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Brook’s breath fogged the glass as she leaned closer

"The lightning strikes have been known to burn an entire person to the ground," she added

"Ieration I’d heard the tales too, legends of arctic storms so powerful that entire populations had been bloay on the wind, disintegrated to ash I’d always thought they were the stuff of fables, though

After a nited the sky "Apparently, the storms only strike after dark, and this one is unseasonably early They don’t generally come until the dead of winter From what I hear, Queen Neva’s decision to barricade us inside is best for everyone"

I could practically hear her thoughts She felt the saatehouse with her soldiers--as she did about being asked to surrender her weapons Miserable

"Where’s the thunder?" I asked, hoping to distract her before she turned the conversation back towith Niko The landscape before us was punctuated by streaks of white-hot light that see from every direction now

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brook shake her head "There isn’t any"

"Never?"

Brook seemed to think about that as she watched "Hmm," she finally uttered "Weird, isn’t it? We’ll have to ask about that tomorrow" She took a breath and turned to me, a wry set to bed before Zafir realizes we’re up and starts asking questions" She looked pointedly at the chest she’d dragged over and positioned right on top of the hatch in the floor, ensuring, at least in herday ahead of you Lots of ‘queen stuff’ to do"

xvi

I gripped Zafir’s ar before breakfast Through the open doorway, I could already htened

I paused, taking a breath as the footnaled discreetly to so there, an ethereal vision

I released a grateful sigh, letting her take ers around rinned, the corner of her lip turning up slyly as she appraised me in the simple yellow dress she’d sent up to olden flower Can you feel every eye in the room on you? There has been irl who conquered a queen"