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“If you say so What’s a Pixie doing with a piece like that?”

“If it don’t fit, it’s Howler shit Search him for trackers and let’s ride Fear’ll sort it” The child’s face looks down at ain as I try to speak “Ti I see is his boot co down

THE GORGONS TRAVEL VIA GRAVBIKE The ride is long and covers several hundred kilometers back the way I walked Back into the dah-desert town surrounding a large ravBike as lowColor townsfolk run out to greet the butchers like heroes Children run along as we trail out of the town heading toward the snowline of the mountains

Clouds eddy across the darkening sky as the gravBikes slow to go single file along a mountain track We co hits ain on the head

When I regain consciousness, I am cold and wet The floor is stone I do not open my eyes yet My hands are chained above me, bracketed into the wall of a cave Streams run to either side Hushed voices converse

“He never asks us any questions Never any He just takes so away I told him all I could think of I just wanted it to stop” The man sobs

“Spare us your weeping, Hadrian It’s bad enough already without you bubbling like a Venusian harlot”

“Let hinacius We’ve all told

hi, Hadrian It’s prime, brother”

“He ave me I could feel every molecule as he took…as he…” The words are lost in the sobs

“How uards have you counted, Drusilla?”

“He hoods me every time”

“What’s it even ht now That’s the only reason he’d let us stay together How ht? How many have been retrieved? One—and Orion was so nity at least Soon we’ll be upon the pale”

“Sure, dignity with a nacius”

A beat of silence