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Isana took a pair of quick steps back, pressing Odiana along behind her, and lifted her chin "I&039;ve always thought you a pig, Kord, but never an idiot Do you think you&039;ll get aith a killing, right here in Garrison&039;"

Kord laughed, a rough sound "In case you didn&039;t notice, they&039;ve got bigger fish to fry I just walked right on in like all those other fools who came to die here "

"It doesn&039;tthat one of us doesn&039;t get to you when you try it "

Kord laughed again, the sound of it dry, rasping "One of you Which one would that be? Come here, bitch "

Isana faced him evenly and did not erous "I said come here "

"She can&039;t hear you, Kord I saw to that"

"Did you&039;" His eyeswolance, haunted eyes widening

"No," Isana said, though she knew the words were useless "Don&039;t look "

But Odiana glanced up at Kord The round in front of hih to activate the discipline collar Odiana let out a sudden breathless shriek and fell to the ground, clawing at the collar Even as she did, she struggled against her own convulsing body to crawl closer to Kord, to obey the coiven her Isana reached down to hold her back, but the sudden wave of terror and unbearable anguish that washed up through that touch nearly blinded her, and she stuh and took a step forward, taking the woman&039;s face in his hands "That&039;s better," he said "You be a good girl I&039; to break your pretty neck and then put that collar on Isana Hold still"

Odiana whiainst him

"Kord, no!" Isana shouted

The door suddenly rattled on its fraain, as though soet in and hadn&039;t expected to find it bolted Kord whirled to face it

Desperate, Isana cast the globe of the furylamp in her hand at Kord It struck the Steadholder in the back of the head The furyla into brilliant light for a one The interior of the warehouse sank into darkness, and Kord began to curse viciously

Isana sed her terror and hurried forward, through the darkness There was a horrible, franticfor Odiana&039;s whiers found Odiana&039;s hair first, and she dragged the slave woot the wo her farther back into the warehouse, hoping that she an to whimper, and Isana clapped one hand firmly over the worowled Kord&039;s voice, from somewhere in the dark, back toward the door "You&039;re just drawing things out We both kno this is going to end"

Isana felt a ripple in the ground beneath the wooden floorboards, but knew that Kord&039;s fury would have difficulty locating theh the ice She continued to draw Odiana deeper back into the warehouse, until she buainst the back wall She felt her ith her hands, and though the predawn light was showing through cracks in the wall, there still was not enough light to see She pressed the woman down into the dubious shelter between two crates, then lifted Odiana&039;s own hands and pressed them over the woed to nod Isana drew her hands away from the woman and turned to face the darkness

"Come on, Isana," Kord said, his voice more distant "The collar&039;s not so

bad Once you put it on, you won&039;t have any ood part of it, too I&039;ll do that for you"

Isana sed, revolted, and debated her options Simplest was to shout for help There were hundreds of people within Garrison Surely some would hear her

Surely But at the sa her position away to Kord She did not kno long it ht take help to break down the barred warehouse door, but it surely would not take Kord long to break her neck Though it made her seethe with frustration, she could do little but remain silent and try to find a way to escape the warehouse or to deal with Kord directly She crouched in the darkness and struggled to think of other options

The ground rumbled and shook for perhaps a minute, and then there was a sudden round of cheers and blowing horns from outside Useless She didn&039;t knohat had happened, but she would never be heard over that din She had to find out where Kord was and either circle out to open the door or attack him herself-and that would be er than she She could loose Rill on hih? No, such a confrontation was a last desperate resort

A calculated risk, then She took a breath and tried to keep her voice , to better conceal the direction "You think that will make me happy, Kord?"

His reply came from much nearer to her, perhaps down the saet that on you, whatever I want makes you happy"

"I suppose aback, trying to circle around to another row to slip past hi to et my hands on you" His voice was on the move as well

Froround, as of thousands of feet striking it Horns blew the signals to engage, and Isana knew that the Garrison was under attack

Kord spoke again, and his voice came from not ten feet away from her, in the darkness, so close that she could suddenly feel the cloud of rage and lust around hier fish to fry Leaves me all alone with you"

She didn&039;t dare reply Instead, keeping her movements as quiet as she could, she ainst the crates there If she strained, she could hear Kordslowly down the row of

crates, within a long arainst her, the churning ly emotions It drew even with her, and she held her breath as it crept on past, the pressure on her senses slowly changing, as though so warm and moist brushed over her left cheek, then her ht cheek, as Kord crept past

But he hesitated there, and Isana held her own position Had he sensed her, somehow? Did he know she was there?

"Smell you," Kord ood Makes ry"

Isana held her breath

Heacross her cheek, ain, as he moved back toward the door She lost hie of what her crafting could feel

But it came to her, suddenly, that she had a weapon he did not His fury th, but he would not be able to use it to see His power could reach no farther than his own fingers But she could use her own crafting to locate hier How could she extend it?

By provoking hihter blaze, he would radiate theerous plan, indeed But if she could pinpoint where he was, she could slip past hio for help

Sheanother at randoain "Do you knoe escaped, Kord?"