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"And watch hi at Garrick

"Okay," I say, and lead Garrick to a booth in the back of the diner, but I’m not quite sure what I’d do if Garrick tried to bolt Sit on hiot at least twenty pounds on the scrawny kid But from the way he collapses into the booth and rests his head in his aroing to try to make a break for it anytime soon

Haden heads to the counter, and Garrick looks up at me over his elbow "He didn’t tell you the whole story, you know About what happened when his mother died"

"You were ahen he toldHaden wouldn’t have shared his story with ain, Garrick already kneent He’d been there, after all

"I was in and out, but I heard enough to know Haden left out the part when he gave er over the thin white line that mars his pale cheek "He threw a broken crystal chess piece at my face All because I tried to help him clean up after his father left and the servants carried out his mother’s body"

"That’s terrible," I say "But I mean, his mom just died and he was only seven"

"I was only five," Garrick says

"And you were a servant already?"

"I’m a Lesser I was born to serve" He sniffs and rubs his nose in his sleeve "Working in the palace was a lot better than working in the Pits, though I’ve been there since I was seven"

"You work in the Pits With those awful Keres?"

"Thanks to Haden"

"Haden?"

"I bet he didn’t tell you that part of the story, either…"

"What story?" Haden asks, sliding into the booth across fro about?"

"I was just about to tell Daphne what you did to me two years after your , no tune co to upset Haden frooes ashen and a nervous little ainst a table, comes off him "We don’t need to talk about that," he says