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The words continued but he could not hear anyht both hands to his forehead His asps of air Slowly he slid fros folded beneath hiainst the wall, tre with denial and hopelessness

It was her scent that made him aware of Kitsune’s presence beside him She had curled up on the threadbare carpet and tried now to comfort him, but when she touched hi to burrow deeper within hiht disappear coh she did not try to touch hiain, she reh she could absorb soulf had opened within Oliver Hollow, he huddled there and waited for the eh so that he could stop shaking; so that he could get up and get on hat had to be done

He feared that it never would

CHAPTER 14

Halliwell retreated deep within hireat distance Even looking out through his own eyes, everything seemed far away And down in that place deep inside, he nursed a growing hatred of Oliver Bascombe More and more he had become convinced Oliver was a victierthethis phantoh a world of i all of their hope

There it is, Halliwell thought That’s why you hate him…because you need hiic wand No ruby slippers here, Teddy No way to click your heels and go hoht the world of Julianna, but with every passing moment he drew further away from her The distance helped If he let hience and sincerity, it became difficult to hate Oliver Yet much of his bitterness was on her behalf Julianna believed that once they found her fiancé, everything would be all right Soet home

The truth left a black streak across his heart There were no ruby slippers Hallianted so desperately to believe they would get hoic, so perhaps it was possible But following Oliver around the Two Kingdoet them killed

Not that they had any other option And even if they had, the ti since passed They were committed now

All three of theirl, Kara--had been locked into a single large room It had been well appointed, with soft, coh to leap from, and a pair of sofas Halliwell had rested a bit, but had been unable to fall asleep How could he shut down his thoughts, quiet his fears? Eyes open, he could only lie there and think of never seeing Sara again The hter froworekara had gone out on the balcony for a tiirl had stayed out there while Julianna came in, curled up in a chair, and instantly fell asleep

She ith theopen and Captain Beck had entered, leaving a quartet of guards in the hall All of which had led theriirl’s mercurial charm Julianna and Halliwell followed side by side, with Beck and the other two guards behind theht on Halliwell’s heels and he felt her presence keenly In all his life, he had never encountered a woman so beautiful and so deadly Captain Dah she’d been carved out of ebony and she moved with utter confidence, but he had no doubt she would kill hi if the order came

"He’s been here," Julianna whispered

Beck cleared her throat, perhaps coincidentally, but Halliwell felt sure it was an ad at Julianna

"How can you be sure?"

She smiled softly and arched an eyebrow "Aside fro treated? I just feel it I know him, Ted Have known him, in fact,uards around a corner, down a long set of stone stairs that gently curved to the right, and arrived at a pair of wood and iron doors that looked like they could withstand just about anything

A diminutive soldier, a woman with olive skin and dark eyes, stood at attention at the sight of Captain Beck

"His Highness, King Hunyadi, awaits," the srabbed hold of the door handle and swung it open with strength that belied her size

They were ushered into a long, narrow room extensively decorated in an oceanic thereat many candles were arrayed around the rooht from the lamps and torches on the walls cast the roolow Fully two dozen soldiers were already inside the room when they arrived, lined up at attention on either side of a raised dais at the far end of the roolass depiction of Neptune or Poseidon

On the dais was a chair But the king wasn’t sitting

At least, Halliwell assu He stood with his ar their arrival with i hair, he could have been the father to the Viking soldier they’d ate

Kara, Julianna, and Halliere halted by their escort Captain Beck strode forward and boith a flourish

"Your Highness, h chair and studied the stared at Kara a moment, then looked at Julianna and Halliwell in turn "The question is, do they?"

"Forgive hness, but what the hell does that mean?"

Halliwell blinked and turned to stare at Julianna Whatever distance he had cultivated evaporated in that , it amazed Halliwell that she was not executed on the spot

Instead, Hunyadi smiled and shook his head "Ah, Miss Whitney I can see why Bascoasp and Hallias sure he saw her shudder at this confirht have believed, this was the first real indication she had that her faith ell founded

"Then he’s been here?"

The king nodded thoughtfully He came around his chair and sat down, then leaned forward, elbows on his knees With that gesture, he seemed like such an ordinaryhiiven the circumstances Some of the animalistic panic that churned in hi’s Gorge had been chaos But this…there was order here He was a former military man and a police detective He could understand hierarchy It calan