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He don’t say a word He jest runs his eyes slowly over in Th’other h me Feel it strain ht red Then he smiles A lopsided, crook of a smile

My fists clench Cocky bastard Who does he think he is?

So I do the same to him I cross my arms over my chest an look hiray eyes in a tanned face High cheekbones, a shadow of beard Crooked nose, like it’s bin broke Lean but strong lookin Like he kno to take care of hisself

Our eyes el? he says

I step to the fence Hook ot tiny white lines around his eyes froe

You ain’t my type, I says

As I turn on my heel an walk away, one of the men cal s out, She sure told you, Jack!

I hear hih

His name’s Jack

Heat burns into me Crawls over my skin A trickle of sweat runs down my chest I pul out the heartstone tucked safe inside e I look at the sky The sun’s dyin in the west The day should be coolin down

But it feels like high noon White hot

Epona makes her way slowly in my direction She does it so’s you wouldn’t notice unless you was lookin out fer it At last she stops a lit le ways of from er

I start with s

I talked to Maev, I says I speak in a low voice, don’t look at her direct

I saw her at the fight today, she says

Looks like we’l be workin together to git out a here, I says

Suits me, she says What’s the plan?

How many Hawks is there? I says

Forty soit ’eit through the Gate past the guards That irls ’ud roups

Maybe they wouldn’t git suspicious if there was a lot a other people tryin to git in at the sain in two days, I says I’ht When people hear the Angel of Death’s on a losin streak, they’l pack the place out The Tonton won’t be able to keep track of who’s couards away from the cel blocks to help keep the crowds unner control

She grins A quick flash of white teeth, a diirl I like the way you think, she says

I’onna run the gauntlet

She gives a lohistle

Oh, I got no intention of dyin, I says That’s where the Hawks coauntlet, th’only people on eether side’s gonna be Free Hawks They’l pul it it, says Epona It’l take a lit le while fer everybody to gger out yer gone but when they do … al hel ’s gonna break loose That crowd ain’t gonna like bein cheated of the Angel’s blood

An while that’s goin on, I says, you’l be escapin froe an …

She looks around the yard, at the rest of the fighters

… the Hawks’l be set in al of these free, she says Then we’l burn Hopetown to the ground You’l help us, won’t you? You know this place an the guards bet er’n anybody