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"It happened once before that, too," he said, and waited

Realization dawned on her face a few seconds later "I’d forgotten Of course, yes But that means--"

"One of the other keys has already been picked up"

Tania’s gaze fell to the floor, as the possible ih her mind Her mouth opened, then closed

"Get soain tomorrow"

Chapter Three

Darwin, Australia

23MAR2285

Despite the hour, and the citywide s, a lively crowd filled the Chō-Han joint Men for the h Samantha could see a few painted women in thedice table The gathered audience for the gah half circle around the tiny ga club

A sake bottle passed between the onlookers Froe point across the street, Sauessed it would be cider, being much easier to acquire or produce

"Some balls these blokes have," Skadz whispered at Sa it"

"They better I paid them to," Prumble said He stood in the darkness on the opposite side of the alley

Saht on his round face The cloak-and-dagger activity in the dead of night seemed to add a hardness to his features that she’d never seen before

"Ah," the big ht, our pious and predictable Jacobite enforcers Drawn from their station like moths to a flame"

"I’d rather be elsewhere," Skadz said "As in now"

"Patience, patience Let the kindling catch"

Whether the crowd pretended not to notice the approaching patrol, or genuinely didn’t, Saah Bets were placed The shirtless dealer waved down the murh the crowd, but she heard him call out the result when the cups were flipped over "Han!"

Roughly half the crowd roared in delight, loud enough to wake those in the cramped apartments above the street Sam could already see a few candlelit s above, shadows of worried faces looking down on the gathering in disbelief Ga in the open like this just wasn’t done in Darwin anymore

There was a flurry of activity as the bets were settled, and then the enforcer’s whistle blew The crowd turned al patrol Sam held her breath in the brief silence that followed Instinctively she appraised the Jacobites A few held riot clubs; one had a wooden table leg studded with nails at the top The leader, the one with the whistle, had a pair of pistols

"Get ready," Prulanced at their destination An alcove, diagonally across the street, where a steel-plated door that was rarely unlocked would now be having its dead bolt turned by Prumble’s contact

When the violence ca of that nasty table leg and a spray of blood Then chaos as sohts Concealed weapons cauard, unused to anyone standing up to them as the consequences ell established

"Go," Prunored the cries of pain co from both sides despite her natural instinct to step in and crack a skull or two Instead she jogged across to the steel door at a half crouch, aware of Pru up the rear Three paces froht inside

And just like that they were in The door closed without a sound, cutting off the light coht bathed the entryway The glow revealed the face of an Asian boy, no uessed He looked bored "This way," he said with a heavy Malay accent

Per soreement, Pruhts of stairs, then down a long hall that ended at an openWithout even a glance back, the kid stepped out theand clae erected between this building and another just a few e creaked and swayed when Prumble stepped onto it Sa out herself

She’d seen thousands of such bridges in the city, but never traversed one They allowed buildings to join forces, or si the need to risk the streets below They also frequently collapsed, a tragedy made worse by the fact that children were usually the runners who made use of them This one,proved anything

More stairs followed A lothard as he kept pace with the boy

"Didn’t you used to ith a cane?" Skadz asked hied "Used to need one"

"What, healed did you? Sohed "Cured of the need to cultivate that particular myth, is all Give credit to Blackfield for that"

Sahs were on fire by the time the kid finally turned and went to a door He stepped aside and used one foot to prop it open, holding out his hand eagerly Prumble fished a candy bar out of his pocket and slapped it into the boy’s tiny palm

The woman in the room beyond looked like a brothel’s couch

She was enoraudy mix of red velvets and patterned silks Her puffy face hid under a veneer of white-powder arishher with broad, colorful antique fans like she was sooddess The whole display was so absurd that Salanced in instinct to the corners of the roo a trap She saw an armed n of taking any action, though