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Ele of rusty iron Nero’s followed us outside He busies hisself tryin to steal her new medicine necklace I bin noticin how he is with everybody since he got caught an trapped in that burrow He’s okay with it pretty sharp shrift an he’s h that he’s known all his life That would jibe with a man snatchin him My idea that DeMalo sent a Tonton to do the deed To try an frighten me off Push athers hiot her shoulders hunched, like she’s espectin trouble Whaddya want? she says I ain’t tall enough to saddle Herht be now yer ten, I says Listen, Eht, Nero cain’t cohtens I won’t let hiives hi Poor Nero, it ful, what happened to you An that other poor crow You knoho done it, doncha? she says to me I seen yer face

Maybe I do, I says I twitch the oin after ’es in hand, I says But listen, Eoin on No matter how small, no matter if you think it ain’t important, you need to tell e?

Her face scrinches in misery Torn between duty an friendship I cain’t tell you, she says It’s only important to him, nobody else I made a blood swear I’d never say

Swearin in blood, that’s serious, I says Must be pretty important

Only to hie of that, not you, I says What was it? Toot nuthin of value

Shohat you know, she says Then she claittin soave to him?

I ain’t sayin no more, she says I ain’t doin this to be contrary or vex you I’h’s told you his secrets yer whole lives an I’ll bet you never told one of ’eun, Pa’s knife Lugh an me had a blood-sworn promise I’d never tell Not even to spare him a beatin So I never did tell Not once

If you otta keep it, says Em I learned that from you You always keep yer promises, no matter what An so do I You can torture me if you like, I still won’t tell!

She pretends to lock her lips an toss away the key I swear, the mulish defiance of her chin invites a swift kick to the seat of her britches But she looks so tragic that my lips twitch as I slip Her, I says

Go ahead, waste yer time, she ain’t no blabber, says Em

Don’t simme yer word--yer sord it ain’t important--an we’ll call it quits Jest this once, otta tell ot my sord, she says She holds out her hand an we shake

I hang on to it We gotta be able to count on you, Emmi, I says Know that you won’t let us down That means you follow orders at all times When the day comes that you’ve earned our trust, that’s when you’ll have some leeway Till then, you do as yer told, no questions, no fuss

I’one back on watch when you said I was jest so happy to see everybody back okay, but I know I acted like a little kid an I ain’t that no more I’ll do better, I proot comrades who died becuz they believed that all people should live free You an h, we knohat it means to lose our freedoht you an took you to Resurrection

She aze, steady on They kept me in chains, she says Like they kept you in chains at Hopetown

You acted the warrior then, I says Yeran yer sonna honour them that died fer freedom Our pa fer one Who else?

Maev an Epona, she says Ike an Bram an Jack All the Free Hawks an Raiders at Darktrees