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My h ician?" I asked "I thought they were banished froht wash very unwelcoht…"

"Not now I’ll explain later Right noant you to catch up with Rand and his friends Pretend nothing has happened I doubt she’ll try again tonight"

The bright firelight stabbed my eyes Valek and I stayed in the shadows until we spotted Rand near the acrobatics tent He was searching formy name Valek motioned for me to join my friend

I had taken only two steps when Valek said, "Yelena, wait"

I turned Valek waved me closer When I reached him, his hand reached toward my neck I stepped back, but recovered and stood still His hand brushed arrote off my throat He handed it to ust, I flung it to the ground

Rand’s relief, when he sawwave I hesitated Why would he be so concerned? For all he knew, I had only been lost I caught a shiff of wine as Rand approached

"Yelena, where have you been?" His words slurred

I hadn’t realized he had drunk that much wine, which would explain why he had been so desperate to find erated the emotions

"The tent was too crowded I needed soht on the word air as the horror of being strangled swept throughor had he gone to arrest those men? And where was the dark-skinned woet out of the castle, but noanted nothingstone walls around me, and to be safely back in Valek’s suite Now, that was an odd coht

"I thought I’d catch up with you later," I lied to Rand as I scanned the festival crowd I didn’t enjoy deceiving hiood friend who had been concerned enough to search for me when I had been separated from him, and who probably would have been the only person to be upset by ht on my behalf, I was certain that Valek would have only been annoyed at having to train a new food taster

The fire dance had just ended and people poured froroup waited outside Dilana had joined theh and went over to her She s after the food taster when he had proiveness, explaining that he couldn’t afford to lose hed Throwing one of her heartwared Rand, and arm in arm they headed back to the castle

The rest of us followed I found ain last in the procession, but this time I had Liza as a companion