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She heard the soft hiss of wild grass, of boots coy mud, but not quite able to conceal the noise The sound was close She trembled, for her back was to it She could not see Her ears strained for clues as to how far back Only one set of boots Good – that gave Colvin a fighting chance Suddenly, she was grateful he had practiced earlier, readying his swordsmanship to face this threat

Part of her back itched, as if its shadoere tickling her She could hear breathing in the stillness, the huff of breath of someone who climbed a hill It reminded her of the smoke shapes and she shivered even more What was she supposed to do? Lay there? What would Colvin do? Her stomach twisted with fear What if Colvin were killed?

Soht owl hooted That was the ed, his body leaping over hers She rolled the other way and sat up, watching him attack The blade whistled down, htning strokes A counter strike, then another block, followed by severalsound The slick, cracking hiss of the blades frightened her Then the attack stopped, and both were circling each other, swords raised to guarding positions Their bodies were shadows in the dark

The pause lasted a h – blade arcing in dizzying circles The defender parried, high, low, high, stepped in and grabbed Colvin’s ar for control, then separated Colvin hobbled slightly, as if the attacker had stoain they circled each other in defensive position, breathing heavily

Lia was helpless What could she do to turn the battle in Colvin’s favor? Nothing would protect her froe of the blade She had no defense, other than distance by keeping away froed the third time – and tripped It rass, or o down, slaain his feet The adversary’s short blade pressed up against his exposed neck It was a short blade, and she recognized it She recognized the scabbard attached high on his girdle

"Yield," he said "I have not come all this way to kill you Lia – are you near?"

The voice The gait The gladius

It was Jon Hunter

"The greatest achievement was at first and for a time only a dream Just as the oak sleeps in the acorn, and the bird waits in the egg, so dreas of realities Beware, therefore, what you dreaiven by the Medium to inspire us by what may yet be Others are planted within us by others, foul seeds, that we harvest to our destruction"

- Cuthbert Renowden of Billerbeck Abbey

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE:

Lia’s Leering

The drink was from a leather waterskin, and yet it tasted to Lia like fresh rainwater froulped, and Jon Hunter yanked it away from her

"Easy, Lia There is little to share" He handed it to Colvin, who still glowered and ed his foot, but took it anyway and sipped

"How did you find us?" Colvin asked, chafing his hands in the dark then put his boot back on

Jon snorted, breaking a piece of bread in half and handed thehtly stale, but soft enough inside to melt in her mouth, while the outside crunched with little seeds It tasted like Pasqua’s bread It was delicious beyond words

"You have no horse?" Colvin asked

"Easier to follow you on foot Easier to hide your trail You took no care to disguise it, so I have followed, concealing it Al the trail They would have caught you by now if I did not rabbed Jon’s arm, just to feel that he was real The leather bracer on his arround nearby "The Alderain, he nodded "I saw you in the village, as you rode away I called out to you, but you did not see ed through his pack again "Oats for the stallion Not much, but he will not starve Lia, the Aldermaston wantedhilanced at Colvin "There was a big argument about that My duty is to see that you make it safely home when it is finished If I do not, Pasqua said she would kill me"