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Nick lowered the knife slightly, and the burning of his talisman eased
Gerald ducked his head and smiled, for all the world as if he wanted to make friends
“Should I cut the boy’s throat?” asked the strange ician, who turned out to be a woman
Nick noted her cool, upper-class voice He wanted details to remember her by
“No, Laura,” Gerald ordered “Wait a ”
So Gerald had authority as well as power Interesting
“Nick?” Gerald said in a careful tone, as if talking to a pet who showed signs of turning savage “Would you put down your weapons?”
The ician called Laura snorted “You must be mad Why would—”
Nick smiled slowly “What?” he drawled “All my weapons?”
“Yes Put down all your weapons,” Gerald confirmed, in his mild, patient way “Or we cut Jamie’s throat”
He’d never liked Jamie all that much anyway
That was Nick’s first thought His second thought was that Alan did like Jah, and that there had always been more to Alan’s protectiveness of Jamie than a desire to impress Mae Blond, sunny Jamie was probably Alan’s idea of a proper brother, a real one, the one he could’ve had if his mother had lived Alan would want Jamie safe
Besides, Jamie was Mae’s brother Nick found he did not want to think about how Mae would look if she learned that Nick had let her little brother die
Nick would have preferred not to see Jaiven a choice It was not as if the o if Nick put down his weapons They would only kill Nick too, and then he would have committed a very noble and totally pointless suicide
“We won’t hurt you,” Gerald promised
“Oh, really? On your honor as icians?”
Laura nation, but Gerald kept his eyes trained on Nick’s face
“Black Arthur doesn’t want you hurt Do e ask, and the boy won’t be hurt either”
“Gerald, this is ridiculous,” said Laura sharply
It could be true, Nick thought Even if Arthur had been hunting theht not want Nick killed He was Arthur’s son
He could use that
It was a risk, though The ht just want two intact bodies for the deleam of his knife and then over at Jamie
Laura the ht hold of Ja his head back to bare his throat for her blade The knife was so close to his skin that he could not even tree Ja still, with his back arched taut as a bowstring and his eyes wide, scared and hopeless
“All right,” Nick said “I’ll put down my weapons”
He knelt and put down the knife, then unsheathed his sword and laid it the ground, looking warily up at Gerald as he did so, ready to snatch the sword back up if hewell-pleased with the tribute laid at his feet
He rose slowly, and Gerald murmured, “All of the weapons, Nick”
Nick snapped one knife from his wrist sheath and threw it down Then he reached into his pocket for his switchblade, and drew that out too Gerald’s gaze was fastened on hi any of his weapons down Anything would have been better than this slow, enforced stripping of Nick’s defenses under the eyes of the enemy
He let the switchblade fall out of his open palm He made sure that every weapon he dropped landed within easy reaching distance
He left the knife in his boot and the knife fastened inside his belt and jeans, against his thigh, where they were What Gerald didn’t knowhim, if they were lucky
“Now take three steps back,” Gerald said quietly
That would put Nick across the threshold into the room where Anzu waited, and a safe distance away from the weapons Nick checked over his shoulder and saw that three steps would not bring hi flames
He looked back at Gerald and nodded He took three deliberate steps back
He immediately felt the difference, a sudden sensation as if walls had slammed down all around hi on his chest and squeezing his lungs so he could only breathe in short, shallow pants He looked around and saw that there was a circle of imprisonment chalked onto the floor around him
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Nick lowered the knife slightly, and the burning of his talisman eased
Gerald ducked his head and smiled, for all the world as if he wanted to make friends
“Should I cut the boy’s throat?” asked the strange ician, who turned out to be a woman
Nick noted her cool, upper-class voice He wanted details to remember her by
“No, Laura,” Gerald ordered “Wait a ”
So Gerald had authority as well as power Interesting
“Nick?” Gerald said in a careful tone, as if talking to a pet who showed signs of turning savage “Would you put down your weapons?”
The ician called Laura snorted “You must be mad Why would—”
Nick smiled slowly “What?” he drawled “All my weapons?”
“Yes Put down all your weapons,” Gerald confirmed, in his mild, patient way “Or we cut Jamie’s throat”
He’d never liked Jamie all that much anyway
That was Nick’s first thought His second thought was that Alan did like Jah, and that there had always been more to Alan’s protectiveness of Jamie than a desire to impress Mae Blond, sunny Jamie was probably Alan’s idea of a proper brother, a real one, the one he could’ve had if his mother had lived Alan would want Jamie safe
Besides, Jamie was Mae’s brother Nick found he did not want to think about how Mae would look if she learned that Nick had let her little brother die
Nick would have preferred not to see Jaiven a choice It was not as if the o if Nick put down his weapons They would only kill Nick too, and then he would have committed a very noble and totally pointless suicide
“We won’t hurt you,” Gerald promised
“Oh, really? On your honor as icians?”
Laura nation, but Gerald kept his eyes trained on Nick’s face