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ab9a089
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Sunlight had a way of showing the realities that shadows born of firelight hid.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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b8f0456
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And we can't afford to miss again. We'll have to literally stab him in the back." "If we do that, the people are going to want us to find the killer." "That won't be a problem." Saldur smiled. "We'll just pin it on someone." "Not another traitor. I'm not sure people will stomach that either." "No, we'll find someone else. Someone without a name, someone unimportant and easy to attach the blame to." "Like who?" "A couple of thieves perhaps--..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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c97bd4d
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You really catch a pig in the dark?
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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e362854
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I think everyone may have underestimated your mother's love for you. Me included.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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64a0731
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They always seem content, don't they?" Hadrian mentioned to Royce as they sat under the canopy of their tent watching the Vintu preparing the evening meal. "It could be blazingly hot or raining like now, and they don't seem to care one way or the other." "Are you now saying we should become Vintu?" Royce asked. "I don't think you can just apply for membership into their tribe. I think you need to be born into it." "What's that?" Wyatt asked..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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275005d
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There," Hadrian said. "Problem solved, and you aren't wanted for murder. Isn't that nice?" "It's only nice not being wanted for murder if you've actually killed someone. Otherwise, what's the point? Besides, what makes you think I'm not wanted for murder?"
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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f6fc010
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What?" Ann asked. "I didn't say anything." "I know. You're just standing there staring. What are you thinking?" "I was wondering if you loved me." She smiled at the mirror, the magical world between the two swans. Amrath imagined it was a beautiful place, a pretty country where troubles never found entry. "I bore you two wonderful children." She kissed the crown of Arista's head. "That was your duty as queen, but do--" "Really?" She paused ..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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3088661
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Say, Hilfred." Mauvin turned to him. "Your father is pretty fair with a blade." "My father is excellent," Reuben corrected. "He's known to be the best sword in the royal guard next to the lieutenant and the captain." "You're talking to a Pickering, Hilfred," the prince reminded him. "That's like speaking to a family of Thoroughbred racehorses and saying your father is the fastest plow horse in the county. Their father"--Alric waved at the b..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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3c7caad
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Hadrian turned to look out at the lake. "I hear they have good fishing." Royce lifted his head to look at him. "You're a very odd man." "You were the one talking about evil geese ."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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4627f1d
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You're too arrogant for your own good," Galien accused him defensively. "The man is an imperial wizard. What he is capable of is beyond your comprehension. For all we know, he may have been visiting her in the form of a butterfly in the garden or a moth that entered her bedroom window each night. We had to be sure." "A butterfly?" Saldur said, genuinely amazed. "He's a wizard. Damn you. That's what they do." "I highly doubt--" "The point is..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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4c6ac91
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The bishop grew old, then just stopped changing. The elderly were like that. Children matured quickly, then hovered briefly in that sweet period of perfectly ripe youth. Soon after, the scourge of age set in like a disease. Hair lines slipped, bald spots revealed themselves, dark hair turned gray, stomachs grew, and skin sagged, but at some point there was nothing else to erode.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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9138e22
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Alric looked at Reuben. "Is he telling the truth? I can have him ripped apart by dogs, you know. I love dogs. We use them to hunt, but they aren't allowed to actually take down or eat their quarry. Always thought that was a shame, you know? I think they would appreciate the opportunity. It could be fun too. We could just let these fools run and bet on how far they can get before the dogs catch them." "I bet Horace doesn't make it to the gat..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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bc7e62b
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She was too proud to eat her share of what little food we had. She told me she had. She swore she did. But every time I complained about being so hungry it hurt, she always offered me a nut or a partially rotted turnip, claiming she had just found two and already ate hers." Rose sniffled and wiped her eyes again. "After she was gone, I left my pride in that little hut and begged my way to Medford. I'd do anything. Once you've spent an aft..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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e7147e6
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It was possible he had no idea his head was gathering material fit for a squirrel's nest; it was also possible he knew and thought it made him more attractive in a rustic, manly sense
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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4927a6b
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Perhaps one of us should talk to him?" Eugene suggested. "If we find out his story, there might be nothing to fear." "Our young apprentice has a point," Sebastian said with enough surprise in his voice to draw a scowl from the younger man. "It's upsetting to have a tiger about and not know if it's hungry. Go speak to him, Eugene." "No thank you. I had the idea." "Well I certainly can't," Sebastian said. "I'm far too talkative. It's a tra..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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094172e
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And sure, you're as skittish as a bloodsucking mosquito, but if you planned on running, why not tell me?
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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a1752ae
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Silent, still, dark, and distant. Far more manageable, less troublesome. People are small; they can be ignored." He raised his head toward the invisible horizon. "The whole world is small at a height like this. Almost makes sense the way it lays out, like watching an ant hive. You never look at one of those and consider the politics, the petty prejudices, and all the vanities that drive them, but it's the same everywhere. The queen has her ..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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7afc780
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Gwen," Etta said, "I don't know what in the kingdom you were thinking when you told us to pack our stuff-you know we ain't got no stuff."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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662c0df
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The sled runners had been replaced by wheels and they traveled on a rutted, muddy road that formed a dark line between two fields of snow that occasionally showed a patch of matted, tangled weeds. Seeing them got her thinking. She wiped her face with the blanket and, digging her brush out of a nearby pack, began the arduous process of clearing the snarls from her hair. She pulled, grunted, and then sighed. Modina looked over with a question..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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68bb0a8
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What do you--" Hadrian shook his head. "You knew? I can't believe you didn't say anything. You just let her take our horses and all our gear?" "What part of 'you need to learn a lesson' didn't you understand?" "You're insane, do you know that?" "Yeah, well you're not the first to bring it up."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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aa4d8f7
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Black Diamond?" Hadrian asked. "Is that the city patrol?" Albert chuckled, and Royce shook his head, looking at Hadrian as if he had dropped his pants in public."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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2fad6d9
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Long is the day in the summertime, long is the song which I play, I will keep your memory in my heart, till you come to me...
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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1e6f50c
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No one said a word for some time. Everyone stared at Hadrian in wonder, including Albert, whose mouth hung agape. It was the duchess who finally found words to sum up their collective thoughts. "Well, aren't you just an astonishment topped with surprises!"
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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0e272e1
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You'll get paid. I'll have my uncle set the money aside. You can pick it up at the castle." "I hope you don't mind if we wait a few days, just to make sure." "Of course not." The prince nodded. "And if we send a representative to pick up the money for us?" Royce asked. Alric stared at him. "One who has no idea how to find us in case he is captured?" "Oh please, aren't you being just a tad bit too cautious now?" "No such thing," Royce replie..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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965e278
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Ancient stones upon the Lee, dusts of memories gone we see. Once the center, once the all, lost forever, fall the wall.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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f05ce0d
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Royce dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to Hadrian. "I'm going to scout up ahead and make sure there are no surprises waiting." He left with surprising swiftness in a hunched run. He entered the shadows of the ravine and vanished. "How does he do that?" Alric asked. "Creepy, isn't it?" Hadrian said. "How did he do what?" Myron stared at a cattail he had plucked just before they left the lakeside. "These things are marvelous, by t..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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4100af1
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Can I tell the ladies you'll be visiting?" Dixon looked back at the cart as if it were a dead body. "If you got some rope, I could clear that chimney for you." "I could get some rope." "Don't buy it. Borrow some from Henry the Fisher at the south docks. He ain't using it today. Tell him it's for me. He'll be..." He looked at her and chuckled. "How about I go get it." "Whatever you think is best." "Best not to send a woman who looks lik..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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6b56669
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The day had warmed, but the rain continued, which Gwen saw as a benefit. Just like with Ethan, the downpour would keep people indoors. Until she was able to get the place sealed up, she felt they were as exposed as mice in a field. While the rain was a nuisance, it had the added benefit of grounding the hawks, allowing her time to dig a burrow. Puppies, cats, ducks, and now mice, why she always thought of them in terms of small animals she ..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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081c3d7
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Reaching a bench, he dismounted and tied Dancer to the arm. "Are you intending to be a student here?" one of the older boys asked, looking him over. Hadrian got the impression from the wrinkled nose that the student didn't approve. The boy had a haughty tone for someone so young, small, and weaponless. "I'm here to see a man by the name of Arcadius." " Professor Arcadius is in Glen Hall." "Which one of these..." He looked up at the colu..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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2790861
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Is he going to be a problem?" Hadrian asked, watching the ex-commander hop into the rain, grumbling. "Parker? No. I just needed to remind him that he's terrified of me."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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4d1525b
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A lot can be determined by the choices we make, even if the action is initiated by self-preservation. Many ... no, most ... of our choices are driven by fear: fear of death, fear of humiliation, fear of loneliness. But it's how we respond to fear that matters. It's what defines us. What makes us who we are. So maybe in your mind you acted selfishly, but I'm alive because of the choice you made. So I'll remember it as an act of kindness and ..
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choices
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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1e0f181
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They left us for dead, didn't they? We told them this would happen. We came all this way to try and save them. You'd think they'd have the decency to let us out when they saw we were right." "Probably think we're behind it. We're lucky they didn't just kill us." "Not sure that's lucky. A nice, quick decapitation is kind of appealing right now." "How long do you think before the Ba Ran find us?" Royce asked. "You in a hurry?" "Yeah, actually..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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778a153
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Fulfillment comes from striving to succeed, to survive by your own wits and strength. Such things make each of us who we are. You lose that in captivity, lose yourself, and that loss saps your capacity for joy.
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satisfaction
fulfillment
liberty
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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6a0cc84
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Hatred. Some people get filled with it and explode. If they survive, they move on. Others just let it dribble out over the years, like a leaky bucket. One day they notice the bucket is empty, and they wonder what had been in it in the first place. Still others use hatred as a weapon, going so far as to pass it onto others-an ugly, unwanted gift disguised as a virtuous heirloom.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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f589ea8
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we'd get out of it." She stared at the huge bell for a moment and then added, "I hate the sound of that bell." A gusty breeze rustled the leaves and threw a lock of hair in her face. She brushed it back and turned away from the oak and the bell. "Over there"--she pointed"
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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09aa624
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You sacrificed yourself to save us; good for you, but you only had to do it once.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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7e1e24b
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In the dark, when night's chill cuts Cold as death they climb the hill Breaking door and windowpane They come to burn, slash, and kill. Shadows pounding on the door They beat the drums of fear Place your faith in Maribor And loudly, so he hears. Waves they crash upon the bow Of withered ship at sea Wind and weather rip the sails There's little hope for thee. Shadows pounding on the hull They beat the drums of fear Place your fai..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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46a2d64
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Hands could be such expressive things.
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hands
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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0b82a93
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But ... but how ... Why?" He started to push up on the bed with his hands and winced. "Calm down," she told him firmly. "You need to rest. I mean it." "I shouldn't be lying down in your presence!" "You will if I tell you to, and I'm telling you to." "I--I just can't believe ... Why ... why would you come here?" "I'm here to help." "You're amazing." "And you're suffering from a flogging that would have killed any man with the good sense to k..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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faaba97
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My name isn't Shirley.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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09176de
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he found his books pitted as the only independent in major competitions such as the 2010 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy and the 2009 Book Spot Central's Fantasy Tournament
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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af519f6
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Any idea which way now?" Wyatt asked. "This way," Royce said. He led them at a rapid pace, then stopped abruptly and motioned everyone into a doorway. Moments later a troop of guards rushed by. Wesley started forward and Royce hauled him back. Two more guards passed. "Now we go," he told them, "but stay behind me." Royce continued along the multitude of corridors and turns, pausing from time to time. They climbed two more sets of stairs and..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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ae148a4
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Where is Esra, anyway? Did you leave him at the river?" "He didn't stop back here?" Royce asked. They shook their heads. "Doesn't mean anything; he'd be a fool to come back to the village. He's likely hiding in the trees." "Assuming he didn't get swept away by the river," Hadrian said. "Why did you leave him?" "He left me with a very don't follow me attitude, which under normal circumstances would ensure that I followed him, but I had other..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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8c08a25
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church people had a strange way about them. They smiled too much, were quick to compliment and support, but behind the stretched lips and soft words was a judgment. No one was ever good enough--at least not until they were dead. The dead were exemplary. Saldur
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Michael J. Sullivan |