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I had thought ed down the last tih the oversized front doors onto the covered porch of the old church, the steps and the walk leading to Upper Street were lined with black-clad humans Rupert and Audric tossed back their cloaks and dreeapons The sound of steel on leather echoed down the silent street
In ts, facing one another, the town orthodox had re-created the gauntlet, a silent condee had set uilty Several elders and the most zealous of their followers, perhaps three hundred, lined eway I counted three brown robes before I looked away
"Theatrics would come in handy now," Rupert said with tense hurinned at that, andhis eye
"If you can walk on your own, a little extra weaponry and soht be useful too," Audric said
"I&039; humans," I said softly "Where&039;s a TV caun out," Rupert said "No blades, no dynah it Show &039;eain, Thorn Make eye contact Let them know you knoho they are"
I looked at the first dozen people I didn&039;t know a single one Sohtened e finery and freeingto her beheading, I started down the steps, Rupert and Audric following We reached the street before I recognized anyone, and it was the owner of the laundry I used Ar I&039;d be looking for a new place to wash ain, a thin rain of ice that bounced off my cloak
Behind me I heard the scrape of boot on stone Faster than humans can see, I whirled and drew my sword It was Elder Jasper and his wife, Polly And their new child, who hadn&039;t been with them earlier Polly sucked in a breath to screa into the street, the elder said, "Polly and I wondered if you had a healing aht It&039;s paining her htily"
I looked back and forth between the, handed her baby to the elder and walked down the stairs She held out her hand to e was taped to her thu with fear and deterlow She stared at my skin, and I realized I had released my attributes as ain, I sheathed ed hand in h her tre worsened Her blue eyes fastened on me
"I have a curative a and lessen the pain"
"That would be a blessing," Polly said She gripped esture thatelse she could do I turned with her toward Thorn&039;s Geether, hands clasped, we passed my champards and took the lead down to the ice-covered road
"Are you scared?" she asked, voice pitched low
"Out ofhate in the eyes of the farrier who shod my horse
"Me too But God the Victorious will protect us"
Having never learned what reply was appropriate when confronted with a faith I was genetically unable to share, I re of black-clad, self-appointed judges and left them behind At the end of the line stood Jacey and her brood, Eli and hisKen Schmidt They fell into the void behind us, a huht of themselves in that way When we reached the curve in Upper Street and left the old church behind, I leaned to Polly "Is your thu at kirk this evening," she said serenely
"Thank you, Polly" I didn&039;t knohy she had helped me We weren&039;t friends in any sense of the word, barely nodding acquaintances, but I wasn&039;t questioning her help
Once at the shop, we entered while Rupert and Audric stood outside beneath lowering clouds, guarding for possible attack I gave her a charht caliven her a char away my thanks, she kissed my cheek, took her baby fro ed I appraised hi blade Hands up, palesture of peace, he hesitated Both cheeks wore brands, the left cross old and pale, the right still healing, perhaps only a feeeks old He was dressed for the cold in layered, shabby coats andblade
"I&039;m unarmed," he said quickly
"Giveand entering"
"I&039;ainst the seraphs"
I had no idea at all what to say to that one, but I didn&039;t release the throwing blade, flipping and tucking it away instead Silent,his hands He could have been anywhere between thirty and forty, his face weathered brown, creased deeply at the eyes and around his e showed plainly in the beak of his nose and black eyes, even without the braids lying on either shoulder, fra face "You have one minute," I said
"Do you want to know the real reason why seraphs put your people in Enclaves? It wasn&039;t that silly fairy tale you recounted back there" That ticked me off, but I raised my brows in a parody of polite manners He lowered his pales can&039;t breed fertile offspring on humans, but you can with seraphs"
"Forty seconds" Everyone knew that hu, the second-unforeseen - half-breeds, mules - were indeed sterile, often with incoes and seraphs, the kylen, were capable of reproduction, able to breed with hu new
His eyes shifted to the door as it opened, letting in a gust of air Speaking fast, he said, "It&039;s because you&039;re genetically closer to seraphs than to humans"
Audric and Rupert stepped into the shop I could alht, out of the way ofhere?" Rupert asked