

I inched theopen, exaht, and nodded In typical Carthyan style, a ledge had been built directly below theI crawled through thefirst, and then helped her through

The night was cool and the breeze had picked up soht now, so it was probably our last chance for any private conversation We sat on the ledge and leaned against the wall of the inn, letting our legs dangle below

"Do you often go out on ledges at night?" I asked

"You do I saw you once crawling around the walls of Farthenwood" She shrugged and said, "I don’t think you saatching you, though"