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It didn’t discourage him
I heard the clatter of the knife as he threw it away and one hand pressed ined it was to keep the vo my trousers off I felt my eyes roll back infrom his mouth I looked up out of the corner of ht ahead at the wall, his eyes wide He snarled and rolled off ofout of his back I threwat the vision of a ePerhaps Haydyn’s age She held a crossbow pointed at the Mountain Man I watched in a stupor of horror and hope as the Mountain Man lunged to his feet to attack the intruders The girl let another arrow fly with expertise and calirl immediately armed the crossboith another arrow Theher off
I wanted to co But as I watched Mountain Man, I noticed his face go slack Pale And then his eyes rolled back in his head He collapsed with an alhty thud
"This her?" theat irl answered lazily, as if she were encountering an everyday situation
I slid away frori lowered at hiht, I saw his face He appeared upset Concerned "I’oin’ to untie those ropes for ye, so ye can be gettin’ yerself together"
My heart beat unsteadily as I glanced between the two strangers I so needed to believe them "Who are you? What did you do to hied closer
He sighed heavily and the girl huffed, "Well that be a grateful response We isn’t goin’ to hurt ye!" She shook her head "Papa, she’s as soft as goat’s cheese No wonder she be landin’ in this mess and causin’ a ru Who was this girl? This man?
"L, be nice," the irl, will ye She’s been through what ye like to call an ordeeul"
An ordeal?! I wanted to screa fros, that was an ordeal! This… I shook my head I looked back over at the Mountain Man and then back at the two people who had attacked hiirl - L, her father had called her - sighed "Look here, Rogan, we isn’t goin’ to hurt ye We’re rescuing ye from Crazy here My arroas tipped in a poison he won’t be coain" She curled her lip in disgust at the Mountain Man
I was barely listening I had stiffened in surprise "How do you irl is one o’ the blessed A ht"
"A Glava?" I raised my eyebrows incredulously at her
"That be me," L huffed "I felt yer terror So papa and I set out to rescue ye Now… ye goin’ to repay our kindness by no’ takin’ a fit o’ the vapours as we untie ye?"
There was soentleness Relief crashed over littered inL watchedsoently cut the ropes around , skin shredded off entirely in places I iht, covered in blood, bruises and vomit Not to mention my trousers still stank of fear "Ma will have to be puttin’ some o’ her special ue I couldn’t continue on incleaned up and hopefully fed When he had cut the rope from my ankles, which were in much the same condition as my wrists, I nuether L stilledme into it She buttoned it for me Up close now I could see her eyes A multitude of emotion lived in them She wasn’t as unaffected by the state she’d found me in as she’d like me to believe I stuain, throwing her father a look "Ma will need to be sortin’ her feet out too if this one is to be gettin’ to the Pool"
It took me a moment, as L and her father reached to helpwith them, that L’s comment meant she kneho I was and why I was here
"Where are you taking me?" I asked wearily, as andered into the woods I nu on my relief
L’s father answered, "Back to our hoet cleaned up I’ hed
"You too, L"
After a ave way to a need for answers, for more reassurance "Where is your home? What else do you know, L? Is it-"
"Questions later, Lady Rogan," L sniffed "Let’s just be gettin’ the blazes out o’ here"
I obliged her, not once looking back
Chapter Twenty Five
L and Jonas took ic huht direction I hobbled between the out of me at the pain
"We be headin’ near the outskirts of Shadow Hill," L whispered abruptly "Ye need to be keepin’ that pain quiet"
I didn’t reply I just heeded her warning
Souessed ere at Shadow Hill Jonas and L had grown tense besidealive theh, I had no intention of putting ain