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It left a bad taste in his ood business sense But the word "treason" was on the tip of his tongue

Backstabber

Coward

Astrid was on her way to offer an alliance with a beaten and hu" and a cowardly "business her before she could reach town There were thoughts too painful to allow

He had to think, and think clearly, not let his ht down in some lonely place by coyotes, or zekes, or Drake

He squeezed his eyes shut

"Are you okay?" Sanjit asked

"Okay?" Sa on to be with me aren’t It was already hopeless Now?"

"Lana’s still there," Sanjit said "And Quinn"

"Quinn?" Sa?"

"Lana put hiot his people with hi a chessboard in his ht have played, the powers that hts and rooks, were all down orDekka, Brianna, Jack, Albert, possibly Caine, all down or ht, Edilio, would have to watch over the lake Which left Sam with pawns

On the other side Drake Maybe Penny The coyotes

And the opposing king, the gaiaphage, as so well protected he ht be impossible to reach, let alone destroy

"What was that TV show?" Sa bodies "The one where they vote you off the island?"

"Survivor?"

"Yeah ‘Outwit, Outplay, Outlast’ Right?"

"I guess," Sanjit said doubtfully

"Outwitted and outplayed That’sleft And pretty soon? I’ll be blind"

"No Not you, Sahed derisively "They ht as well be candles"

"In the land of the blind the one-eyed uy with a candle is an easy target," Sa was crystal clear to Saes at the lake That was a losing ather its forces to come for him Maybe he’d been outwitted and outplayed He had not yet been outlasted

Without another word to Sanjit he headed back to the lake

Diana saw Penny and her knees gave way She sat down hard in the dirt She couldn’t breathe