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The sorceress ardly pressing the et his thu all with a stupefied expression

Carrow set Ruby down andmetal appeared between her and Carrow

"Ah-ah, not so fast!" E up the hand she'd just nabbed

"Where the hell did you come from?" Carrow snapped The sorceress had been "uick before her tor"ue had co

"I' this"

Portia traipsed beside her, donning her own auntlets "We like the odds, with all of you powerless E palley

Carrow covered Ruby's eyes just as the man's ide He screamed as the sorceress burned him to cinders

"Re look at the girl, they disappeared

"What did they tell you?" Carrow de pile to the other side of the rooainst the ash "I only have to kill a sorceress to beco anybody!" Carrow said irritably "First of all, you're too young And second, no one's paid you to do a hit We'll talk about this e get ho lady"

"There goes our thu our way out of here" She rooted through a container of weapons, digging out a sword "Good thing I'm handy with one of these"

"I'endary soood weapon of her own, Carrow snagged a short sword and sheath, strapping the latter around her waist Then she stilled "Wait, Lanthe Look at the s bloay"

"You think it's another cha away a shelf to reveal another panel Carroorked the tip of her sword along its border, levering it open a crack Lanthe hooked the edge with her ust of fresh wet air rushed over their faces, blowing their hair A tunnel sloped doard before theot to be an escape route," Lanthe said "Probably goes all the way to the shore"

Carrow scanned the area "But the ground's still "uaking Do we risk the tunnel or the melee outside?" Risk Malkom outside?

"I like our chances in the tunnel," Lanthe said "And Vrekeners hate anything confined and underground"

Even though Malkom had threatened her, Carrow found it difficult to leave hiain Once she got Ruby to safety "Then let's do this Fast" She lifted the girl into her arms "You ready, kid?" When Ruby worried her lip, Carrow pasted on a sot Lanthe andto believe the adventure you're having"

Lanthe added, "They'll be eaten up with jealousy, of course"

"So here we go, kiddo" At the entrance, Carrow s"ueezed Ruby tight, laying a palm protectively over her head "On the count of three One, two, three!" She took off running, with Lanthe just behind them

Dust showered thesfresher!" she called back "Al to right herself "That was a close one - "

Lanthe's screaeway

Carrow skidded to a stop, speeding back to the last corner they'd turned The Vrekener He had his fist gripped around Lanthe's ankle, dragging her bodily back into the s Thronos, her gloved hands digging into the dirt Her sword lay just beyond her reach