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"No, she would not," Cade agreed, his expression troubled in the light of the taper

"I have grown fond of her, and she fascinates , she is a treasure I had hoped she was feeling at ho to settle down I have certainly enjoyed having her as a member of my little family"

The professor unconsciously twisted a silver button on the cuff of his coat It occurred to hian was able to travel back to her own tie his present What if, with all the infor to defeat the emperor? That could be a very positive outcoht, and then he wondered what his own time would be like if that were the case Would he and his people be better off? Would the ancestors who created his bloodline meet under the altered circumstances? Would he even exist? Who knehat threads of the world her return would realign Perhaps everything would be better but perhaps not He was just beginning to see how dangerous this ti was As much as he despised the empire, there was coht

He let go of the tortured button now hanging on a loose thread and, not wishing to give voice to his concerns to Cade about Karigan’s altering time, he said, "It has come to mind that our Green Rider has not revealed the extent of her knowledge of the past"

Cade shifted "You believe she is withholding infor filled in the silence as the professor considered his reply "She has done nothing to challenge my trust of her--not yet, anyway--but I believe her first loyalty lies with her king and her time, and that if she felt she needed to protect some aspect of the past, she would see fit to withhold information froht, or knowledge of the dragonfly device "She is our ally so long as it suits her, but she is an independent spirit I think, for instance, she would go after the Eletian by herself if I declined the help of the opposition You’ve spent time with her, Old Button, what do you think?"

"I believe," Cade replied, head bent in a thoughtful posture, "you are correct Her independent spirit is so thetrammeled down by the empire I would also submit she is a person of honor, honor of another era, a tiht of day"

"What is it you are saying?"

"I areat pace because we, the opposition, are too cautious We attend parties, go about our routine, and this war of ours, well, it’s a war of secrets Little is actually ever done It--it is entleman’s club than an active resistance But Silk, as well as the emperor and his Adherents, are fully committed They take the active role"

The professor stared at his protégé in disbelief, restraining the impulse to lash out at hiainst his efforts to lead the opposition, to keep its members safe, and most importantly to protect the royal heir How could Cade protest that? But it was Cade, after all, a man of feords, his obedient student That he should speak out at all was enough to stun, and the rarity of it meant the professor needed to take notice, to consider his words

"Gentleed

A war of secrets, he had said The professor knew it Every time he attended the theater, a dinner party, or a tea, he participated in that war, spying, exchanging veiled barbs with his enea the opposition that he’d preserved it like one of his artifacts He’d stopped it in time There was no forward momentum, no action, no victories to claim The emperor and his minions ains for the opposition

Feeling drained, the professor wished for a chair to sit on, but there were none on this floor so he leaned against a sturdy pillar

"Our Green Rider," Cade said, "is a woman of honor She will respect your request to wait on your decision about the Eletian I suspect, however, that as a woo unrescued no matter your response, and she will do what she believes is necessary"

At least he and Cade agreed on that matter The professor had identified her fierce spirit early on, but the an to feel like he’d been sheltering a keg of blasting powder beneath his roof It was regrettable If she were ato worry about, but then she wouldn’t be the interesting person he’d grown so fond of Unfortunately, hethat made her who she was

There ays to prevent any rash action on her part, he knew Convenient he’d given her the cover of being mad It would be easy to withdraw her fro back to the past and altering time He shook his head, sorry to even consider such possibilities He would do so only if necessary

He realized he could not confide in Cade these darker thoughts, these contingencies, since it was clear that Karigan G’ladheon had won him over The professor had seen them kiss, he’d seen the way Cade watched her when she wasn’t looking "Keep an eye on her, Old Button, and let me know if she seems likely to make a move without le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">