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They take away yer baby, she whispers

The attachment of parents to their child is powerful, says Mercy

So if you was to … take yer baby back from the Pathfinder, fro to do That would start to shake the mountain Any mother an father doin that is bein disobedient to the Pathfinder an New Eden They’re takin a risk A big one Whoever does it is gonna have fear But their desire fer their child will be greater than their fear Once they have their child, an they’ve conquered their fear once, they’ll start to lose their fear He controls by fear If people don’t fear hioes

I wait fer a moment To let all that sink in To see if I can tell what they’re thinkin Have I got to theo on a recce to the babyhouse tonight, I says We’ll take a child if it looks possible I’irls here We need yer inside knowledge

Cassie laughs A dry huff of breath, nuthin more Us? she says Help you? Work with you? What, you mean like Bram did? Becuz that turned out so well, didn’t it?

I’m sorry, Cassie, I says I am most truly sorry

She says, Yer truly sorry an he’s truly dead an his body’s still unner the rock where you left it An I’er who sleeps in oes in New Eden

Vain Ed says, A woman whose man disappears fer no reason is suspect

Cassie speaks with tight care To her skirt, to her sleeves, as she tidies what’s already perfectly tidy You took everythin froonna git froo with you to rescue yer sister He never came back An you didn’t even have the decency to coer Froht

Cassie never liked me, never trusted me, an she never made no bones about it Now she hates ue before, but I’lance to Jack He gives me a what-can-I-do? look Mercy clasps her hands knuckle-white on her lap She cain’t speak up fer otta take this on the chin But her eyes steadyof me, I says I should of come An I meant to, but--

But what? Cassie’s on her feet She squares up to me What? You had somethin better to do? she says

No, I says, of course not I’m sorry, Cassie, I should of come to you as soon as I could

Well, you didn’t, she says You can pack yer I’m sorrys an take ’em to hell with you

If I was you, I’d probly hatehim back It’s no way to honour his sacrifice

Sacrifice! she hisses You dare talk to es an belts me Slaps my face so hard that my head snaps back

Jack takes a step Mercy half-rises I stop ’ehast, eyes wide She didn’t plan to do that Ed’s aroes around her shoulders His jaw dares s I’m seein stars But I welcome the hit an the pain I’ll take thelad I didn’t hafta e, I says I deserved that Please, can we try to work together? I hold out my hand She looks at it She looks at me She’s set her face back to shun

I am sorry, I says I cain’t ever repay what I owe you I cain’t ever ood yer loss, much as I want to All I can do is try not to waste the chance that Braave us I need yer help to do that An, fer now, I believe you need mine Please, Cassie Let’s try this If it works like I hope, you’ll all be able to carry it forwards on yer own You won’t need oes back to theto sit an stare out at nuthin She’s finished with this With me That means the rest of them’s done with me as well I read on Jack’s face what’s all too clear My past mistakes damn me completely What made me think I could win Cassie over? Coerous one If her hatred is hot enough to betrayYer strong, but you believe yer weak I nod a farewell Let’s go, I says to Mercy