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Souts in the corner yelled, "I can’t believe you! They killed Hammit! Pilib’s dead, now, too!"

Briar frowned Evvy wondered why Hefor these people, but their squabbles weren’t his

"They’ll kill us all," another boy argued "If they don’t, you know Snake Sniffers and Rockheads will move in and pick us off Look around! Half of us can’t even fight!"

"The Vipers have the takairl who had led Briar and Evvy here "What’s she going to get the out that coin, I say she ought to pay it for weapons for us, too"

Evvy was i people she knew had the sense to think of things like this They were too tied up with honor and protecting their ground

"They want us to join and I don’t want anybody else dying," said a uts’ hands rose Other hands were raised as the kids in beds, those ere awake, cast their vote

"Coht till the end of ti that killed a ang who looked at him, and led Evvy out into the open air

She followed, dazed Was it possible she’d been wrong, that he really had belonged to a gang once? That was just the kind of thing she’d expect a gang boy to say

It was the first time that Ikrum Fazhal had visited Lady Zenadia doa Attaneh’s home before sunset, but she had ordered that he was to cout h the tradesarden where the lady usually saw him, Ikrum wondered what they made of her interest in thukdaks like the Vipers He could tell that they were as much in awe of her as he was, or they would have found their oays to end his visits

They left hi before the couch where she usually sat They had placed a pitcher of wine, a cup, and a bowl of fruit there for her Ikrum was not even tempted to help himself The one time he’d been so bold, he’d discovered that she carried a thin, bladed crop in her expensive draperies It had left a broad scar across the back of his right hand, right between his Viper initiation scars

Sometimes he wondered ould have happened if he and some other Vipers hadn’tthe Grand Bazaar one night They’d grabbed her and dragged her into a nook between closed stalls,to strip her of her jewels and her silks Instead they had discovered her shadows, the arer, which she laid against the big vein under Ikruht he was dead Then he had told her, "Cut hard and fast and get it over with," and she began to laugh

She liked his courage, she had said She took hi him pastries and cups of that bitter, expensive drink Her armsmaster and the mute sat Ikrum’s friends on the carpets in front of the shop and kept the away

Terror-sweat poured from his body when he had learned that she was the areat noble houses He saw his headless corpse and those of his friends dangling fro the Watch, she asked about him and the Vipers

She asked and listened so well that Ikru her his troubles He even talked of the slight he had been dealt by the city’s richest and , the Gate Lords, who held all the territory between the Grand Bazaar, Golden House, and the Hajra Gate Ikrum had foolishly fallen in love with the sister of the Gate Lords’ tesku, or leader The tesku had told Gate Lords and Vipers alike that he would never allow his sister to go with the tesku of a pack of glorified errand boys

"I like you, Ikruht "You are no dirt-person You have ae, pride I will help you" She had left with orders for him to report to her house the next day around sunset

He had gone, because no one could refuse her He had expected that she had lied about her address, or that she had been drunk and had forgotten all about hiarden after checking him for weapons The lady waited for hireat

"I’rown, randchildren are tedious It suits reatness, if they can make the journey If they can accept discipline If you cannot --"The lady shrugged "I will find another way to an of fellowship than that rag" She pointed to Ikruray are to get"

Ikrum was about to protest He had killed the last Viper tesku for this array with yellow beads stitched to it The words were in his iant arm circled his neck; a slablike hand pulled his head back Ared to the ht a kitten

"Stand still," the lady had remarked sharply "Will you disappoint me already?"

Ikrum obeyed The lady’s healerwith its garnet pendant into the opening Only Ikru froot theirs fro supplied by the lady and a dab of ointment that both cleaned the hole and stopped its ache