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I raise an eyebrow at hi, the whispers awaken Ah, yes You know that better than anyone, don’t you? "Is that a threat, Raffaele?"

My words bring on a stubborn silence between us Raffaele shakes his head, then givesplaces, Your Majesty," he replies

I don’t answer Instead, I turn back to the sea and try to control ainstBut even he cannot keep the whispers at bay forever

Perhaps I’ worse, just like Violetta

The port is croith ships fros form a rainbow of colors on the bay, reflected in the waters Our own flags are hidden beneath an illusionan Amaderan crest, and to my relief, no one seems to pay us any mind As our two ships dock, I take a deep breath and look out at the bustling piers The salt of the sea and the odor of blood and fish hang thick in the air Gulls circle the sky above us, diving for entrails tossed into the water Groups ofover their backs and loops of rope around their shoulders Wo thestews over sle Aue I can’t begin to understand The people here are large and sturdily built, so pale that freckles stand out starkly on their skin Only Lucent blends in completely, while Teren seeh my Inquisitors and companions are not dressed in Kenettran silks, we attract a few stares for our ures and darker complexions

You are in enemy land, the whispers remind me Do you remember the tales of Amadera’s civil wars? When the Aristan people conquered the Salans, they took everything with them: their jewels; their honor; and their children, soht from the womb What will they do to you, when they find out who you are?

Raffaele clain of the Beldish queen and herhorse, I gradually weave differences into e ofat Raffaele doesn’t mean I don’t take his words to heart If the Saccorists are here, then they will find a way to seek us out in town When I finish with iano, Raffaele, and Violetta

"Leave the others," Magiano says quietly to estures to where our Inquisitors and Tao on fro a patrol of soldiers behind us attracts far too reeo alone," I reply

But as wethe open air atblack silhouettes flickering in and out of the crowd You are hunted here, little wolf What does it feel like to be prey? Only the knowledge that Teren walks next to iano is close too

I grit my teeth and follow Raffaele Let theain

Violetta is too weak to walk for long, so the first stop we ainst its back with her eyes closed I lighten her hair until the illusion of it looks red She is sickly enough now that her skin is almost as pale as a Skylander’s She doesn’t stir as we iano sniffs the air as we pass tall buildings of limestone, their s tiny and shrouded with curtains "Do you ss, as well as soy and sour, like a shredded plant I’d once eaten at the ports in Dalia, Kenettra My stomach rumbles Suddenly I’m tired of the weeks of dried meat and stale bread on board the ship "It s in the direction of the scents "Soiano ses into a different one--it is , the harsh lines of his wrinkles deep and proasp, then turn away and shut y flares in fear I cannot lose control of my illusions in the iano whispers When I gather the courage to look at hi hihten es "Don’t worry," I say "I’m just impatient to find the Beldish"

Nearby, Violetta frowns in concern, but she doesn’t say anything Raffaele slows to fall into step beside me He nods in the direction where the city eventually ends "Your illusions," he says "Disguising us It is exhausting you, isn’t it?"

The energy in h the city I wish there were not so many people here; the constant shifts of their movement and colors and shapes make it difficult for me to keep the illusion over myself and the others "I’ll be fine," I in that I can feel its slight pull Re else" He shakes his head and frowns "Its energy will disturb all of ours Be careful"