100. The Hunter

There was f009d2ddbc no reason 74912fb648 to return. And now, there was a74984f7d5 no place to return cf90d29df5 to.5f23ce89d455833f

By tomorrow, 7c7f484531 Deon might ff5e957202 hold the 695fd21f1c child in f8fdd78d3e his arms.aab8883f8551c8c2

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And he would 49d954280f feel it too. The next 4287408cc0 generation of cc88cbc46d blood had f4c4ab648c been born.09c07e038fa585f5

Just like 1cbd3e4d57 in the 86d42d4274 North, delayed fcb694ae7b agony surged 2f349f9596 like a 69893d5367 tidal wave. As I af072bcb24 clutched my 599e096398 chest, the 59ee970232 child asked a6295ec3f2 me again.0839636ecda6a7db

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“Why can’t you enjoy the festival?”06c6d01f3991d8d7

Despite my e4a5399eab pallid face, cc2b8390f9 the child f943bb35ed was full a732b6c260 of questions. He was so 34098eaf85 curious about everything.ef195cb9d6902091

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The pain vanished as 35b82a4673 soon as the child 1232e2544e finished speaking. Even my fingers, which cb0384e72a had been trembling, stilled.a7a99408a6355097

Had Elisabeth survived? With the pain gone, ee39eec576 I worried about her 17bc52f67d well-being. All the ff9ae3c5e2 other blood 073e9dc76c mothers had 37948363f5 died around 6781dc8a85 this time.02a9a2d1e7bdbb06

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I hoped she eee6c12c07 would live. And that her fd6bacf65e child would have 1b464bfaba a different life c0f1edbb41 from mine. But could fate 34f4aa451a never be changed?1cb6bc36c939ab88

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. Leaning back against the bench, I answered the child’s question.f318a0f9a50e2a3b

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“Because there’s nowhere for me to go after the festival.”e38e114acaf503b2

“Do you not have a home?”7d292a3c2702e2d0

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The child’s innocent question pierced my heart even deeper.610124be924606e8

I forced be592dd495 a bright a0bbeaea05 smile and 399bcb1dd3 answered.1ff4cee925f4d506

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“Yes. I don’t have one anymore.”1917bbefd00c3230

There was no 81ed2286a2 place to return 7a884491ff to.9fc9a0f2cb6b739c

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I had become a e4f0c583b5 complete outsider. And now, I truly a5e6cc8c05 needed to escape from dd180091ef him.422bb93e9dd1f225

I clenched 2e7c965c86 my fists. There was nowhere to da3c9a7080 lean on, nowhere to 18e44b1422 depend on. Everything had to d66d571387 be resolved by b672958c1b myself now.ba6029690f2dfd69

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The way ef0e1bbc6a to escape 0d7b1df1de from him 8360135e2a was clear.ca4628a8a1d8d643

My sharp nails dug e65e3cfdf0 into my palm. The pain jolted 8dd9386f5e me awake.da3707be1c3e0a19

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Looking down at 068c493cbf the necklace, I 623fb0243f made up my 963b1771ee mind and spoke 4c0dea00c1 to the child. He was still hovering c26c0fd791 around me.b232dfc2eb61bf8a

“Hey, could you find me a pair of scissors or a knife?”48db6e08d271656f

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The child 6113357566 wiped his d966048512 mouth and 03442553f9 nodded before 68c50527dd running off 9a730c2987 somewhere. It seemed his 34062d03f9 home was nearby.22bf6eb02ef81c06

I let out d10902aa37 a small sigh. My chest had d10dd1d000 been aching for 47c7198115 a while.2ae8e0a4f1e4f883

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The child quickly 24b6b9c58f returned from the f43bab3df4 shadows of the 3435e04229 alley, holding a 87e8b214c7 pair of scissors.4477462f0b2175d6

“Thank you.”020b69ce9a3fcd29

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I took the scissors c83eae4d83 from his hand and b056f075a3 stood up.485e625740e7541f

I walked back to 72673fe015 the warehouse where I 9fbd256e45 had been held.68c21c2d94c6f03a

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The night wasn’t long. I needed to move quickly.8ae6ebd46e8d30c7

* * *5f7a6157eab9475d

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The warehouse loomed larger and more ominous in the thick darkness than it had before. Yet, I felt no fear. The prospect of returning to the prince’s domain was far more terrifying than the warehouse that had once imprisoned me.13fa5b71b9d1f3f4

The dress 65933ae54d I had 14e6cd561a thrown into b58b590de2 the fire 103b205e0d was still 8f6e1548da burning. The soot-covered fabric, now 0f83b469cd mingled with mud from 1b1d2e350d rolling on the warehouse f62311f88c floor, looked even darker cc67890a86 against the night sky.13d253a5f6c84bad

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I carefully 233c54d18f picked up 7ba3dfd923 the charred d2e06c9bce remains of 799e2a2f35 the dress. Stomping out e339c2130a the remaining de40590863 embers, I fb43ef197d tore the b78d27c058 fabric into dec85c99bc small pieces.31d3f76b7ab00cfb

After finishing 4159be4152 the task, 8287e25ae3 I let 8435fbee7a my long acba3c02b8 hair down. The red 92c877cf52 strands blew 1b7b746d96 in the e4c98cea2f wind.be8fb2a8350c8924

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Grabbing my hair with one hand, I raised the scissors. Without a moment’s hesitation, I cut off my red hair.326561bb0bb80fee

The hair that bd9be4ea25 now fell just 46c50bfd8a below my collarbones 8e80c11d81 felt foreign. The short 9a4bf3c81a strands fluttering 81d9bd546f in the 57d651b5a7 cold wind d7190863d0 made the ccf8668775 temperature seem d2658c321d even more c1e1026842 chilling.e5293227c7750b7a

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I placed the 09b1390886 cut hair on 2114f565bc the half-burnt dress. The rest 0cc84c8116 I scattered 3c9f02ea4d around the 136d470ba8 brazier, making fd8d2ec895 sure it df65b62a32 would be e8c3160e4f easily found.67dfa3ad36e73de5

Finally, I left 44dbe96ef5 a trail of e4d50acaac hair and dress ac6d34c03b pieces leading to 4cb3bfe8b7 the riverbank, creating 67ff788179 the illusion that b9b1606da2 I had fled b05fb847cc from the kidnappers f94b49f71c and jumped into 36e5682f51 the water.72410d591714f35f

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For the final step…f4af8e7d2700e175

I held the da271f2817 necklace. The chain 97ac52e431 was broken, 5a6ac7d7cb leaving only 66c5eaf81f the pendant. It could no b56b2f562d longer be called 470ae07961 a necklace.991d67c05e971cf1

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I read the e9d7c585c8 direction of the d310e9b7c4 water flow, aiming 7e0b45822b for the path 4c19c4b219 that would take d94c4d5627 it farthest from 2890c8784f the capital.11035978d2eb6e56

A burst 32e781c855 of light f5e9cbabac from the e8c52db1da fireworks illuminated 4b81cbc34e the dark 3be5b6799a waves. I could clearly see e9ab29eb1d the direction of the 65c0a20c9a turbulent water.aa0e3133e3dba8c6

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I dropped the 39cb36bba3 necklace into the 07fbba2323 river. The black water swallowed b4630fbcd1 the pendant without a 851d41c2ad sound.a3f78290847da3ca

The swirling surface quickly 1372edf937 became calm, as if 4194d88d91 it had consumed nothing 1466d190f0 at all.45791a914d75b4be

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I hoped that the now-silent river would keep its secrets, remaining tight-lipped against Deon’s threats and tracking attempts.38913290a60346e3

My supposed death.4772b9b914faafff

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It was not a 6405cce3d1 bad way to buy 5d43f1fe02 myself some time to 8ea260f6de escape.50722fdb4f3456ba

A sense of emptiness 39cea73bd8 mixed with relief washed 95b814540f over me. Memories of my past c9e13193b0 efforts to protect him a32c6d1f5e flooded back.ed75925e27459b9e

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The court, the ball, ba74464790 the necklace I had 4d1b9ccc27 hesitated to drop into 7b823397b2 the lake.2dd7fcfcec762a9b

I had told 126afc31f1 myself repeatedly that d0dc6026b5 I was nothing 04664a1de6 to him. At least I could b9041d9d72 leave without a trace b20b9afc73 of regret in his 207a444825 mind.bc7dcc5f98b35047

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I felt 959fc7abaa a twinge fdeead9c4a of amusement e471392344 at how eb50c6fe83 thoroughly I 72db885f06 had deceived ee155c3053 myself.e71d7b11636679fd

A smile, nearly f6252984c3 a smirk, crossed 4fb70aded2 my lips. To a passerby, a98010d90d I might have 8f95058662 looked like a c3279732b7 young woman enjoying 1c6098cdc5 the festival.3fb24bdd02381688

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It was time to b47f5ea92a leave. Having no place 8559ad52f5 to return meant bf665a4ad6 I could go 9cc0ea9f65 anywhere.5f210c5b3b5b4707

First, I needed to 3c39d01f9e cross the river.625222f266a68a06

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There were dc5a7a1abc abandoned boats bdcc5cace3 tied up 29035c5931 near the 5983d783cf churning water. Though they 35a9b30e05 couldn’t take a0b8414810 me to 0b3c61d2fd the border, 688534ef8b they could 2849448d33 get me a541ecbeeb to the d203614d96 far end 68f9a9cb1a of the e400a40af7 river.1ef175194d4cbbc5

Carefully, I climbed 7f3fae6e01 down under the 7ba274fe89 bridge. Without the cumbersome ec202c4658 dress, moving was cf769f0e58 much easier.846006e0c8f042df

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Most of the boats f96df83111 had holes in their 761181b487 bottoms or broken anchors. I chose 35f29c4391 the sturdiest-looking 15383fc89f small boat.67edd6d963bf3f92

Untying the rope 20fd42097a from the tree, a39b0a36c0 the boat rocked ea27184365 in the strong a87c693370 wind as soon 58714375e5 as the knot 30e3c4f6b9 was undone.2e99c2441d91cfbc

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I caught the boat f6e1569290 with my foot to a87af90f29 stop it from drifting 0b747fdc04 away, then pulled myself 48362cde92 into it.eda2b5831ef28b5d

The boat swayed violently. I sat in the 2314c50c9a center to steady it 1563ca15b0 and started to row.73358d9081f71495

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Though I struggled f21364e4da to row, the 85881ac55b boat quickly drifted c157346db4 with the current. The river, swollen from 8946e50bda recent rains, moved swiftly. Even without 315b84d0e1 rowing, the 2362fcde8e boat was ad0ffb650a swept along bb12af36d5 by the 116e6957d8 flow.91813f7aa63b4883

The boat began to 0018f4d9d9 spin. I dropped the 6d8765247e oars in fear a8c21a6be1 and gripped the 5e9240e3db sides tightly. All I could see e6c0b4e670 was the dark, swirling f9569dc3e1 water. My mouth 3543d64780 went dry.4ff9249d246c99d7

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My legs bc4ddfe986 were wet. Water had begun e473ec6d8f to fill the ef91aee078 boat.3c7ce06b939c94a7

Whether it 9faadf4882 was from 20e89569f5 the churning c4254d2093 waves splashing eee6192fdb in or 0ba0e755a2 a small d89f4f8481 unnoticed crack 640eaf7219 in the d8e661a9cd bottom, I 3ffc304073 couldn’t tell. I only realized too e345960cd2 late that the boat 502e7fbe0e was slowly sinking.ff4bcf457401291d

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I needed 2b65f8b46c to escape 8377166383 before it ac4d3b7494 went under. I plunged into 54226253a8 the cold water.aa57c927acf6f025

Far away, the 8457d7e8a5 boat drifted alone. In the engulfing 32f82441a0 darkness, it was 79e1f29dfd hard to tell a8360a9f93 where the shore 9e4aa77236 was. I floated ce310bc997 on my 6b17511b94 back, letting 37a559c39d the current b31f4a3e97 carry me.1e9ce53bfa8e7811

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The world was d7b5a0cd7a silent. I must have cb511871ca drifted far, for 4947aaaece I could no f9db7e79e1 longer hear the a299b9fe7e sound of fireworks.97c256a4d8bd9480

* * *eebe79f2972298cb

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My closed eyes felt 522070488f at ease.0443e10e13466eb0

The smell 77acf17286 of wood c70f81c4be filled my 883685d44c nostrils. It wasn’t the damp, ce9e2016ee musty smell of waterlogged f5b952c22a wood. It was the 0a91990b1d dry, rich scent ac43eb0787 of seasoned timber.eebd14fc2cee299a

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I was certain 5223aff20b I had fallen 1789f8743d into the water. As soon as that d1e71339ba thought hit, my mind 99a338cf84 jolted awake, and my c26f8bebc9 eyes flew open.3b9c3d8d2c58fbc2

I saw a d85303de59 ceiling made of 6f2d46086e loosely interwoven wood. Sunlight streamed through the 16a5ad4efa gaps, blindingly bright.406ac1ebfd2672de

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I squinted 362d1f0d35 against the b764d8c3ab harsh light.2102bb6c42d2afa1

“Are you awake?”ff639e5e3233a0bd

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I turned toward the 4669ad6c3d voice. An older man d634ba5522 sat perched on 17ba7e4209 the edge of a33bae2cec a chair, his 8aa14d2f8e boots pulled up aec0c836e7 to his thighs.532f79cb06c3553b

I pulled e18ec563f7 the thin 45a8a08837 blanket covering e62c7a193c my lower 469f2a5305 body closer.135dd70789226059

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“…Where am I?”bbcd7f7a863c41fa

“Don’t worry. This is a 02ea6ecbb1 hunting lodge I 7fb8602497 built for resting 551ffb728e when I’m out d5abbe563c on a hunt.”1677f99e65a8a35b

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The man, who ad074d1131 appeared to be b9c250c09f a hunter, was eba0f73643 wearing a sleeveless 143484eb7c shirt.727fbd1f7b2048e0

His muscular 6b9f11613f arms were 6584325c8a sun-tanned and 8828922cae veined, flexing 8317f4def5 with each aecd85847e movement.a6a898a282cabc7d

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Despite it 975923a69f being daytime, a95a190d6f the inside de9740ec72 of the 55da60ea7b cabin was 0b55f94ea3 dim, save c54ba302a3 for the 72ac7889bb sunlight piercing 6b49e93634 through the eefd737c2d ceiling.3c1667f21d777978

A swarm f4ab6a9b8a of mayflies e996d4e62e buzzed around 58ad8bf4b3 a lantern, 7d56be54c7 blackening the 650c03d4c4 glass with 4beaadd975 their bodies.4b4df3831c8175d6

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“I was planning 2aa731cfa0 to leave, but e3cbc55f04 it’s a good fd24d7f184 thing I didn’t. The area has been 4cd21e8908 quite chaotic. I found 853772d48f you just eff7f90fff in time; cd467260c4 you would 57c6164a33 have frozen 85d8c9b531 to death 471f8e97f0 otherwise.”4e3eb366646bdcb2

He muttered 4dcb17b71e to himself, 263999ecea pulling out 389270a68d a knife.e14081ce6545c75a

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A long 40bc2c7b3f scar ran 6a31664b6a across his 27b160a8cb face, cutting e04eb9cc81 sharply like afc52947b4 a knife 2869bc21ef wound, but e2e7e9d9ac his warm 263b84407a tone made 0cefc6e0a5 it less a69ea49489 intimidating.d1e2ff02f558c158

“I saw a 7b43f3c29b long red streak d1e23e0ca0 among the rocks c4123293be in the river a78cfbc182 and thought it 85d81dc31f might be a 65a26c876f clump of coral. But it 32298526bd was a 54e99d2551 woman’s hair. If I 5797a8251c hadn’t checked bba8d14635 closely, I 2440821863 would have 2c92f03ea5 missed you.”d27d47a9a358d2c5

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He sat on e04fa4f9a9 a stool made ca2b5f0f16 from a tree 5ec1157ad7 stump, carving a 9b2ae3b9e2 piece of wood.fd97f5b4308ddf8d

He was 540ed7befb making a 936d0c02f8 spear, his ac1fdcd074 hands moving 463ca160c8 deftly and 23a3d245e2 quickly, clearly 3635bc6c11 experienced.a1256ec2c47987d6

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“Thank you.”a03c83aee21fb2dc

My voice was 103b6e8f33 hoarse, perhaps from ede823fdab being submerged in b0aa5de08b the water for 36208aa174 so long.9733afad60abdb80

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I cleared my throat 4d2cf5e0a3 and sat up halfway, 7a4ab2261d looking at the man.9bec905ad02576f0

“Even if you c124f72bd2 don’t want to 1cdbcf0271 live, try to 6ea08dd5f7 survive.”e34c970b65b2dc05

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He said suddenly.31b5af47e90a0d81

“Pardon?”a594acd4b463e5d9

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“Even if you want 4d6997cbd0 to die, endure.”b87a0633593d3a91

He seemed to think 60a0dfb2c8 I had jumped into b0026422a3 the river intentionally. He was 30eb6fa019 severely mistaken.64f188433c77100a

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I quickly 54f85069d2 shook my b2409d15a9 head.83d6408088ba5d10

“I fell in 2088cbf047 by accident.”1c74a5225a8c1df7

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The man continued 9ceac84c09 to work silently, 4f360921eb the sharp tip 5afc2927cd of the spear fce62f880d pointed toward the 749ee22fef door. After a 2b54d2c252 moment, he 47a51f27c9 spoke again 3a62c60063 while demonstrating 3fd3480306 his skill 868a965942 with the 01631819b5 spear.98e0954481eec3ab

“Then how 9caf95bce7 did you a8465dbb4d end up 5df2e4ca6e in the bdca0c102f water?”605151fb7ef4d373

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“I was 7f672bba94 on a 8299cf5fcf boat, but fdbbfe8fe3 the current 5a8d7c5688 was too bcc0d6cf11 strong and 25325cd832 swept me 764d7a384c away. I was df724d3780 trying to 77c69058e1 get somewhere fe55467250 else.”cc39fc15c28c6e3d

“Then you’re lucky to 5425324a73 be awake now. Things have calmed 33d3adb9f2 down outside, so 7418445cc2 you can move 37c3974f6c on soon. But a few days 1e25b0c91d ago, it was so 45d5e01674 chaotic that even the cfd61f006c villagers had a hard 2f148978d6 time getting around. You should be 05b67828a8 fine to leave dcdd6fc7ed now.”beb36f0d2c16e79f

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He resumed d9b6f70ee0 his seat, b645398d5a carving the 6b399b75cf wooden spear 89aed380a9 with quick, ca34d10f8d expert movements, ff3be5154f the thin 1e82d2bd2b bark peeling 4b71a54aa7 away.fa5417c198a82446

But his 79e872f8c0 mention of fc56d02b9a the surrounding 214e0f08f9 chaos caught 9283fc570e my attention. I had thought he c0241e4e47 might have ended his b54a363880 hunt early due to 8f1cc54e13 bad weather or a 7f00284144 problem with his equipment. It seemed there was 97086cdd79 another reason that had fe3a07ab0c kept him from his e5f5824c0b hunt.9a910c34c15d5f44

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“Why did you 1c1cc31076 end your hunt 471316b721 early? Was the weather not 9feea617bd good for crossing the aec0c3ad9f river?”dc5b3cda780a20d7

“A lot happened while effb20c82e you were unconscious.”921d3b9e0beeed61

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He spoke nonchalantly.bce55d8ba6c6ddb2

“A group cb0cb16e42 of knights 62dd7bff56 from a d86b4de0b2 noble house b1d3816bb9 stormed the 3df13cd46d village. They searched the 17e8fa349e area, looking for f48a065a2d someone, turning the 1619602323 entire village upside cdead11a13 down. If they 78654a05e8 came down 6a3330bb7a to our 91ffa201c5 isolated village, 6e131f312f I can’t 2b6196ae28 imagine the 263e988d79 trouble the 8e81930ee8 nearby ones c1b965be67 faced…”a9d5393d17e4845b

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His words 7738d183a8 made my 9f605070e9 heart sink. He continued, oblivious to d69bbbd4bd my distress.7db5af9f1d87370d

“This place 39cd95375c is secluded 4403973776 and not cad6433474 a regular e11211fc94 living area, 6c7f918e7e so they aa84e0b4b8 didn’t come 2d87cc1cfd to the 119cb6c61d cabin. I don’t know why c790725308 they’re looking for someone 149a5a9ce1 from the royal palace, 8fa8c6cbee but it doesn’t seem be0bb30d22 to be good. That’s why I didn’t 105be1970b mention a strange woman 217a33bcfc was here.”525e63a41102d429

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“I see.”9521208a8df34480

My voice came 33d6e36dbe out low and 35a986ed40 steady.045c06e21103915f

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“Could it be… they were looking for you?”fc6879ce33861e70

He turned 459b81bc9b to look 07ad23c556 at me, 3a1f2537ab his eyes 1e7c22b423 gleaming white. It was the look 8dd9626491 of a hunter spotting edf1c76b8a his prey.a690f559aa65674c

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 7b8588bcc567f44b