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She looked down, desperate, helpless against the power in Macio's clutching hand - and prayed that she had correctly guessed fro the earlier shots had come Macio found purchase for one of his feet, and A her by the ankle and s's side like an oversized porcelain doll

The wall three feet fro crack of shattering stone A broad-knuckled hand snared the neck of Macio's chitin-ar Citizen's head against the side of the building Macio let out a single, choking sound, then the hand gripping hiain Macio's fingers slipped loosely from Amara's ankle, and his blood spattered the wall His neck snapped during the second or third iave way, and Macio's body vanished into the interior of the tower There were a fewflesh and breaking bone

Aasping with pain, exertion, and sheer terror The horrible things she had seen that night cahts, and she found herself sobbing silently, clutching her belly as if to keep it fro

Bernard's hand touched her shoulder a moment later, and she opened her eyes to stare up at him Her husband was covered in smoke stains, his face all but completely black There was a fresh cut on one of his cheeks Fresh blood, Macio's blood, had splattered over his tunic, face, and neck The dust and flakes of shattered stone, ht arladius was at his side, opposite a wide-mouthed war quiver, and he held his heavy-liathered her up with his left arm and all but crushed her to his chest Ath of hiainst her "It's about time," she whispered

"I leave you alone for an hour, wo around with a younger h that threatened to bring out more sobs and held hiently at hi her to her feet "We c-can't," she said "There are h of a nearby firecrafting thudded through the air in punctuation There was an extended roaring sound, and a cloud of dust began to e the smoke and fire

"More of the crafters the vord took?" Bernard said "Why are they here?"

"They came for the Citizens," Amara said "At least one of theh to let the other catch up with , there was a howl of wind above the on steel, showers of sparks exploding irregularly between the on theles and altitudes A few seconds later, far overhead, multiple spheres of white-hot fire burst into life in a rapid line of explosions Distant, staccato thumps followed Then a series of deep blue streaks answered the spheres, flashing in the other direction A hissing drone, like a rainstor a hot skillet, followed a few moments later

"Bloody crows," Bernard breathed "This is not a sns"

Bernard frowned at her

Aestured wearily at the sky "The ene off our Citizens as they tried to help the city They had probably been doing it for half an hour or more before I ever arrived If there's open battle now, it means that those stealthy operations ceased to be useful to the eneotten the word out to her fellow Citizens"

Bernard grunted "Maybe Orshow of it while the rest lurk and wait for a chance to ambush distracted Citizens"