100. The Hunter

There was a8c5bef733 no reason 47bbbff412 to return. And now, d89811a2d4 there was 0e77b2e771 no place f94021fa65 to return cbd6ec3eb9 to.1d50dd8827766b77

By tomorrow, Deon c7f5450dce might hold the ee594c344b child in his 50410b6074 arms.98658183ee10c95a

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And he would 345d496505 feel it too. The next 5f0d2cc09e generation of 679a4cd543 blood had 6d4aee229a been born.a3d65bedf58809c9

Just like in 7f0519424b the North, delayed a10e9bab08 agony surged like c044492151 a tidal wave. As I 43f19fe19b clutched my 28e92bb269 chest, the 4e7995a73f child asked 5277ac5285 me again.868a9ecd099a410e

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“Why can’t you enjoy the festival?”d30d8bd1c1b0046b

Despite my 8df85a7871 pallid face, 5608df8543 the child b86ede2256 was full 097d9efec3 of questions. He was c38a57250a so curious dcc824ecb7 about everything.75588ae8e5cc5c67

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The pain vanished 1a9ab65d6e as soon as c59fd5f82f the child finished c3041610a2 speaking. Even my fingers, a821b4f8ab which had been 115fb56869 trembling, stilled.fb65c2b2d7cbf589

Had Elisabeth survived? With the pain gone, 23ea803c2a I worried about her fec891b9f0 well-being. All the 7b710330eb other blood 22d0fd111e mothers had f86f439a17 died around fc2abf43ef this time.11ab5dbbab0b1d38

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I hoped 109ff02d67 she would 5035bb9b21 live. And that her 5df7c2c616 child would have f01b57be61 a different life 8d4d2f0828 from mine. But could fate never f287e60ab4 be changed?d48b7b0ef4a5ade8

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. Leaning back against the bench, I answered the child’s question.66e3ff0681bf104f

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“Because there’s nowhere for me to go after the festival.”1bfbd926b48b2cd7

“Do you not have a home?”67fedd0ef7881358

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The child’s innocent question pierced my heart even deeper.7794f37de8b9258a

I forced 5e4581a5c0 a bright fece5a7349 smile and 2c851fd4f7 answered.e9591eb4609ccb5c

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“Yes. I don’t have one anymore.”5f6c1981c1946c47

There was 03fd6541dd no place 4ae48dfd74 to return ecd106f2e7 to.4d6feede9efb845d

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I had become a 4ed50dc025 complete outsider. And now, 96dfc51327 I truly f2d44c4f1a needed to b07e3e2393 escape from 6b6420ce00 him.e8d65b1296bcedaf

I clenched my d4cc166b6e fists. There was 76ff29ff82 nowhere to aeb64986a9 lean on, fde5a7cbbd nowhere to 4638479c7d depend on. Everything had c4a542b08c to be 2b71820bac resolved by 58bcd51bf5 myself now.2f7c20555983f64d

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The way to escape 0c90fc4c3b from him was clear.a3a10bce3bcada9e

My sharp nails dug 9b51fde57e into my palm. The pain b4e2425d9c jolted me fc146ad3e6 awake.ebb7b17a48b3e92a

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Looking down at f9973a776f the necklace, I aed3178685 made up my cadfa6c799 mind and spoke 3a29e8a06c to the child. He was a50aef3cf1 still hovering 3f2dbdd5a9 around me.157b04f46624a45e

“Hey, could you find me a pair of scissors or a knife?”1f01c2f61dc8e669

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The child wiped 4be1646806 his mouth and 7da58c010f nodded before running 9c8d51f876 off somewhere. It seemed 0ecb6198e7 his home bfb6fb9a10 was nearby.6e31e6b25b0abffd

I let out 42d722ebcd a small sigh. My chest da3853495a had been 0276210a55 aching for dd9558ff60 a while.f28efa06c2e4524c

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The child quickly returned 869e4d65e6 from the shadows of 6c0684dafb the alley, holding a 7108eabeda pair of scissors.d4eb5e611e3d9c2b

“Thank you.”311a82789c58ecf6

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I took the 28680f44a2 scissors from his 98688bdfe4 hand and stood d4f1afea03 up.8c9d1bb74faea91f

I walked back to 99adfa750a the warehouse where I 8534cd6b61 had been held.1d940f65152c9ac0

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The night wasn’t long. I needed to move quickly.15f8b520928b2097

* * *e345f6d943cd8924

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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.fd5ec412b4392623

The dress 3f96c5ea4c I had aabe4f36a2 thrown into 0b5dc499d4 the fire adfbba7c44 was still 9954a3a9a6 burning. The soot-covered fabric, 2a145475a1 now mingled with e215db4a5f mud from rolling 7798134d3b on the warehouse bc2b349ed6 floor, looked even c94313a33f darker against the dce4d613fc night sky.a996d4550ba62b76

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I carefully picked up a26fa2802d the charred remains of 903069a187 the dress. Stomping out the remaining d548edd118 embers, I tore the 9b5592cbfc fabric into small pieces.e68865357d73ca8e

After finishing the ea42a1e42b task, I let 2027f04185 my long hair 9db4172338 down. The red strands blew a3569d4e86 in the wind.d670a3d16d7a28cc

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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.319ce4f30faa645a

The hair 83aa854ce3 that now b4470ddc2f fell just 0df3180bfb below my 6b150289ee collarbones felt 0b8ee115a3 foreign. The short strands 9bede44bfc fluttering in the e7325c0049 cold wind made bd0e24d794 the temperature seem cd07dae3ff even more chilling.78d7155a431b2e90

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I placed the 85f3f0825d cut hair on b47c434b6c the half-burnt dress. The rest I scattered 945cd4ec4f around the brazier, making c1b6d5da2a sure it would be 2d977230d9 easily found.b68b42ed366b5feb

Finally, I left 21d92ed26f a trail of d40bb691b1 hair and dress 91c5bcaa2b pieces leading to 1575346898 the riverbank, creating ae0ae0dd15 the illusion that e10bb2fca4 I had fled c49e777774 from the kidnappers 8a840a25f6 and jumped into 94d774fbd8 the water.5ee17b426a556855

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For the final step…3a9afb1b4baaeb0b

I held the 51a7b5c4bf necklace. The chain e50ab6d816 was broken, 1eb8372c1b leaving only ea6e803fa0 the pendant. It could 98bd5341e7 no longer 4487fd86da be called 843889e915 a necklace.e905be288fbc264b

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I read the 56747b5e81 direction of the db02e90b0f water flow, aiming 88504a8563 for the path 9424f7178e that would take a8cc74afd4 it farthest from 5a6311e3b5 the capital.50488b7002822106

A burst of 55adadaf9b light from the b6a7bdbfa9 fireworks illuminated the fb4362a9f5 dark waves. I could 12b6b399b4 clearly see 18375ed08a the direction 6204bedeea of the 508f6fb367 turbulent water.a191c217293465c0

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I dropped the necklace b6da6a8e08 into the river. The black water swallowed 45a818ba1b the pendant without a 07aa21e118 sound.6800dfb368889080

The swirling surface 0fc4edabb1 quickly became calm, b84b3ca80f as if it 50e55bf421 had consumed nothing 998c80a046 at all.305c4fbe1ec4cfbd

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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.123830670b7a73c3

My supposed death.703be48a12990ad2

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It was not a 4e897daba6 bad way to buy c1aedee4c7 myself some time to 80117755bd escape.58448e5724fb75b5

A sense of emptiness 10122d8544 mixed with relief washed 61c212bda3 over me. Memories of my past 5e20873b3c efforts to protect him 23c1e85c7c flooded back.2e09d521be86e020

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The court, the 101c02ea01 ball, the necklace 80aa80f37c I had hesitated b7766c9ecc to drop into 5267433604 the lake.990321097d996d8f

I had 598558b521 told myself 2adbf969a8 repeatedly that 56b5e7fd18 I was d86bef1bfb nothing to 4541385bec him. At least I 6811af8e8d could leave without f2d110c478 a trace of 3884806210 regret in his 3469f878ad mind.c4f938ca48cbedb7

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I felt a twinge a4bc717ef2 of amusement at how e303297c02 thoroughly I had deceived b542e63910 myself.0006bf9b491836a8

A smile, nearly a 9d3cdd91fc smirk, crossed my lips. To a passerby, f0c27dc494 I might have e27a8a2a06 looked like a 47f3992b0b young woman enjoying e493346243 the festival.6ef995df20d70bc3

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It was 5d8d503bc8 time to 1a29b420ff leave. Having no place 1b706632af to return meant 544a7e82b0 I could go 16877ec7ad anywhere.3d9261253560e371

First, I needed d48a79f45a to cross the 060f4a524a river.16d0f20e0b7a4720

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There were abandoned boats f48cc076bc tied up near the 8566cb5b9b churning water. Though they couldn’t take fd4731801e me to the border, 82617ae2fa they could get me 7ccb3580b0 to the far end ac556f5dba of the river.7f047a9d29932c40

Carefully, I climbed down ecb4743475 under the bridge. Without the 25a84bdcca cumbersome dress, be47fe9e65 moving was 7ca7db096e much easier.2bede072e3e926fd

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Most of the boats de5bc40695 had holes in their 7b6b615838 bottoms or broken anchors. I chose the sturdiest-looking ff9423dc27 small boat.394e2ab13de7d393

Untying the 8d57877dc7 rope from ee96f0c702 the tree, 8ebb7f2a0e the boat 50e7059cf2 rocked in e0523171e1 the strong 3a22996a25 wind as 343a51a3a8 soon as 4a00e20978 the knot b0cad053aa was undone.9a8ec6926f5a14a3

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I caught 283ddedee1 the boat e7ec717163 with my 39659da5bc foot to ee05b97107 stop it 9a4e2b4fbb from drifting eba8a43113 away, then ec3ba88f99 pulled myself 552380c038 into it.014c8a1aebbf907b

The boat 68e66b98da swayed violently. I sat in ace7bd211d the center to 522aca5eec steady it and e09a5807b0 started to row.601f478f814e06f4

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Though I struggled ade7da8b9b to row, the 16a7b9223b boat quickly drifted d219483cf0 with the current. The river, swollen 08a8d61c48 from recent rains, 5975a01810 moved swiftly. Even without 919ed6c7c5 rowing, the d01b873d3e boat was a7590aad90 swept along 2e89c3b43a by the 7bcea2bf10 flow.b903fb804c1e062e

The boat began 2fe6454def to spin. I dropped the oars 41ca7c87a3 in fear and gripped 3904dc0fed the sides tightly. All I 883bd34acc could see 40c1d060cf was the 315656e734 dark, swirling 18cf0e9ef3 water. My mouth went 21d50de4cb dry.861a8eb2ecb8c559

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My legs 8ec24948d9 were wet. Water had begun 0174372c70 to fill the 11b80abce7 boat.c3383df4b8b6605b

Whether it b2230c4711 was from 39dfc0f34d the churning 7f151ae439 waves splashing 98ead52c64 in or 76d31599a6 a small 144608671b unnoticed crack 31dd2c07f5 in the 5068df0247 bottom, I 9b2b359a2d couldn’t tell. I only 4604282b9b realized too 0fcde96694 late that 812431e8c0 the boat 9394c80bec was slowly 92cbe3b703 sinking.f7577e3212484c99

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I needed to 3b6391fcf9 escape before it c901138f3a went under. I plunged c24a7d9d8b into the 438cc7b8a8 cold water.7b045390dd284908

Far away, a0028106cb the boat 3597f414f8 drifted alone. In the 4672da4a76 engulfing darkness, 1e153e0e38 it was 9d6315c08d hard to 8de60bb7b9 tell where 13d6f53893 the shore 2331dbe3d8 was. I floated on my f89fa08f2e back, letting the current 09c7356471 carry me.c99a9e2ffc6abb50

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The world was d835885ed4 silent. I must 1bf79ab2e2 have drifted c3cfa74da4 far, for 81cb9d31fc I could f93c17537c no longer e9051f10d1 hear the f0c25e6f47 sound of eafdfd3c0e fireworks.cbd07dcc4ab5abe6

* * *52d9c980b6355bdd

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My closed eyes cce737bb0f felt at ease.55712cf89a869f25

The smell of fd5b0efc2f wood filled my ddec2abc26 nostrils. It wasn’t the damp, a206f00746 musty smell of waterlogged 52a8712640 wood. It was 5e2875a9b7 the dry, c49db97fa0 rich scent 36d2791fb3 of seasoned d3f1c3d77b timber.e838c35f66ec9a2f

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I was certain I 860ea72cde had fallen into the b930b800d1 water. As soon as that c21f66057a thought hit, my mind 4a249dfe32 jolted awake, and my dff0eab571 eyes flew open.cd6dbf0e3afdc9cb

I saw fad62ddb28 a ceiling a9102969c2 made of 17aa4859c8 loosely interwoven f16784129a wood. Sunlight streamed through 6eba939d35 the gaps, blindingly d60a420538 bright.fcb75431fd8e7d8e

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I squinted against 369e461731 the harsh light.0895c4f3cd1e3964

“Are you awake?”58bd4b4153bfa6cb

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I turned 8f7d01fe8e toward the da598e24a7 voice. An older man sat 3a91346a55 perched on the edge 1da1a36ee7 of a chair, his 7c211c925f boots pulled up to ea6b0f3021 his thighs.15aee0a48cf14750

I pulled the thin 685630fc44 blanket covering my lower 9a9f50d80f body closer.4fccf64ab03a7a4c

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“…Where am I?”d19afa5617db9679

“Don’t worry. This is a 36e4ee6212 hunting lodge I 577678ad3b built for resting 282b2a450f when I’m out 091460d098 on a hunt.”902dedb1823b7d50

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The man, who 0181d84322 appeared to be 15bc0b3fba a hunter, was 49967848ed wearing a sleeveless 04950064e7 shirt.e063eb4de36f5287

His muscular arms were a03a1c6381 sun-tanned and veined, flexing 7d4f46e8cd with each movement.96d0fbd4af5a176e

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Despite it being daytime, 7a531d2b55 the inside of the 33b421e677 cabin was dim, save 2a3fedfbf1 for the sunlight piercing 3f2257f4cb through the ceiling.22ab0e20d5ce4264

A swarm of 0751c4f08a mayflies buzzed around 0ff73a03c9 a lantern, blackening 601a83302b the glass with 767c42e85d their bodies.8a214bb6c1c9f1d8

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“I was planning c9f662900d to leave, but 83480b3708 it’s a good 838a01b011 thing I didn’t. The area 1dc931501c has been 4dc87e428a quite chaotic. I found dd8c93bc09 you just ffee95c63a in time; b1a9688c64 you would c9d9c01e9c have frozen aad51206c2 to death 06e97ad4a5 otherwise.”a5ac44ed7f41276b

He muttered to himself, e12943f42d pulling out a knife.2d3def3f25cd60e0

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A long scar 496d461863 ran across his bbc4a4d048 face, cutting sharply 203be7b61c like a knife 15abf3fc36 wound, but his 12cae39c1b warm tone made b6a081e81d it less intimidating.1c26a22d217af0ae

“I saw a 844c725813 long red streak d90402736c among the rocks 9f10859dab in the river 76180d7d58 and thought it 55979b3231 might be a a239f8a3f3 clump of coral. But it was a fcf9e581d2 woman’s hair. If I hadn’t 050348139f checked closely, I 04320b04be would have missed f2fb8205e7 you.”e627ee0783d358e6

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He sat on c5965c4bef a stool made 7442224f46 from a tree 032575cfe5 stump, carving a e3e1f04465 piece of wood.6820faa1df572289

He was making 1f67c5eaa0 a spear, his e84fd9741b hands moving deftly ae0310d230 and quickly, clearly 5596fef311 experienced.267613b0c2824361

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“Thank you.”8ff5824527fdae10

My voice was hoarse, e4116c08ba perhaps from being submerged 86fe9c6c22 in the water for 7bebc705a9 so long.71b83c90bfd2521f

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I cleared my throat 28ed518ff9 and sat up halfway, c5aba76590 looking at the man.849f39bea78ab8fc

“Even if f42f860f9e you don’t 74db5d6f15 want to 07aa61a49c live, try 98adaf8f16 to survive.”f45a50cfe2f17d42

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He said suddenly.4c0c6e7483484f1f

“Pardon?”39b5e580bdacc4c9

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“Even if you want b28b3e1ba4 to die, endure.”6ad1d073ce4b3669

He seemed to 29b8011c4d think I had 893cfebdbc jumped into the 5993c45a1e river intentionally. He was severely 61891ceca8 mistaken.e85b7be52d7c59e8

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I quickly shook my 2f4e1c6190 head.cc4e5911c9cf3049

“I fell 2db7da1d48 in by 34448edb44 accident.”163678d276eb44f1

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The man 48d5e92759 continued to c324a5f1e6 work silently, 715aab4529 the sharp 5c53f60a41 tip of e24f456ec0 the spear d8f11b80e6 pointed toward 2adc55a0dd the door. After a moment, he 8881e78e3f spoke again while demonstrating 35e6fe2afd his skill with the 83aa5b3baa spear.9ca9da8c2e61340b

“Then how 12d4d3d2fa did you f5861e78e3 end up aec60f756f in the 0eeab49d2c water?”7db6d8915ffce1ba

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“I was on 568bf64ccb a boat, but 5b5ea2413c the current was b9d408a4b2 too strong and 56090b0c84 swept me away. I was trying 20a3af99f6 to get somewhere b1c7b9e89f else.”09ffe7dcb357a878

“Then you’re lucky to e80617f390 be awake now. Things have calmed b5ad9221a1 down outside, so 6beb56dd38 you can move dfa53e589f on soon. But a 470df0a229 few days a4244717dd ago, it 0bca859962 was so a4df404b3b chaotic that ce96f1b32d even the 4c5510b67c villagers had bdf52b5f61 a hard 24f04182fd time getting 0e14e90222 around. You should be 07f7298656 fine to leave 6257d57db0 now.”41254a4501caf927

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He resumed his seat, 08aedcaaff carving the wooden spear d86055e683 with quick, expert movements, 9d3b479fc5 the thin bark peeling ef8cfa3b68 away.9f17b368a7d9bff8

But his 407cbe36b4 mention of 786b7fd3f9 the surrounding a849ca82e1 chaos caught d32e821492 my attention. I had thought 8642a6fbac he might have 333e219ceb ended his hunt e063c9cac0 early due to 8fdd0b4f76 bad weather or d6a45115cc a problem with 27cfc3c297 his equipment. It seemed there b490036cdd was another reason 7cd1a4cfa9 that had kept e74cc1e698 him from his 72012bcb2a hunt.7ea5b11b2b78aa52

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“Why did you end 78f5cae94f your hunt early? Was the weather not b9d2841027 good for crossing the e531fef80f river?”84f7907ea995bc28

“A lot happened while b11bb7f60f you were unconscious.”4e900002ab08a05a

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He spoke nonchalantly.ae198ca6c9261c11

“A group of knights 341c4fe913 from a noble house a299da3e65 stormed the village. They searched 70e0ad728d the area, 29fabcd81a looking for fa1ee5d92a someone, turning aedb975afc the entire f3cbc4e4e9 village upside 1ef408ea2d down. If they came down ca4ff5d729 to our isolated village, e20d8e1f62 I can’t imagine the 8db4d253a4 trouble the nearby ones 87f6e6d573 faced…”23be6dd7f4971355

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His words made cbc3c39e8c my heart sink. He continued, oblivious to d2105dad6a my distress.d4e87d1a191c5b40

“This place is secluded ddfdeda587 and not a regular 478c1229a9 living area, so they 9edb26008a didn’t come to the 2a66f95c93 cabin. I don’t know why 6ccb46cb2c they’re looking for someone a47d9c0d23 from the royal palace, 80eeb8acff but it doesn’t seem c4e6e49617 to be good. That’s why I 2bd46ebc91 didn’t mention a 3b9e9dcb29 strange woman was 46fbe15503 here.”1567bb4ac54d15fe

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“I see.”84564017997429c0

My voice came 48e149608a out low and 93b599b3ab steady.a60ea77d6e8e80ed

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“Could it be… they were looking for you?”4a1fa1bf273ed818

He turned to look 573de60d62 at me, his eyes 1fbf0efc67 gleaming white. It was the a0b41e4a18 look of a ac185057f5 hunter spotting his 2900b7c96b prey.ebedaac63f221f38

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 35aa564995dab1f5