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I roar with anger The red hot kicks in an I’it her on the ground in a leg an arm twist She moans I twist harder Then even harder

Quit! she yel s Quit!

Epona’s first loss She glares hate at e

I look at the front row The girl an her friends is gone

Daht

I’e on the back of the h Hopetown to the cel block Two aruards sit up front an, like always, crowds surround the cart Everyone wants to see the Angel of Death close up The brave ones reach in through the bars an try to touchto their friends later I snap my teeth at ’em an they shrink away, shriekin with exciteh til she’s close beside the cage She’s about olden skin with tiny freckles sprinkled al over She’s huddled inside her cloak, but I can see she’s got curly hair the color of dark copper an eyes green as forest irl I ever seen

You nearly ht, I says

I’irl you beat

Epona? I says Whaddya irl? Who are you?

I’side We’re the Free Hawks

I look closer at who’s walkin beside the cart Three tough-lookin girls, the ones as sit in beside her in the Colosseuh the bars of htly so I can see the crossbow at her side So they’re suards of Hopetown As I look over the crowd, another girl nods at me

So Epona’s a Free Hawk too, I says

She is, says Maev An we’re gonna git her out a here

My heart skips a beat How? I says

I’ht here But in the hter kil ed

The Free Hawks is fighters, I says

The Free Hawks is fighters, I says

Warriors, she says, like you An occasional highway robbers

An you don’t want Epona to lose, I says

That’s right, she says

Wel I don’t wanna lose eether, I says Losers go down to the gauntlet

That’s true, says Maev

Maybe we can help each other, I says

My thoughts ezzackly, she says

Our eyes ives the nod to two girls standin next to one of the aruards They move in on him Suddenly a surprised look crosses his face He starts to slu hiin an disappear into the crowd

You bet er not try that too often, I says Where’re you stayin?