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"Am I really that clumsy?" I ask

The leader leans doard uards didn’t see you, and they were under orders to be on the lookout for you Not bad, overall" There’s approval in his voice

Raffe rowl

"You kneas here?" I ask

The guy stands straight again The h to show me details of what he looks like, but he’s tall and broad-shouldered His hair is ed and disreputable by comparison His profile is clean, the lines of his face sharp and defined

He nods "We didn’t know for sure, but the gear in his bag looked like half the supplies that a pairstove but no matches, no pots or pans He has tls, two spoons Stuff like that We figured so half of the supplies Although, frankly, I wasn’t expecting a rescue atteirl No offense s "But tiain "That takes guts Or desperation"

"You forgot lack of brains," growls Raffe "I’ure?" asks the leader

"You need irl like her"

The leader leans back with his ar for soldiers?"

"You used five uy," says Raffe "At that rate, you’re going to need three ar to do here"

The leader nods "You obviously have priorwhat happened when they captured hiuns at you," says the leader

"So ood he thinks he is if he’s been captured before," says Raffe’s guard Raffe doesn’t rise to the bait

"Or maybe he’s special ops, trained for the worst situations," says the leader He pauses, waiting for Raffe to confirht enough to show the leader watching Raffe with the intensity of a atching a rabbit Ora wolf But Raffe says nothing

The leader turns to ry?"

My storowl loudly It would have been funny in any other situation

"Let’s get these folks some dinner" The three men leave

I test my ropes around irl ask for?"

Raffe snorts "They got a lot friendlier once you showed up They haven’t offered me food all day"

"Are they just skittish, or are they really bad guys?"

"Anybody who ties you to a chair at gunpoint is a bad guy Do I really need to explain this?"

I feel like a little girl who did so here?" he asks "I risk getting chewed to pieces by a pack of dogs so you can escape, and then you run back here? Your sense of judgment could use a dash of common sense"

"Sorry, I’ll be sure and never do that again" I’ed us

"That’s the sanest thing I’ve ever heard you say"

"So who are these guys?" Raffe’s super hearing has no doubt gained him a lot of infor on enlisting?"

"I’m not much of a joiner"

Despite his usual handsoht with all those streaks of dried blood running down his face For a el out to daht?" His voice is surprisingly gentle

"I’ht? They’ll be able to tell by then" All that blood with no wound No human heals that fast

The door opens and the smell of stew almost drives me mad I haven’t starved since the attacks, but I haven’t exactly been gaining weight either

The leader pulls up a chair next to ruetables hitsspoonful and stops halfway between the bowl and roan of pleasure at the anticipation for decorum’s sake A pimply-faced soldier pulls up a chair next to Raffe and does the same with his stew

"What’s your na intimate about the way he asks me this question as he is about to feed me

"My friends call me Wrath," says Raffe "My enemies call me Please Have Mercy What’s your nas a flush to my cheeks for no reason

But the leader isn’t flustered "Obadiah West You can call me Obi" The spoon moves away from me just a fraction

"Obadiah How biblical" says Raffe "Obadiah hid the prophets from persecution" Raffe stares at his own suspended spoon of stew

"A Bible expert," says Obi "Too bad we already have one" He looks at me "And what’s your name?"

"Penryn," I say quickly before Raffe can open his " I’d rather not antagonize our captors, especially if they’re about to feed us

"Penryn" He whispers it as thoughit his own I’h I’m not sure why