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Perhaps that was the crux of it, the gods did not want their people on Earth rejecting them for machines Yet, hadn’t she touched other ? She’d seen machines, or at least pieces of them, in the professor’s mill, and the ominous mechanicals of the Inspectors So far she’d experienced no ill effects from them What was the difference?

Cade settled down beside her with the Cobalt in his lap She did not look directly at it as he ean to clean it "Whatever it is that is causing your, uh, problem," he said, "maybe it’s for the best Guns, well, they can cause harainst the user" His head was bent down as he worked "It is also said that guns and machines have hastened the loss of etherea frolanced at her hand It was now back to its natural color, no blistering, no sign of injury If what Cade said was true, e of firearist of what they did but not the how And co or phosphorene lighting, either What would happen if she tried to understand how they worked?

As for guns, that knowledge seemed to be particularly forbidden to her since she could barely even look at them She clenched her hand closed What would have happened had she held onto the gun and not dropped it? Could she have overcoods or would they have destroyed her? She rather thought the latter

"I must admit I was very sure I knew the way the world worked," Cade said He was now oiling thethe air with a heavy, ht there was no place for ic in this world, but how else could so there is an knew the truth of that Hadn’t she seen the ghost of Yates Cardell that verya Rider, but how they existed, why they appeared to her, remained a mystery

The thud of hooves announced the return of Luke Gallant and Raven werethey’d had so That all you’re doing today?"

Cade placed the Cobalt in its velvet lined box and closed it "It is"

Luke hitched the horses to the back of the cart, and the three of thees, and the box with the Cobalt in it, were concealed in the false bottoet Cade slid the cover of the false bottom in place, which was in turn concealed by the bales of hay Then he pushed aside a variety of digging tools and re a ed on a blanket to eat the simple meal of cold meats, cheese, and bread, and sip cool tea sweetened with honey They spoke little, and when they finished, Cade collected the remnants into his basket "I must return to the city"

When Luke went to the horses, Cade turned to Karigan and said, "The professor toldThank you She can be trying at ti her fro it Did Cade see himself primarily as Arhys’ protector? And then it dawned on her: That was precisely what he was

"You’re her Weapon," she whispered

"Apparently not a very good one"

Karigan was pleased she had guessed right and that he didn’t bother to deny it