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The man who had betrayed the in E for an answer

"Why did you do it?"

Isaias’s shoulders straightened for a moment, but then sadness crossed his features and he hunched back down on hi up from the rickety old chair behind his busted and decrepit desk

"Why did you do it?" E farther into the room "Conrad trusted you I trusted you"

"It wasn’t my fault" Isaias put up his hands "You have to believe et past our wards Then you just left"

"I had to! It was safer for you that way"

Ees’ Guild’s number one most wanted You chased me out of e shook his balding head His jowls jiggled with the movement "You have to believe h Euilt-ridden face "Tellmore like a plea "Tell me why"

"They said they wouldn’t hurt you boys They just wanted you out of the way, that’s all You have to realize, Ees’ Guild doesn’t like anyone they can’t control Conrad was gathering supporters And he had you, another natural waiting in the wings He was a poith the intent of overturning the system I had to warn them of what Conrad planned What he wanted to do was madness Don’t you understand how much money we stood to lose if Conrad took over? How much power?"

The world dropped out frohtless, all he could do was stare at his former mentor in confused disbelief for a moment "How much we stood to lose?" he asked incredulously Painful pressure ripped at his heart "We? As in…you?" He gulped, the action difficult A humorless smile pulled at his lips and he narrowed his eyes "You’re kidding, right? You just told them what they wanted to know… You weren’t actually…one of thehtened Hisout Finally, he found his voice "I should’ve told you I should’ve That rong of me But it wasn’t important back then My job coincided hat you boys needed We orking together Why ruin that? Then, when the guild called ht they’d force you to disappear Peaceful resolution for everyone I had no idea they’d kill your brother, Eht they’d just scare you boys"

E babble of soure His limbs slowly numbed, like his mind

He’d expected a confrontation that would turn his sto under torture OrEmery had never expected, not once, that Isaias had sold them out because it was his job That Isaias had befriended theuild

He’d been the enemy from day one

"Did Conrad know about this?" Emery asked in a wispy voice

"No" Isaias waved his hands "But I had intended to tell hi to explain the truth"

"But how…" Mehts before Eh clearance in the guild"

"He had no reason to go looking" Isaias spread his hands "And even if he did, his clearance wasn’t high enough"

Eh Memories continued to barrel into hihts after his parents died The pain and the fear Conrad and Eiven the choice to live with a few distant relations, but no one really wanted them

Then, out of the blue, they went to the store to pick up so to be a friend of their parents What a strange and wonderful coincidence He claimed he’d stopped by the store on his way to the social worker’s house to s, knew all the right facts, and then he threw the perfect curveball

They were different, he said

They were special