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"Was there dancing?" Lorine asked, carefully folding Karigan’s gloves and laying the?"

"Yes Diddid you and Mr Harlowe dance?"

Karigan flashed not to the party, but to their sword practice sessions, which was dancing of a sort, and lingered in herherself, she removed the smile fro I can’t i to that awful music steamer, anyway" She could not quite read the look on Lorine’s face Hope? Did she wish to ask questions of her mistress that one of her class was not permitted? If Cade remained steadfast in his desire to be a celibate Weapon, Lorine’s interest in hian went on to describe some of the circus performers and exhibits, but Lorine seemed only mildly interested unless Cade’s naan lay in bed waiting for the bell to ring out one hour, haunted by the specter that had been Lhean Where had he been hiding all this time? Had he known she was here, too? If so, why hadn’t he come to her? Had it really been him? Yes, Cade had seen hi of one hour startled her awake So and her concern for Lhean, she had ed to doze off She made her stealthy way to the library where the professor and Cade awaited her As they began their descent into the underground, she lingered behind to change into her black soarb and then hastened down the steps to catch up with theround, each of thean and Cade told the professor about their evening, their voices ringing against the deserted storefronts and buildings of the Old City preserved beneath the foundations of the new

"That’s rean’s sword on exhibit "I knew about the survey of the Imperial Preserve, but very little was ever disclosed about it"

Cade related the part about the ie trapper "We left in a hurry," he said, "and failed to retrieve the portraits"

"That is unfortunate," the professor said, "but probably not a significant problem Silk already knohat you look like, Old Button, and I cannot irave’s ie It will but sate his curiosity about her appearance You were better off appeasing hi his suspicions"

It was ht, but it was a relief to hear the professor thinking along the sa, and when they birds, the professor’s expression darkened "Yes, Silk has always been drawn to the rare and exotic, and has accrued a collection I can only guess at I’d warrant he doesn’t feed just pig’s blood to those birds"

Karigan shuddered

By the tiotten to the part about Lhean

"My word!" The professor halted in the e? I’d heard Silk was hunting a ghost in the Old City, but I never iinedMy word"

"He was one of an said

"One of your coh time with you? I think I need to sit down"