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A heavy pressure pinned me to the mattress The compulsion to reor I’d summoned My eyelids drooped as Bruns and Loris left The door remained ajar ht as well have been miles away

Unreachable

Voices woke rowled, de food I sat up A tray of sliced fruit, cheese and halass teapot Heat radiated frolass pieces

I wondered how Bruns et one Had he indoctrinated Quinn, as well? Many of the Keep’s icians had joined Bruns’s ranks, but I hadn’t seen the young glass arrison It made sense for the Cartel to com tea, I paused as a knock silenced Bruns and his visitor The other ize for the road dust and ht away," athat confident, sly voice Cahil, or rather, General Cahil of the Sitian arone from my friend toof Ixia’s nephew, and the years he spent planning to retake his kingdom from the Commander had been wasted Cahil had joined with Roze and the Daviians until the horrors of their kirakawa ritual switched his loyalty back to ained our friendship It was obvious why Cahil now reported to Bruns Cahil hated the Coht since he was six years old

I set the pot down quietly, slid from the bed and crept closer to the open door in order to hear them better

"new information about the Commander," Bruns said He repeated all the intel he’d stolen froht make his move after the Ixian Fire Festival"

"How did you learn all this?" Cahil asked

"Fro Valek has spies all over Sitia I wouldn’t trust--"

"Yelena Zaltana provided it," Bruns said with an annoyance that bordered on anger

"Now I know it’s fake She’d never--"

"She’s in ain the clipped tone

Silence "Is it true? About her ic?"

"Yes, and that makes her just as susceptible to Theobroma as everyone else"

Cahil huffed "She won’t ever be like everyone else Don’t ever underestirowled

And then I realized, I’d left the bed despite Loris’s order His co, as if it was starting to wear off

"Then I suggest you don’t wipe her erous You said so yourself"

"If she’s cooperating with you, then use her There isn’t another person in Sitia with her unique knowledge of Ixia’s security and the Coood ideas about how the Co as the Liaison for years Plus dating Valek" Cahil spat Valek’s name as if it tasted rancid in hispause "What do youto have a baby"

I bitfor Cahil’s reaction At one point in our relationship, he’d hoped for more than friendship