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Karigan shrugged

"Now, you can keep your name to yourself," Dr Silk said, "but in tiht Her ain she could not speak

Dr Silk leaned forward to study her "You thought he was dead, didn’t you"

Her heart pounded Her head pounded "He’s--alive?" She hated revealing herself this way to this man, but she could not help it

Dr Silk leaned back into his chair, a slight smile on his lips "For now I cannot say the sae driver, however My dear, now that you know Mr Harlowe is alive, your answering of questions could s much easier on hientle questioners, and they will use whatever methods they require to extract the infor questioned Do you understand?"

Karigan licked her lips and nodded Oh, yes, she understood They were torturing Cade

"Good I had hoped you would cooperate, which would only lighten the burden on Mr Harlowe"

"I want to see him," she said "Prove to me he is alive, or I won’t answer any questions"

"I am afraid you are not in a position to make demands You will have to take et the answers out of Mr Harlowe, and I guarantee he won’t find it a pleasant experience"

Karigan considered her circumstances, the manacles on her wrists She could leap across the desk and throttle Dr Silk,it, not from a female But that wouldn’t help Cade, nor would she be able to overcouard in the palace No doubt they would execute Cade as soon as they got whatever information they wanted fro in Mill City They would make an example of him

The only course she saas to make an ally of Dr Silk There was no reason to hide her identity or where she was froain his confidence and ure out what to do She took a deep breath trying to gather her composure "I assuan said

Dr Silk preened "I do have some influence My father is second in power to the eed; it is understood in the eist? Like the professor?"

He frowned "I oversee all archeology throughout the empire The professor was merely one of many who answer to me I am the emperor’s special consul on antiquities and true history"

Here was a ht, as obscured by his father’s shadoanted to be regarded as important on his own merit "We both know," she said, "that the empire’s true history is, in fact, false"