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Hettie would be waiting for him at the back of the temple He rushed down the opposite slope of the tiles and then kicked off the edge, leaping high into the air, breathing in deeply to add to his flight He soared like a raven over the wall, swooping down, his lungs aching to release the breath Down he glided, co behind a shed nearby

He dropped down next to her, startling her with his sudden appearance He loved doing that

"The Cruithne from the towers," Hettie whispered "He must have hired the Preachán to follow us here"

"Little doubt of that," Paedrin said, squatting His eo back there and fight He wanted to hurt so at him in concern

She was Romani herself He stared at her face, unable to quell the wave of nausea and antipathy for her people "Master Shivu is dead He was poisoned" He let the word hang in the air between them "Because I took that Romani man’s knife The man who stabbedwith suppressed feelings "I am so…"

He held up his hand curtly "Please Spare me your sympathy"

She looked at hiain a little better understanding of why all your little sayings were hard for me to accept"

Paedrin frowned, anger throbbing in his heart "Do notThey may be of little worth to you, but they are still a better way to live"

"It is a hard task to co You have not run out of thelared at her

"No But at least you knohere to start looking for the te is half the work"

Paedrin’s heart was anguished, and he dipped his head, trying to hed heavily "Part of et out of this city easier I can travel faster without you I’m not fully convinced I can trust you"

"The problem with you, Paedrin, is that you have always talked too ht in your head to know they are there" She held up her hand and pointed at her finger "Yes, you can leave etting captured" She flicked one finger down "You can get out of the city easier But can you do so without escaping notice? There are Finders ill be tracking us I can help there" She flicked another finger down "You can travel faster without me Very true Any man can hasten to his own death It may require both of us to claim the sword One to distract and the other to steal it That is how the best thieves do it" She lowered the third finger "You cannot trustthe bell if trouble ca for you here I was"

It left a final finger in the air She looked at hi, you did not elands But I think that it would be wise to not have to rely on it alone If I use it too o mad, you see If I don’t use it, Iour journey, that you er came down and then she opened her palm to him, an offer of almost submission

He blinked at her in surprise "Teach you?"

Her expression was carefully guarded "If you would"

He rubbed his htfully "You are serious"

"There is h it pains me to adratified his pride that she asked hi her the Bhikhu ways and to school her in pain Was she trying to manipulate him? He would have to test it

"Bhikhu don’t eat , not just the fighting I won’t train ain his eyes firmly "I will eat what you eat I will do what you bid me to do Will you teach ive

He stared into her face, amazed at how fa, but the shared experiences had given theht bond "Not even a rabbit"