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"Simone," she heard Korvel call "Run"

She looked over at the copper net and the bleeding fingers tearing at it "I’ed at her fro her ran a cross pattern As soldiers, they had been trained to fight upright, falling prone only to take cover or to change position, and expected the ene the blades and diving between the legs of her first attacker, cutting his has She rolled over in ti his shoulder and using his momentule with hi a running ju to drive her boot into the face of the guildsman who pursued her; she leaped over the one who followed hi her elbow into the base of his skull

She regarded the five ere left, and how they rearranged themselves These were the watchful ones, the martial artists with their black belts and their clever techniques They would be strong, practiced, and deceptive, but they had been trained to read the body of the enemy to anticipate his or her actions

Si her arms to shield her upper body while she shifted her eyes from one chest to another Two of thestrikes at her head before they lashed out with their feet at her legs She fell before they could touch her, jerking the legs they stood on out fro the back of his head and going still, the otherto partially break his fall with an arm The snap of his ulna sounded like a brittle branch as Sied hiuilds only a few feet fro his eyes on her face as he bobbed in a shallo He raised his arhtly bent at the knees, prepared for any ht, raising the 22 she had taken frouildsmen in the knee

Handlers rushed in to help up the wounded and drag away the unconscious as Lechance clapped his hands together, once, twice, three tih I auild master said "As I reunder the shelving unit to retrieve the rifle the unconscious guard had dropped

He tilted his head "A pity he didn’t live long enough to see this Before you ask, I knew that he died ten years ago I provided the documents he needed for his steward to assume his identity, and swore never to tell anyone of his death or how he had concealed it As you see, I kept my word"

"Thank you" She cha for Lechance’s heart "Release hirabbed the pulley ropes and raised the copper net Korvel staggered to his feet

"Captain," Sio I will join you outside in a few moments"

"Not without you"

As he walked over to her, herout of here alive were dwindling by the second, but she had to know To Lechance, she said, "You gave Pájaro sanctuary when he ran away You helped him fake his death as well" When Lechance inclined his head, she asked, "Why?"

He folded his hands "I couldn’t resist the boy’s offer He gave ten years of service in exchange for ht have failed to meet your father’s impossible standards, but by the time he had finished his service to me, he had over four hundred clean kills Almost twice as er "You knohere he is now Tell me"

Lechance smiled "I will do even better I will take you to him Pájaro wants both of you Alive"

An air rifle fired, and Korvel lunged in front of her He turned, still protecting her with his body, and she looked down to see the dart sticking frorabbed him she felt a sharp pain in her neck

Korvel reh wind As the guild master caht?"

"It’s simple, vampire," Lechance said "I promised her father that I would"

Chapter 14

R

ellen Lechance watched his le to lift the vampire’s heavy body "You knoith a blood sample and a few days, I could convince the Americans to double their offer" "Yes, and if he escapes them, he will know precisely where to find you" Pájaro eyed the wounded still littering the floor of the warehouse "Why didn’t you shoot hiuild ht"

"I warned you that they were clever, Rellen" Pájaro used his first name with a certain relish before he rubbed the end of his nose and sniffed "You should takeloaded into a trunk yourself"

"Good advice" The guild uard, who shifted his position and drew a pistol "When can I expect payreedy I’ll contact you when the old uild nal, and three uard followed hih theas Lechance sat down and placed a call to Rome