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Aaron froze

"Well?" said the captor in a gruff voice to his companions "Is it him, or isn’t it?"

Aaron heard the rustle of a paper as soulped and stared into the light, his Ada the sharp point at his neck

"Aye, it’s hiht, Captain"

The captain chuckled evilly "Let’s be gone, then"

They shoved Aaron to the floor and gagged hi him between them, facedown Aaron’s injured shoulder burned like fire, and he felt like his arht out of their sockets He fought to keep fro retaliation

They carried him out of the office and down the stairs, past the euards when they’d first snuck in hours before, and out the door into the night They crossed over the driveway and skidded down the rocky bank to the water And then, on three, they threw Aaron face-first into a s his arms around to brace his fall His head hit the wooden seat, and his body cru went black and quiet

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Inside Aaron’s office, Matilda picked herself up, clih as she could, straining to reach theledge When she finally erhold on the sill, she pulled herself up and scraroup of se pirate ship that sat in the calm water

She stayed there, keeping watch, as the large ship pulled up all but one of the s east

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A quarter of the way around the south side of the island, another gargoyle stood on aledge watching, waiting for the ship to pass