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You gotta stop this right now, I says It don’t jest vex Molly, it unsettles all of us You know she’s still awdsake Show her some respect

He’s silent, frownin

Are you listenin to otta make her see, he says What can I do?

Be a man, Creed, I says Accept that she don’t want you an leave her alone There’s too otta be able to depend on each other, stick tight together Okay, I’ers

I jest don’t unnerstand, he says

I grab his knee an shake it hard Molly ain’t fer you, I says Accept it Capeesh?

He looks at me No, I mean, I was so sure, he says That first time I seen her, my heart knew It went … oh, it’s you, yer the one How can that be wrong?

Yer heart, I says More like yer britches

I stand up an he does too A storrey-blue eyes Yer really soht together That’s rich, comin from you

I start to hear the pound of war drums What’s the problem? I says Say what you mean an be done

He raises his voice so all can hear Yer the problem That’s what I ot the guts to say it What the hell was that, Saba? Back at the bridge? You, chasin that fuse? We should of bin long gone, safely away Instead you nearly got us all killed

You knohy, I says There was innocent people there Slaves, like Mercy

That’s their bad luck, he says Whose side are you on? We’re yer people, not them

I jest bin told ent down today, says Slim He fixes ht, he says, we agreed the plan Set the charge, blow the bridge an skedaddle In an out, quick an clean

Around the fire, every head’s turned to look at me now Emmi’s wide-eyed worried, seated at Mercy’s feet

Killin warn’t part of the plan, I says

It’s called collateral daot killt? You keep yer eye on the goal an you keep discipline an that includes you

Soreed, he says But that ain’t what you did You change tactics fer two reasons To win the goal or save yer crew You’d already won the goal What you did was risk yer crew That’s a bad leader

Ash says, I don’t git you, Saba What about Darktrees? The Tonton slaughtered our friends while they slept Forty lives Free Hawks an Raiders Have you fergot that? An Epona an Maev Ike an Braht Where’s yer loyalty?

I aot Not Darktrees an not one of them you name Far from it But this ain’t about loyalty, I--

It is fer me, says Tommo Loyalty