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Aren says soated-fissures opening I assu directly home or to their base or camp or wherever the hell it is they stay That leaves me alone with Aren, one on one,are that et

Aren presses soht hand I don’t have to see it to know it’s an anchor-stone, one that’s probably still glowing from his imprint

"Do you knoill happen if you drop this?" he asks

"I’ll be eviscerated into a hundred billion pieces of flesh and plague your nightround with a light thump I wait for him to bend over to retrieve it, but I don’t hear or feel hi moment "There are less painful ways to die"

"You need me alive" My voice is steady My heart rate, however, is not The lightning from his touch radiates up and down my arm

"You’re sure about that?"

"You wouldn’t have savedht now He went to a lot of trouble to keepsplat He has to wantas he thinks I ht do it, I should be okay I think

His hand slides from my elbow to my shoulder "Pick up the anchor It’s by your left foot"

I sink down to get away fro heat of his touch and pat around the dew-covered grass until I find the stone It’s so very te to chuck it as far away as I can, but I’m not suicidal and Aren, son of Jorreb, is the Butcher of Brykeld

"You won’t be eviscerated if you let go of the anchor," he says, pulling ht "You’ll be lost in the In-Between"

And with that, he yanks s and crystallizes It feels like I’ve dropped through the surface of a frozen lake It’s so cold hereOnly my mind functions, and it can only focus on the heat of the anchor in ht I don’t reht I’d rather be squeezing his throat

Supposedly, traveling via fissure, whether gated or not, is instantaneous, but I swear it lasts ten to fifteen excruciating seconds That’s plenty of time for me to know I do not want to stay in the In-Between one ates, especially without Kyol

As soon as the ice releases me, I knoe’re in the Real into an apple, and the athter Or maybe it’s me that’s heavier I’ in this land anyand aard, like I stick out And I do Here in the Realinate fro are white instead of blue I’ll get used to theht now I’m more than uncomfortable I’m pissed