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Meandra was visible now, crouched on the deep blue rug near the bed, screary red welt shohere one coin had hit her cheek

"Darri!" Cal ie gasped

Her sister strode into the roorabbed Meandra by the hair, wrenched her head up, and made as if to slap the coin to her neck The scream became shril and terrified

Darri’s hand stopped with deadly precision an inch from the maid’s throat "Who is the Defender?"

"Don’t kil irl shrieked

"They’re coins, not knives They won’t kil you They’l only"--Darri paused--"hurt you"

"I can’t tel you--"

Darri’s sht She would real y do it She would do anything

"Are you sure?" Darri said Her hand moved Cal ie couldn’t see if she touched the coin to the maid’s skin or not, but the ht on the tail of the screao of her hair and stepped back "Thank you"

Meandra looked up at her, sobbing, the welt an angry red on her round face Cal ie flinched slightly as Meandra looked past her sister at her

"Let’s go," Darri said, and strode back toward the door, leaving the deadly coins scat ered on the floor

Cal ie had to scurry to keep up with her "That was not s over her shoulder "So the Defender is the leader of the dead Very interesting Do the living know that the dead have their own leader?"

"That’s not iht now Darri, stop!"

Her sister obeyed so instantly that Cal ie, who hadn’t expected compliance, almost ran into her She took several hasty steps back

"You don’t knohat you just did" Even though the hal was deserted, Cal ie instinctively lowered her "You don’t knohat you just did" Even though the hal was deserted, Cal ie instinctively lowered her voice "The prohibition against silver weapons is as old as Ghostdawn"

Darri shrugged, turning to face her "Coins are not weapons"

"You just proved otherwise, didn’t you?"

"So what are they going to do, sneer at me more obviously?"

Cal ie jabbed her hand doard "The Guardian hi silver weapons into the castle, and his decisions are never questioned Don’t you understand what it host and steal his chance for vengeance? A ghost could never come back to haunt you!"

Darri pushed her hair back over her shoulder "Neither could anyone, in the rest of the world"

"But we’re not used to it"

"We?"

Cal ie let out her breath in a hiss and pul ed her shoulders back "We I belong here now, Darri"

"No"

"Yes!" Cal ie felt tears in her eyes, heard the them She went on, heedless of the humiliation, as the first few tracked down her cheek "I don’t blaht? I know there was nothing you could have done But there’s nothing you can do now, either I can’t go back" She looked away "I belong here"

Darri stepped around to the side, so that she and Cal ie were stil face-to-face "Do you? Or do you try to fit in, night after night, minute after minute? Afraid to step out of line lest you be cal ed a barbarian Asha"

"It is to me! And that’s not how it is!" Di herself The air felt like it was choking her, and Darri’s circling made her feel like prey "Leave me alone, Darri! Don’t you see? That’s al I want from you I like it here! I won’t leave"

"Can’t," Darri said

"What?"

Her sister’s face was oddly intent "Just before You said you can’t go back"

Cal ie didn’t like that expression "It’s the sa here, Darri, whether you like it or not"

"Fine" Darri shrugged abruptly "Have it your way I only want to help you"

"You want me to need your help And I don’t Not anyain So this is the last thing I’l of er" Darri sht be useful"

And she threw the silver coin at Cal ie

Cal ie screaed The coin whizzed past, mere inches from her face, and hit the walIt slid to the floor and landed with a dul clink

The two sisters stared at each other Darri’s face hite "You’re--"

Cal ie didn’t want to hear it Before Darri could finish the sentence, she went invisible and ran down the hal , cut ing a large arc around the tiny silver coin nestled in a crack in the stone