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“Little Hawk,” he says tenderly He kisses the girl’s face and pushes his forehead to hers, nearly weeping “Little Hawk I thought you were for the dust”

“Diomedes,” she says in a low voice, barely audible from my place on the deck Nearly delirious from the morphone, she reaches up to caress his face as I strain to see it better “My joy What…how are you here?”

“Where else would I be?” He smiles slowly “When a sister is lost, a brother seeks Father sent me, Seraphina”

Seraphina…I know the nalance over at Cassius The names have not been lost on him, and any hope that was in my friend expires

“Father…” she murmurs

Diohtens “Pandora is here as well”

“No…” the girl says with a start She turns to see Pandora standing at the bottom of the ramp Her eyes widen in fear “No”

“Rest now,” Diomedes says “All is well”

She pushes against him “Where is Ferara? Hjornir?”

“Ferara and the rest of the traitors are in the hold,” Pandora says “Breathing Which is more than I can say for your crow He told us your return vector after I took his teeth”

“You old bag of bones…” Seraphina claws to get off the gurney

Pandora looks to a Gold krypteia who shakes his head as he exits the ship, carrying the girl’scloser to the girl “You didn’t co Is it in your teeth? Your belly?”

“I found nothing,” Seraphina says bitterly “I rong”

I glance at Cassius, wondering if this makes more sense to him than it does to me What errand would send her into the Gulf? What would irl violate the Pax Ilium? A trespass that would most certainly mean death…

“Be still, Pandora,” Dio her down into the gurney “Seraphina, Father sent us to bring you hoeons” But she won’t listen Even now she’s trying to rise froet at Pandora He e a syringe into her shoulder Slowly the fight leaves her eyes and she sinks into the gurney The medics try to lift it back up, instructed by the krypteia, but Diomedes stands in their way An aard standoff ensues between Diomedes’s men and Pandora’s