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"Listen here, you ht outrank ry and I will be da food!" My voice reverberated across the e and someone stuck her head out

"Look what you’ve done You’ve woken up a hu out of the , her long brown hair floating on the night breeze She waved at us "You calance to me "Is that Fern?"

I hunched my shoulders "Yes"

"And ould she think you ca "Because I helped her escape the queen’s wrath"

Chapter 19

Fernt-shirt that did nothing to hide the tiny buled and I had asuperior It didn’t last

"You helped hide a wo’s child in a hu ain, before you can run back to your master and tattle"

His jaw dropped and then snapped shut with a click so hard I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d cracked a tooth "She is not my master"

"That’s not what your memory showed I can’t trust you Even if you don’t want to help her, you are, for soht, but I didn’t dare bring him into this He was really the only one I could trust at that point We stood in the stifling hot entranceway to the building, Fern behind usnoises

"Be quiet, please, the landlord is very grumpy and he’ll kick me out to the street if I make too much noise"

But all I could see was Ash, that he could hurt Fern, whether he wanted to or not All he had to do was tell Cassava that Fern was pregnant and hiding in the hue, just open his mouth

His throat convulsed "I aht Because her life"--I pointed at Fern--"and the life of her child depend on you being able to keep this secret"

I left hi there as I followed Fern up to her apartment The place was sparsely furnished, but she had food stuffs in a white box she called a fridge She pulled out a plate of food I didn’t hesitate over, even though it looked like wor she put in front of ue into nothing but fuel for ulped down and she refilled My stoled contentedly at me and I leaned back "Thank you"

"You’re welcome I didn’t think you’d eat that much" Her lips twitched and looked down at the three eh couple of days"