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"You couldn’t wait?" Souda demanded

He sed and said, "Briar, sit Don’t hide, will you? I’er, but you knoouldn’t be here without her" His s to consider all the consequences, as you and I would have done"

Briar nodded He took a cushion next to the big man and picked up a plate He spooned curry onto it, then looked at it blankly, having lost track of what he’d meant to do with it

Souda took the plate and loaded s onto it beside the curry "Eat!" she ordered "We have work to do!" She sat cross-legged on a cushion of her own and served herself "While the westerners were getting settled, another o arrived," she told Briar "She wants us to meet her at Melona Her soldiers moved as many people to the eastern temple fortresses as they could before they ran into more imperial troops than they could handle"

"They tried to fall back to Fort Sambachu," Parahan said abruptly "Well, they did fall back Except the fort isn’t there"

Briar stared at hiet up and walk away"

"The general’s letter says that maybe there was an earthquake," Souda explained "Only she doesn’t kno they didn’t feel a quake that was strong enough to make the entire fort collapse in on itself"

"Could Evvy have done that? If she was dying?" Parahan whispered

Briar shook his head "That place was big! We pulled down parts of a house, her andthat size"

"I wish she had done it!" Parahan shouted Two soldiers stuck their heads inside the tent flap Souda waved theain "I wish she’d pulled it down on those murderers!" her twin snapped, his voice softer this time

Briar hooked a hand around one of Parahan’s shoulders for comfort "We’ll come up with some surprises for their friends, you’ll see," he proave his friend a sret he ever heard of any of us"