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"You’re sure this won’t killthis world You’ll be able to see it; it will not be able to see you Fae can hear us, though, so you must re off every warning alarm in my head I start to pull asp when the chill hits --the stairs, the arcing stone ceiling, even Lord Raen--is bathed in a blue light When I turn my head, the world ripples as if it’s underwater The air in h to threaten frostbite, but it’s not quite as bad as fissuring through the In-Between I can endure this I think

Raen says so I can’t ives him a quick reply, then escortsMicid and I are apart froh it at a different pace, it see Raen and reach the entrance to the storage rooate," Lord Raen says to the two guards, his voice still distant, still hard to understand

I expect them to protest, but the swords we can help you find?"

"No"

The guards exchange a brief look at the curtness of Raen’s response, but they open the door

Raen enters One guard follows him inside Micid and I slip past the other, who frowns after Lord Raen

"Perhaps I can shorten your search,for?"

"A sword"

The fae scans the hundreds of swords slanted in their racks against the wall Cautiously, I urge Micid past hi

"Where’s the inventory?" Raen asks

"Inventory?"

"Yes" Raen’s eyes narrow "You’re guarding these artifacts Certainly you have a list of the ite isthe contents of the storage roouard blanks his expression "Yes, my lord"

I’m face-to-face with him when he abruptly turns Micid pulls oes to my waist It ree to resist the urge to elbow hi as much distance between us as possible, and pull hiuard around the corner"

The ther’rothi nods As soon as Garrad comes into view, he releases my hand I see Micid blur forward for an instant and then the blue glow of the In-Between vanishes The Reals with air It feels like I’ a breath in a sauna

Garrad leaps to his feet His sword is halfway out of its scabbard when it’s suddenly rammed back in The flesh at his throat splits open Blood pours out the deep gash It pours out of his ers into the wall, starts to slide down it, but vanishes into the ether before he reaches the floor

A cold fist clenches in my chest as I watch Garrad’s soul-shadow rise up

Micid reappears

"You didn’t have to kill him" My words are barely a whisper No one was supposed to die

He wipes his blade clean on his sleeve "He would have preventedthe humans’ cell Where is it?"

"You could have knocked him out" Garrad was one of Kyol’s s "The humans, shadow-reader Our ti and nuaze away froet the shock in Garrad’s eyes, but I jab a finger toward the wall I don’t knohat else to do I’h with this