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"Who?" he asked, stricken

"Ina and Oboro"

I had heard of the latter He was so the illegal fighting rings in the city People liked hiht fair--had even lost a few times Ina was new to me

"Dead?" I asked

"No bodies have been found, and none of us has felt the deaths occur Though no one felt Role, either" She paused for astill within her ever-present shadow, and abruptly I realized she was furious It was hard to tell behind her jocularity, but she was just as angry as Madding Of course; these were her brothers and sistersI would have felt the same in her position

Then, belatedly, it occurred to s, killing the Madding And Shiny, if he still counted

I got to ; when I took his hands in a fierce grip, he looked surprised I turned to Nemmer and could not help the tremor inus all this Would youand I spoke in private now?"

Nerinned wolfishly "Oh, I like this one, Mad Shame she’s mortal And, yes, Miss Shoth, I’d be happy to leave you two alone now--on the condition that you never call ain" She shuddered in ue "Yes"

She winked, saluted Madding, and then vanished

As soon as she was gone, I turned to Madding "I want you to leave Shadow"

He rocked back on his heels, staring at s here You’ll be safe in the gods’ realaped at me, speechless for several seconds "I don’t knohether to laugh or kick you out of my house That you would think so little of me… that you would honestly think I’d run rather than find the bastards who are doing this--"

"I don’t care about your pride!" I squeezed his hands again, trying to make him listen "I know you’re not a coward; I know you want to find your sister’s killer But if soods kno to stop that person… Mad, what’s wrong with running? You just urged ht? You spent aeons in the gods’ realm, and only, what, ten years in this one? Why should you care what happens here?"

"Why should I--" He shook offathere in front ofme why I don’t leave you behind to face the Order-Keepers and gods knohat else! If you think--"

"It’s you they want! If you leave, I’ll turn ods’ realm; they’ll draw their own conclusions from that Then--"

"Then they’ll kill you," he said That startled oats restore order, don’t they? People are upset about what happened to Role; ods can die They also want to see her killer brought to justice The Order will have to give theone, you’d have no protection at all"

It was true, every word of it; I kneith instinctive certainty And I was afraid But…

"I couldn’t bear it if you died," I said softly I could nothe’d told me months before, and it hurt to say now as much as his words had hurt to hear then "It’s different, knowing I’ll lose you when I die That’s… right, natural The way things have to be But--" And I could not help it; I i, his war, nothing, where the sight of him should be

No I would rather die than allow that to happen

"So be it," I said "I’ve killed three men It was an accident, but they’re still dead They had dreams, maybe faht that I repay? As long as you’re safe"

He said a word that rang of fury and fear and sour chiainstaway, and belatedly I realized that I had hurt hiation was his nature; altruism was its antithesis