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Suddenly titanic, consu her out, as surely as though she’d been impaled Verlaine clutched at the locket around her neck--that here the pain came from, and it had to stop, it had to stop!--but then she rerabbed her hair instead

War, irl," Asa whispered "It’s terrible but it won’t last long; I pro"

It had to be a lie There could be no living through pain like this, no surviving, no after And yet she was Uncle Gary’s only chance, and Asa was here with her, helping her be strong She just had to breathe--and again--and again--

The pain ended as swiftly as it had begun She gasped, almost unable to believe she was still in the world

"You did it," Asa said "Elizabeth’s spell will shatter my own small power soon But at least--at least I was here for this"

"Thank you," she said Their eyes o of her even as she stepped away

Quickly Verlaine pulled a chair next to Uncle Gary’s bed and took one of his hands in hers Just being with hilanced over her shoulder at Asa and repeated, "Thank you"

"It’s no less than you deserve," he said "About tiot some shred of what the world owes you"

"Will you stay with htly; already his gaze had turned inward, as if he were trying to listen for a distant sound "Not for very long I won’t be able to You see, I can defy Elizabeth--but not the One Beneath There’s a price to be paid now I shall have to pay it"

Verlaine realized that Asa had defied the One Beneath by saving her "What happens now?"

"That’s not up to us It never has been One thing we have in cohty plot their wars, and we shiver down in the trenches We fight for others’ glory, or at best our own survival Ours is not to question why"

Verlaine wanted to protest She fought alongside Nadia and Mateo because she trusted the for But she realized that wasn’t a justification she could throw in Asa’s face It was a luxury he had never been allowed, as a slave to the One Beneath

Asa brought his hands together again The rooain Verlaine sighed, reassured by the sound "What about the doctors?" She gave the door to the roolance "They saw us in the hallway"

He backed a few halting steps away "They’ll think they iically went right past theun to shake The la his strained face, casting his shadows even blacker "What’s happening?"