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Lia wiped her forehead on her ar the torch at it and the creature darted back with the hiss and swish of the fla would the pitch burn? She knew that there would not be much time The room was shaped like the Apse Veil It was a s had all spoken at once and she had taken the oaths to silence the to her What was she to do?

Lia approached one of theri if she should touch it The Mediuainst her mind as she hesitated She was here for a reason There was a part of the hetaera ritual she needed to understand But she should not succu hand, she reached forward gingerly to touch it The torch wavered in her other hand

As she touched the stone, herfeelings e was carved into an expression of hunger, a wo to death She felt her own stoer crumbs instead of the wonderful variety of Pasqua’s fare In herchildren, pleading and begging for stale bread The ive the children Theor dead There was no wood for a fire and it inter – theleft to eat Her children were starving Lia could see the wo at Lia’s skirts in desperation and realized that the woold hair, the worn lines on her face, the terror of death by hunger Please giveto feed my children! Please do not let the – anything! Please, a little morsel for my children Please! There are soherself to shut the screams fro beneath the panic She ive part of herself She recognized the feelings contained in the Leering It contained the fear of want She needed to overcome it

Lia was a wretched, not a noble, but she had never known hunger until she had left Muirwood Abbey There was always enough to eat at the Abbey Pasqua had never let her or Sowe go hungry, not even as a punisher had afflicted her on her travels, but with her skills as a hunter, she knehere to find thiame Food was scarce, but she had never experienced the fear of want before

Please save us! Please! A morsel only Just a morsel! For my children! Only for the, but she could not It was fastened tight, the feelings growingat her clothes What could she do? Then the Leering spoke in her– a part of herself So woht a ive the chains off her wrists

Instantly they disappeared The Leering was tamed

As Lia looked down, she saw snakes weaving around her ankles The serpents filled the cha the torch down, her hands fully free now that the chains were gone The serpents retreated again, hissing savagely at her Her heart shuddered with dread and fear, but she did her best to control it Just seeing the snakes made her want to screa It was an expression of res to be overwhel to be feared from them except what they represented There were six penultiinable fear could be linked to one of these The Leerings were i to overco fears, they could make the final oath that would bind the their fear would help them make the final covenant

Lia reached out and touched the second Leering Ihter It wasIn herexpensive clothes and dazzling jewelry They were all irl She was not dressed like the others – she was in hunter rags, filthy, her hair spattered with dirt and sticky with…cider? Lia saw herself, cowering before the onslaught of the hu them – and Reome – and even Marciana There was Sowe, a disdainful look on herlook that irl in the world They laughed and scoffed at her They snubbed her They pointed at her feet, the shackles at her feet and tittered icked delight at how uncomfortable she was The fear of shame