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Would she die for Colvin? Yes – it did not require thinking or reasoning If she could save hily No, he was too proud and stubborn for that He would try and stop her if he knew
She could not tell hi back, she saw the torches were even closer Soon they would be overrun How far was Doe Bridge? So," she whispered to Colvin "They are getting too close"
He stopped, tugging Elloith hiether"
She shook her head "I aht the ahead I will catch up with you"
His jaas like a block of stone He looked frustrated, upset He shook his head as if to cast away his thoughts "We ait for you"
Lia touched his arm "You are the Earl of Forshee and she is the last heir of Demont Your duty is to see her to safety My duty is to help that Now do as I say I will not be gone long"
His face pinched with doubt "Do not do anything rash," he threatened
Lia watched as he took Ellowyn roughly by the arain Soon they would reach the lake at the river’s bend Soon It was nearly h the woods the way they had coht Herrushed back to her She found a nice twisted oak to hide behind She would attack fro her She would wait until they had passed her and strike from the rear
Breathing slowly, she waited until the torches becauished Black tunics appeared, the arhts Her heart felt like flint Twelve men Six with torches Dieyre underestimated her That was aht, but a hunter He scowled and stared at the footprints often, nodding as the trail was clear to his eyes She watched and waited, silently bringing herself around the trunk of the oak Slipping an arrow fro The prey is careless The hunter is patient
Theup his hand He found the place where they had stopped His head lifted up slightly, listening Lia pulled the string back and let the arrow loose Before he cruround, she had another one out and dropped another one of the torch carriers
Gasps of alar fro a torch
"Over there! Fro hile shaft She darted away fro Good Sorabbed one of the fallen torches and she dropped hihted another one and let loose another arrow He went doithout a sound There were six left
"No, it came from that way!"
"No, I saw it! Over there! There!"
Lia waited two heartbeats and ca another torch carrier She did not miss The last man with a torch iser than his friends He dropped it and scarass, they hissed and smoked and quickly burned out A final one still was afla No one tried to fetch it Lia stared at the dark, seeing several cowering behind trees
She stepped away from the oak and started off the way she had co killed so many As she walked, she raised her voice and spoke in Dahomeyjan "If you follow me, you will die too Go back to your o back and shoot the rest It would be more difficult in the dark They were afraid Their hunter was dead They could run to the shore and cry for help But she knew she needed to save her strength The greater battle was still ahead
"The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears So often we bring into our lives that which would ruin usit"
- Gideon Penman of Muirwood Abbey
CHAPTER FORTY TWO:
Firetae was tall, built of stone and bricks and a double arch One of the arches was round and narrow and a little higher than the other, to guide the overspill of the river through it when the flood season ca away at the banks of the shore The other arch was thicker and peaked in the ly oak trees grew along the thick mossy banks Despite the recent rains, the secondary run beneath the shorter arch was dry An outcropping of ht, where the column of brick and stone met to form the middle of the river and supported it That junction fore and connected both sides of land Lia, Colvin, and Elloere grateful for the mossy rock, for it muffled their steps as they crept towards the base of the bridge