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"He never speaks of it," Cinq said "But I know he doesn’t blame you for it None of us do We all carry scars of the past, but now most of us are quite happy"

"How can you be, after what my father did to you?"

"We chose to be, sister," Cinq said gently "When I’row roses Vingt likes to scream at crowded arenas and chase skirts all over the world Neuf is a pediatrician in Haave him "Oh, yes I’ve visited his clinic His little patients adore hiive her father for the heartless brutality he had inflicted, but knohat he had done for her brothers acy a little easier for her to bear At least they had nor"

"We haven’t" His expression grery "We maintain our oorkout routines at hoarrison"

"You’re not a garrison You’re ether and blinked "I can’t believe you’re all still alive I’ve missed you so much"

He came over and put his arm around her shoulders "Now you should tell me the rest"

"Pájaro stole the Scroll of Falkonera froave hi to Jamaica before she added, "He had the scroll in his possession until he left France yesterday I think he must have handled it several times"

Cinq, who had witnessed what had happened to one of the handlers who had tried to steal the scroll, shook his head "You don’t have to fight hi"

"I’ht Pájaro" She turned and sorted through one of the drawers until she produced a pair of scissors "I cae for my freedom, I swore that I would"

"I knoe are here to defend you," Cinq said "What did he demand of you?"

"I promised him that Helada would never die," she said as she handed him the scissors "Now, if you would, brother, please cut off ot out of the car and walked up to the gates of Winter Cove He could smell Simone in the air everywhere here, as if the tropics had made her blooates by wrenching the theot back into the car "So are a bunch of other hu that feels like the scroll"

"You are not to touch anything," Gabriel told her "In fact, you are to stay in the car With the doors locked"

"In case you forgot"--she turned around and braced her arms on the top of the seat--"you need me to find her No, Captain," she said to Korvel "Not the house Other way She’s near the water"

Korvel drove as far as he could in the car, and then stopped it when they reached an irove of pallinting threads he could see shadows

Nicola leaned forward "Holy cow Some of those webs are like ten feet tall"

"You should reot out "My lord, I will scout ahead"

"We work together, Captain" Gabriel eyed his sygkenis as she joined theot over it Plus, three Kyn are better than two, baby" She focused on the area ahead of the in the trees and the brush There’s another group of humans headed our way, maybe a dozen, but they won’t be here for a while They’re on foot, about four o around"

"Wait" Gabriel’s eyes began to glow "I can clear out theto help you do that?" Nicola eyed the webs overhead "The spiders?"

"No" He smiled a little "The sand fleas"

Korvel watched as the speck-size insects began hopping up through the grass toward the hidden men "They are harmless"