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“Listen to ic’s shining fingers stroked up his jaw “You don’t have to die I can save you”
“Can you?” asked Merris, her voice very calm “And ould you want in return?”
There were sparks of goldenout too
“A truce The Market isn’t getting anywhere fighting ht is what you care about either The Goblin Market is a business, and I have no quarrel with that Stop selling talis off their ic in your market that you don’t dream of now All I want is to remove a nuisance from my life”
“And all I want is to rees,” Sin panted “Is that wrong?”
She and Alan were both breathing hard, their knives taking on so to bend backward in their hands Gerald esture, palm up, and for a old The knives flew out of their hands Sin and Alan were both knocked onto their backs
The child in Mae’s arms screamed Merris Cromwell moved forward to meet Gerald
“Think it over,” Gerald told her, s “You knohere to find me”
Sin was on her feet already, dancer-swift She paused as she passed Alan and then gave hiritted his teeth, and hauled himself up with her help Mae saw his shoulders set and his refusal to flinch
They fell on Gerald like wolves, bringing him down at Merris’s feet Gerald struck out with a fistful of ic, and Alan made a hoarse sound Sin put a knee in Gerald’s stomach and leaned down hard, her knife pointed at his throat Her robe was red ribbons attached to her neck and wrist, strea out like blood-colored banners Beneath was a white shift, streaked with blood and dirt, rising and falling fast as she panted out, “I’nized as a killing blow
Gerald threw ic at her chest, and Sin fell back with a scorched smell in the air Mae started forward
“Mae, no,” Sin yelled “Toby—”
Mae halted her charge and hung on to the howling child hard to stop herself fro in anyhow
Gerald was on his feet again So was Alan, a knife in hand and then in Gerald’s shoulder
“He’sup
Alan’s eyes narrowed “I’ to share”
“I didn’t want to have to do this,” Gerald told them quietly
The cold note in his voice had Mae turning fro aith her back to hi the baby
Soround, trying to guard Toby, and found Sin on top of her with her hair co around Mae’s face
“Shh, sweetheart, , it’s okay,” said Sin, and Toby unclenched his fat, clinging fists fro and snotty, to grab at Sin Sin detached herself froround with her arms around her brother
Better her than ht, and cla
Alan had another knife in hand, driving in toward Gerald’s gut Gerald sent a bolt of ave a low screaround
Sin swore, shoved Toby at Mae—oh, not again—and ran back to theain in her ear
Merris Croe ceremonial knife in her hand Mae slackened her pace a fraction, relieved, and then saw Merris step back, lowering the knife
Gerald said one last thing to Merris that Mae could not catch, and turned and ran
Alan seized up one of his throwing knives frorass
Merris shouted, “Don’t kill him!”
Alan threw and missed Gerald disappeared over the crest of the hill Sin ca back to where Alan stood, seized hiet him?”
“Merris said not to kill hie, and guns don’t work, so—”
“So why didn’t you run after him?” Sin demanded, every inch the princess of the Goblin Market
Alan’s voice in response was a low snarl “And how do you suggest I do that?”
Mae’s step slowed She didn’t want to be there She didn’t want to see Alan’s face as it looked right nohite and soht in a moment of pure, furious despair
“I—” Sin said, and stopped She let her hand fall from Alan’s arm
“Don’t worry, Cynthia,” said Alan, looking down at her “I take it as a cootten for a ”
He didn’t sound as if he was taking it as a compliment He sounded tired and bitter
Mae reached them, and she smiled at Alan a little desperately He transferred his attention to her entirely, s back, and Sin turned away and snatched Toby out of Mae’s arms as she went
The absence of the baby was an enormous relief Mae’s face must have made that very clear, because Alan actually looked amused
“Don’t tell ”
With Gerald gone, the alliance against the ician was lost Sin was at Merris’s side, Toby cradled to her chest Merris and Sin were staring at Alan, both of theh they looked nothing alike In the space between therass was stained with blood
“There’s nothing else I can do?” Alan asked
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“Listen to ic’s shining fingers stroked up his jaw “You don’t have to die I can save you”
“Can you?” asked Merris, her voice very calm “And ould you want in return?”
There were sparks of goldenout too
“A truce The Market isn’t getting anywhere fighting ht is what you care about either The Goblin Market is a business, and I have no quarrel with that Stop selling talis off their ic in your market that you don’t dream of now All I want is to remove a nuisance from my life”
“And all I want is to rees,” Sin panted “Is that wrong?”
She and Alan were both breathing hard, their knives taking on so to bend backward in their hands Gerald esture, palm up, and for a old The knives flew out of their hands Sin and Alan were both knocked onto their backs
The child in Mae’s arms screamed Merris Cromwell moved forward to meet Gerald
“Think it over,” Gerald told her, s “You knohere to find me”
Sin was on her feet already, dancer-swift She paused as she passed Alan and then gave hiritted his teeth, and hauled himself up with her help Mae saw his shoulders set and his refusal to flinch
They fell on Gerald like wolves, bringing him down at Merris’s feet Gerald struck out with a fistful of ic, and Alan made a hoarse sound Sin put a knee in Gerald’s stomach and leaned down hard, her knife pointed at his throat Her robe was red ribbons attached to her neck and wrist, strea out like blood-colored banners Beneath was a white shift, streaked with blood and dirt, rising and falling fast as she panted out, “I’nized as a killing blow
Gerald threw ic at her chest, and Sin fell back with a scorched smell in the air Mae started forward
“Mae, no,” Sin yelled “Toby—”
Mae halted her charge and hung on to the howling child hard to stop herself fro in anyhow
Gerald was on his feet again So was Alan, a knife in hand and then in Gerald’s shoulder
“He’sup
Alan’s eyes narrowed “I’ to share”
“I didn’t want to have to do this,” Gerald told them quietly
The cold note in his voice had Mae turning fro aith her back to hi the baby
Soround, trying to guard Toby, and found Sin on top of her with her hair co around Mae’s face
“Shh, sweetheart, , it’s okay,” said Sin, and Toby unclenched his fat, clinging fists fro and snotty, to grab at Sin Sin detached herself froround with her arms around her brother
Better her than ht, and cla