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Her eyes bored into his "He may think I have his

"The night he stole into the kitchen He was using it againstme fear him I saw a chain around his neck and when I snapped it off, the fear left me He chased me out of the kitchen, but then Jon Hunter arrived When I went back, I hid it"

He rose to his feet instantly "You did not mention that when you told me You said you saw the amulet, but you did not…did he…did he hurt you?"

She nodded "A little I h I scratched his face"

He stared again "If he thought you had the ave it to the Aldermaston? Surely he is more powerful in the Medium than the sheriff!"

"That presumes there is trust between the Aldermaston and I The sheriff could probably see there is little By hiding you, did I not prove my lack of loyalty? Scarseth stole it when he betrayed h the Medium, I just took away his voice If the sheriff thinks you still have it…of course he ant it back A thwarted ain and rested her forehead on her ar else," she mumbled

"What?"

"When the sheriff first ca we snuck into the orchard – I was in the kitchen with the Aldermaston there and Pasqua He…he said that he knew ht, in the dark, that he was one of the ones who had murdered him"

Colvin looked at her intensely "Did he say who your father was?"

She shook her head "But he ain, he looked stunned "Did he say as much?"

"Only that the blood of my Family was still on his sword That they were cruelly punished after their deaths My grandfather, my father, my uncle were all killed Just like the Demont family at Maseve I had never even heard of Demont before the sheriff ca over what she had said The sky was nearly black, the horse just a shadow at the base of the hill He walked back and forth near her, struggling with his thoughts He glanced up, stopped, then stared back the way they had co it turn silver But on the far bank, there were torches and lanterns, pinpricks of light against an i like fireflies

"Aluer," he whispered There was fear in his voice

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:

Fear

Lia had received a new blanket as a narown her childhood one, and she loved that she did not need to curl up her legs in order to keep them covered The blanket had its own smell after soit everyit in a wicker basket That here it still was – alone in the basket, until another tall, spindly wretched would claihts as she fell asleep, shivering, in the Bearden Muir, wrapped in a wet cloak, dress daround amidst a thousand brittle oak leaves The torches and lanterns of Aluer’s men had remained on the far side of the river and had not ht ca her with a false proht so that shethe sheriff’s camp

Exhausted, she fell asleep, but it was a fitful sleep She knew she was unco, yet her mind was so to prepare the evening meal for the Aldermaston Memories flitted by, a jumble of past conversations, both spoken and unspoken ones Then she was back, gazing down at herself on the hillside, her face pale, spattered, and gritty Colvin was asleep leaning against the tree trunk, hands folded in his lap peacefully She envied him that A whisper sounded in the dark, and the crunch of leaves and twigs Al sword in his hand She kneas hi sht revealed the medallion around his neck, and blackness eulfing the hillock like a shroud

Lia felt like a leaf, hovering on the wind She screamed but no sound came out She had to warn herself, to wake herself The ht breezes puffed her this way and that She saw Colvin stir, but he slept – he did not waken In her uer advanced up the hill, straight towards them Colvin slept soundly – peacefully Wake up! Wake up! she screamed in herher froic fro in the air like smoke Only the smoke had shapes – ofin the dark, each with glea eyes of silver