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Hawk’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully His body tensed and he stifled an oath when he saw Rushka, who had been standing silently beside therowled, closing his hand around the Rom’s arm

Rushka stopped and his brown eyes rested on the Haith deep affection and deeper sorrow "We had hoped he wouldn’t come, my friend We took all the precautions … the rowan crosses The runes I did everything I could to prevent it"

"Who wouldn’t coritted Every inch of his body was suddenly alive All day so that he take action, and now it exploded to a fever pitch in his blood He’d like nothing ? The thunder of approaching horses rumbled the earth behind him

"He comes" Rushka tried to retrieve his ar a boulder froht have been easier

The clip-clop of horses’ hooves canted up the ridge, drawing nearer

"Talk todown at Rushka "Now"

"Hawk?" Lydia asked, worried

"Hawk," Tavis warned

"Hawk" His wife’s husky voice cut through the night behind hiaze locked on the elderly Rom who’d been like a father to him for so many years A flicker in thewas happening Do not look at your wife, Rushka’s eyes were saying He could see her, mirrored deep in the Roed his furious gaze from Rushka He turned on one booted heel, slowly

His wife And next to her, upon the Hawk’s own black charger, sat Adam Hawk stood in silence, his hands fisted at his sides The ridge was eerily still, not one child peeped, not one crofter breathed so much as a whisper or troubled e smithy and his Rom friend Rushka hite as new-fallen snow His brown eyes were huge and deep, his lean body rigid He did not return the greeting, but cast his eyes to the ground, signing those strange syht have realized that it hasn’t helped so far, old h it did asped "What sacrifice?"

No one answered her