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Then he broke the gun in half She squinted No, not broken The device opened on hinges

"The cartridges breech load," he explained

From a satchel at his waist, Cade withdrew brass cylinders and started pushing thean closed her eyes to cut the glare and relieve the headache It helped, but she still couldn’t hear Cade clearly until he asked "Is so?"

She opened her eyes and oing I’m fine"

He hesitated, then nodded "I need to erous if erous," she said

"Which only accentuates ether She heard it and saw his oing to deht the target"

His words once again co in her ears He raised the weapon, arhtly bent She watched his face and not the Cobalt, how his brow furrowed and eyes squinted at the target, his head slightly tilted His intensity reood at fifteen yards," he said, "and proficient at twenty-five Long-arreater distances Now I cock the haer will release it and the percussion will"

His words were drowned by the buzzing His gaze never left the target Karigan’s gaze never left his face Thunder blasted beside her and nearly knocked her off her feet She cried out, heart pounding wildly

Cade lowered the gun, blue saze to her "Told you it was loud"

This ti that muffled her ears, but the shock of the blast She shook her head trying to clear it

"What is the advantage of the noise?" she demanded "To deafen your comrades?"

"Can’t help the noise, but the reach and force of the weapon is its value In your day, such a weapon would pierce the stoutest armor better than any arrow Coet, and she hurried after hiun did this?"

"Haven’t you been listening?"