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“Think it was so I said?”

We all looked up as Julian shambled in frolisten with sweat, he was covered in a fine grey layer of dirt and dust

He grunted as he sank into the nearest chair Reaching into a small cooler at his feet, Chase threw a bottle of water his way

“Still nothing?” asked Noah

The stonemason nodded appreciatively at Chase, then wiped his hands on his shirt and shook his head

“Maybe it’s a goose chase then?”

I could see by his expression it was a hard pill to s Julian usually spent an hour or ation of the Great Hall Taking apart the walls piece by piece, and rebuilding sections he’d already finished checking

“What ain?” asked Chase “I mean, you never really sat down and told us—”

“It was so,” I cut in “Toward the end, he was taking the walls in that rooether”

“And he never said anything to you?” asked Noah “About looking for anything specific?”

I tried to think back on it, and not for the first ti

“If it were so important, wouldn’t he have told you?”

“Maybe,” I said “Maybe not Travis was usually open withExcept when he wasn’t”

Julian downed the bottle in a single long pull, without co up for air The plastic crinkled as he crushed it in his hand

“What were his last words to you?” asked Chase