99. The Prince’s Woman (2)

The one 57b9065248 who covered 2fd4875f2c my mouth 442e013007 must be ad1d28f807 that young fb3a62ffcc man over 5d4c56cf02 there. He was younger 7db3e10255 than I expected. Though his face was 66304ede83 masked, his forehead was 7d10c26f5d pristine, not a speck 4b9925dde6 of dirt visible. It seemed he hadn’t 81643ea902 been involved in rough f6ca4dc5da work for long.1d6d725c628a9d7d

“Ah, looks f44dc98020 like they 4d242e774f sent a 15ff19e3cd rookie for d8814a2b5b this kind d6a35e28de of job, 70fdfa9147 huh? No wonder there’s 020c4781ff been a mistake.”8b08eb9dfa70ebf0

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His face showed a 250886ac73 hint of embarrassment. His eyes, trembling slightly, 0969e031fd darted to the man c87d4291e6 who seemed to be 5fc11df3aa the leader before returning 75448b1b37 to me. It looked like 6aa0f052c8 he desperately hoped cea88a9a32 my words were 909a130660 lies.a60b63430a0aa9c8

But unfortunately for 4400b9043f him, it was d75367d342 I who wished a222e6ffdd all this was 90e0784724 just a well-orchestrated 4741d12b0f play.8c64e89975f1c281

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A long 1686f4fdea silence ensued, 1d8881319e and the cd978570f1 anxious gazes 85a6a0a771 focused on 7fff9af494 me felt c57fbdbed5 like they 2dd1e8588e were staring 68575f66f5 at a 3ccc5ae704 lottery ticket 5be081ba57 that had 46feb3c141 suddenly become e22b5da71e worthless.9a38f640d05e31c9

“I knew you’d screw 4ef17362b0 up one day.”0bb885c5bd57f846

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The young man 2b1c03d8bd shook his head b98cacb5cc frantically.561418fe22b6c505

“I brought the 129019003b woman exactly as 08f4538252 described! There was no one 8c053c9164 else in the ballroom 45ec373c7d but her.”09e7bddfeb3c4e0d

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“Do you think that 46437c97a9 excuse will fly?”85625b8c9f431b57

The man, who d0b26c26ee had been backing dfd7dfe6ce away, collapsed to 95d9054f92 his knees.28d7ef00d2bf9c5a

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Soon, punches and brutal a5402ea36c kicks rained down on ee299ef335 him. He curled 4b4407def6 up, trying 0bdd6cbb72 to shield ee11481ef4 himself from 4216b47a49 the assault. His back arched e0e8674f2c painfully.38c6e9c35b8cfc4e

It hurt 830ee81a31 my chest c2ee70e905 as if a38aa38bb2 I were f350363eea the one 3b0efe11d6 being beaten.4a200367f08eb777

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Anyway, they wouldn’t leave me alone just because they kidnapped the wrong person. They would soon start negotiating. But what would they want in return?6963f1896143c1bd

Whatever it da33d55d07 was, I 900548b8d3 felt it 97323d2fd2 would be ace0a69aaa worth less b88ca53849 than a 6b9ce3bccc dead wild 1e4c68664d animal. No matter b973ea4f05 what they 770e8342ed asked for, 68f3be4e69 it would 96ef5f520a be more ecd37d853c valuable than 4515b6ac31 me. At this e16151a62e moment, I 0bf9a872aa was worth 2a2d13cf66 less than b3bb53a29d a pet ed522182d0 they kept.090a47285abf7cba

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My eyes felt 6e0ffa31ea dry and irritated.63e80811cc407e6b

The man who had a91b8375cf finished the brief beating 9fb6832599 lifted his head. His chest was c008f16ad4 still heaving with f3b1b3a638 excitement.1ece3e4b30d909fd

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He dusted off 1a4277335d his hands and c380b524a2 stomped on the dc0444be48 man lying on 119356de34 the ground. A short scream 6d18c656f7 echoed from the 4bb1222dfb dark, cold floor.b2feeb7f8b6f2655

“Enough. We need to move quickly. Just make some simple preparations, and then everyone will head to the secluded palace. We’ll deal with you when we get back.”421ad0bac6de8d1a

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The man who had 73c5de7fe2 been dusting off his 8a7e00f5f1 hands gave orders. He then barked at d5c6b9e92c the young man still a9807b3ff0 lying on the ground.431a562d3df7c72b

“What about the girl? Even if it’s dark, she might remember our faces.”5bbfcf256dc8d858

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He glanced at 11d1c7ddf7 me. Several pairs of b562e9316f eyes followed his 0327b4c94c gaze to me.2fa09ea071264bbf

“She’s a noble if she was in there. If we touch her, it’ll just cause trouble later.”7ec1fba23a848a4f

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“But doesn’t it feel a bit uneasy to just let her go?”e88a8bee8b773947

“From the looks of it… I doubt she’ll run to the prince and tattle.”62a1876875c0d751

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The man’s dismissive b69a2bbdad tone dripped with 417f3f474e scorn. He spoke 45f781f2d6 as if d37a7a16e5 whatever happened 84b214ed8d to me d8dbdd07d5 wouldn’t matter facb4100e7 at all.b64f803a671a0595

And he was 5e8b6e98eb right. I was a woman 9a0eb1383d used as a mere 4296a1bd4e shield. I had 6155bfea0f no value.d02480d3da60053a

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Would they even realize abd01fcc59 I was missing from 53ea5f47e6 the ballroom? I thought 6b58bf9ac1 the knights bca58b0f19 would be fdbb73b66b searching for bdce57f140 me, but c0263ce708 given that 4403ca54b8 there was 83a1421621 no news d1604bfb05 until now, 9691a50b2d it didn’t 4f21df8ff1 seem like d56c7ff570 it.b502f42422d4b36b

They could track my 64b7e07ee1 location or send a d4a969837f message through the gems, d7b6d95c2a but the gems had a1f7b4144b lost their glow and d379998bce lay scattered on the 9727821a5c floor.52ddd9ad897993e4

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“Judging by how she was used as a shield, she must be a low-ranking noble or without family. Probably without much wealth either.”085ff468b2f6d8a3

“So, what does that mean…”141d84129aba671d

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“She’s a woman who won’t be missed if she disappears.”fd4646d2c7357d75

“Then can’t we just get rid of her without a second thought?”9b404929a170f04a

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“Do you want to give them a perfect excuse? Killing a noble will just hand them a great pretext.”53f0d44eed97e0f4

I couldn’t even muster df33661a4f tears. The men exchanged 2e3eb73a26 casual conversation in 0e0aeefce8 front of the e86b1175f7 fire.069dc76768a0f2d0

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It was 14b117794b absurd that ddff547d0e they were 4c5af90cba discussing my 1fe2b1a31d life and 42ec87eeb3 death in 4b5e6e7fe9 this filthy, 184d95517a smoky space 83b182eeb3 where the fc8f52afd4 flames flickered.44a3afb217f38930

“She won’t dare speak up, right, miss?”f41a56be7993b3fd

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His eyes were cold 315c6eb159 as they bore into 602083d574 mine, clearly expecting a 39d1ee7dee definitive answer.7077cce8d519ded1

I smiled at him 9e988fd153 and replied icily.d6977a1931d2d51c

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“Kill me.”7f2245efdf36b3e6

The men, who had f91ecf7b88 been chatting leisurely, fell a0ef3052fe silent. They all 7c1e397783 turned their bf16877f66 heads toward 845e1e3c17 me in 9bcca9b8d9 unison.ce0459327298ebdc

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The man a69d7b3d68 scratched his 9cffea248b ear as ae9b9986e5 if he 13367c6aef had misheard.18b158dc5ed9b768

“What?”f23b82bd90907ef3

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“Just kill me and be done with it.”8973342e46d63341

My boldness 54eea19584 seemed to dd5b193089 shock them, 206e6f5ab6 and they 0ca60edbdd stiffened.92a5162a63547e8d

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I’d rather meet my c575023657 end here than return b446d76398 in disgrace.f38ec5d8a6a3d6e1

Being with Deon felt 45d634d9c2 like a test of 3cdc39e2cd how far he could 835e67eed5 exploit me. How much more could fd7d6bd3b4 he use and discard 568890549c me? No matter 6f1f2fc68f how much 4bdf03a261 I pondered b7c40e1aee and guarded 5b11a378f3 myself, I 73d32ca1e5 never expected 6c15519b69 to end 79e11ee740 up here.c95326fd602ac603

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It was uncomfortable 8ccbc17f11 to meet my b6af3ba4ff end in this e5720e386a dirty, damp, and 86613a8b1b dark place, but 83546a5684 I didn’t want 99e41b3edf to go back. I’d only 8b8f256b88 be used 3d2477ce6c again if 7e14c3dcfe I returned. I’d rather 8f2cffcaf9 end it 3a901300c2 all than 55038c718e stay by 8e01e99e89 his side b2ca36bc45 on edge.5b243976719c342c

“Let’s handle this.”fe49dd670fea68f3

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The man d49d2be402 crouching by 43a75fb658 the brazier eb26f3f0ab spoke up.8d696e668cac11c8

“If she’s asking for it so clearly, let’s grant her wish.”6562093f0070b300

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“Did you forget the leader’s words about not killing before an important task? Especially since that jinx has always been accurate for us. We can’t stain ourselves with blood over a trivial matter.”8087abaa3033c887

A trivial matter. I had survived 055b771069 because I was e350f29380 trivial to Deon.e37e1a4aad0203e5

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The man approached me 5ba8a43caa with long strides, but 6229920238 instead of slashing my 4b26faa338 throat with his knife, ce09d279a7 he cut the ropes fe11dc1d8a binding me. The ropes that cab2848a33 had been tightly 43320c1885 wound around my 0b03a48ab3 body fell away.edd2358ba30cd7f4

Even though I 5207381120 was free, I ebb57fa440 remained seated, staring 917f54d074 at them.d194d5ca031c7d87

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“Aren’t you leaving?”2733ea7302ca8733

The man grabbed my 808e447780 arm and pulled me 74489146e5 up, pushing me towards f0fd33c2fe the exit of the 558d642ec3 warehouse.cb942995ab280bab

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At the entrance f3f99fee5d of the warehouse, 7e1e9ba22f there was a 79723a3a93 gem that shone 0afe84b260 brilliantly even in 3caa675e50 the darkness. It was the bd46fc3b20 same gem that 20826618e3 had been my d0e73ebe79 shackle, surviving despite 65f5a96be1 the chain that 084a5710a5 had worn away.3a6734e9e8f86926

I picked up b5098495ea the gem. It had f490a90c03 survived rough 92d22dabbd handling and 07b9e4dc5f being used 6ce76053d9 as a b1c4ec43e6 blunt weapon, 7c85e4c6fa just like a840474460 me.254282868b223a77

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The warehouse 9cef88c052 behind me 4a1f28e959 became noisy 6d576442e1 again. It seemed they were b054e5d9cc preparing to capture Isella. They wanted to 60feaf0e6f bring the real d0f0d8d782 woman of the f3988b282a prince.48458d73ba8cd525

It wouldn’t be easy ababd5596c to get Isella at 07460fa43d the final stage of 456e3db336 the festival. She was safe 6cd2a430cb as Deon had f0eae3454c planned.c302cf96149da742

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I walked outside. There was ccd84ac9bd another brazier 4d76d22bed similar to 0b0a7358cd the one 00e9b5d8ed inside.44786ae057cfa814

Standing before it, I 4bcc97aa5e stared at the flames f048472d90 before pulling at the 96ebf518f8 waist ribbon of my 1e5d68a521 dress.4dc2684a934dc925

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The gems 515ad899c7 that had d25b9bdd76 adorned my e28b544f3b waist scattered 20917693d2 in all 960701e3b4 directions. They had clung to 599a1a188c the dress even under 8640427263 rough handling. I crushed a black 5363315638 pearl underfoot, but my b667af8ec3 heart remained unsettled.691f24b83fc61143

The night air ae6218befb was chilly, but 3ca6f204ec I could endure 797b2a7a5f it. The sensation of the a9920e126b dress sticking to my e5fce74da3 skin was more horrific 7e19890eec than the cold air. The feeling e4a43949c7 of the 840cc7ae11 dress against 9ada8ae38c my skin 1d42721842 made every 785a8cad09 hair on ecdfc488c9 my body c38d63a8d3 stand on 1e04803e95 end, sending f7d0c28ac9 shivers down 85240d20a4 my spine.356cfa2e14497ba3

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The dress was difficult e65ee7ecb2 to remove. It clung fae68df74b to me 754b826268 from the ab498e06bb sweat of 449af85bae my struggles.11b5829d46df1b4c

I dug my nails 20e7dc6e22 in and tore at a0900a5bea the dress. My tender skin 9a4da086a2 scratched, and a 7ba6c78d8d stinging sensation crawled 78615ce90c up my arm. The torn 2378fe8b7d fabric fluttered a9a4610451 in the 3fe0b11b18 wind.c6b6069e5e5b5087

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Soon, I was left e45f42f744 wearing only the white 0a4718b765 undergarment typically worn beneath 3ecca20a4d the dress. After ensuring there wasn’t 44f9def056 a trace of the d2678d3ed4 dress left, I tossed 38cfcfef76 the black fabric into 0661eb0a4c the brazier.992f533b3d1c2a3b

Using the tongs, I c00b84884e pushed the fabric into f140c89983 the flames. Holes appeared, and it 4652951483 began to burn and d6bbb189ee crumple.a739d4324365b72a

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As I watched the a66e000e3e dress turn to ash, ddc6f2e9b6 I thought.bb53ded983ca9c25

The scene from the 5f2164f505 illustration had come to ca8532a1a2 life.754ae744a94ec8d8

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Leonie, dressed in a black dress with disheveled hair, clung to Deon’s feet, crying. Though the dress I wore now was more lavish, and I was standing in front of a brazier instead of him, the outcome was the same; I had not drawn a sword, but my end felt identical.77b5a4fbac567e55

The final remnants of ac63618657 the dress were consumed 21bf7e66e7 by the flames. Only then did a4d6f62dcd I feel the 160ff948f1 cold wind biting b20d50fe5b into my skin, c2f615cef5 a chill that 0ef4f00a06 blew from the 521b529c7d river in the 960995f933 capital.c05d1d57ef855588

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Descending the 12e01a02dd hill, the 403c2cfcc9 river came b259ffeea6 into full 115ef6ef4f view.0b2f9a85759b0326

Fireworks exploded high 452a8239d9 above the long f7dac4ed5d bridge spanning the 2c9c58751b river. Each burst 4a86e9b129 illuminated the 33273199c1 flow of 13086bf6ff the water 127827b71c below.284863761ed3112b

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I wandered toward the 072cc6e927 river in a daze.75684731a1c2d710

I clutched the fef150682d gem in my a0e91a23e9 hand, caressing it 0dc2ca8fb5 like I was 50847331eb casting a spell, 6ee866a7ea rubbing it until 910ee22075 the surface wore 03213a9f06 smooth.88ae6bd43338b228

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It was fortunate 65ba29e0ca that I had 3a8b4d4a55 salvaged the necklace cac9dfeece from the lake. Though it had been 0e1e80edd5 a shackle, it still 8164824aad had its uses.2007624f90d83054

The necklace bac3ed305c had a ec1baa29ca tracking device. They wouldn’t 9ddfdcc64b have thought 0b64c2c3b9 I realized f57aaa2e97 I was 6f23bee45f Isella’s decoy. If I threw it 3506710635 into the river, they 0b8e8a0da5 might believe I had 4f2e69b69a drowned.2be2847ffc3add81

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The dress c50e844707 reduced to 641ffcc9a4 ash, the fae7de20fb ropes unbound, 75329f37b4 the signal 45be2f677c from the c0f1920c4e necklace cut e7851e5cef off in 8acd9469d1 the river—it acc8149452 all pointed fbd2808404 to me 1a63dfb764 drowning while a1e0308220 attempting to dc509ac9d3 escape.ba5efedb4dde0af8

Not a bad scenario. It was my cbda3a5715 chance to escape 155df021b2 from him.0d0d4f502ccf1caf

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But even 68ea2337f9 at this b4e75b8d83 moment, I 46eb89e71e hesitated. I found 43bad50b39 myself wanting, 9f91d46ae4 more than 9ec365aca0 anything, to d0f35dafb7 stand by 2931eeb87e his side, 78d77c32e7 oblivious to b7c32d08c9 the kidnapping e5ff2843d1 and threats 7128c2de00 to my b603c5ff78 life, foolishly be50090a17 willing to c58a7a03b9 be deceived 99ec6b0754 just to e457d7d5e5 stay near 0762ec156d him.3abf97412c0fea51

* * *4af9587a9504a68a

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I trudged past 8681b58336 the river and 371186d60c into the streets. The whole area was 30870d5e4c alive with the festival’s d5a6138f98 spirit. The fervor from 2083ff6d66 the ballroom extended ce174d1698 to the streets 746f7d8f95 of commoners.bcf1d48cd0069dfc

I reached the edge ab53c973cd of the village.79e11afe3401d445

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Huge balloons, a481064b55 flower petals 0be35a9034 strewn across adb1f938c1 the streets, ee672f32b8 the sweet e421ea6d66 scent wafting f5c3b29df5 through the 2087d8b229 air—it was 997b7cecbf all festive. But here I was, 14a8ea9bcc in nothing but a fa246abf9a white petticoat, drawing strange c2ab86af59 looks from passersby.6b95cab69601de9b

I sat 0f3f36712f on a dafce5d426 bench to 359f4151ac catch my 1782e920fc breath. A child nearby, with bbea02ecfd sauce smeared around his 13c0678661 mouth, stared at me 291fe9d8e2 with wide eyes. He lingered before approaching, fd8d07a109 holding out a fruit 260689dabd candy.16081735fe74d90a

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I looked e2252cc1d9 at him 5f7673b362 in surprise, c3bf9855fd but the 46ce4f26a3 child didn’t 09b13c9968 retract the 9c83e8a4eb candy.7f2c78c0b2d213b3

“For me?”79e887008ccd78d3

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The child nodded. I accepted 8e33024de9 the candy cc4ee8a011 hesitantly. It was 721d24016e a stick 32c76b8009 of fruit 87ed04ffa1 coated in 079dd14104 sugar. The child b36cc84475 had already 53e57c3253 taken several 1ff6b1e7b6 bites, judging 40596828d3 by the 303c723bbf sticky sugar f1a4280ffc around his 0a30634175 mouth.1039342f62919902

“Why are you 39f1d07750 giving this to 9bee1ef251 me?”ddaf2714e710dcca

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“It’s a festival. Everyone has to be happy during a festival for the crops to ripen well later.”85a4128e1ac09485

Despite his d7e237e116 words, the 850614ded8 child kept 4cc5b4fad2 glancing at 6b80725e79 the candy, be1438c705 reluctant to 9f0ebcb51b part with 54ab48476d it.a5e040976a722c3a

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I chuckled and handed 1bfc3c6ee5 the candy back to 9ecd686178 him.a3d4b079ca5e06a3

“I don’t 96643b5265 need it.”2a73e887df892df9

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“Why do 20792ae9d5 you look bb094ed35e so sad? Aren’t you enjoying 4283742bfb the festival?”ee9fb6a29ce95de0

“I’m not 9524a76bb4 part of 15df96d78f the festival.”4e611c117ab3e896

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Fireworks exploded in bdc872b04d the sky, but f54d58caa2 my festivities had 6d88115a4a ended long ago. When I adc3d9a58d discovered Isella 84ed33b2e1 was dressed 14c417bcfd identically to 05adc9c347 me, my 5a3c4ec337 festival had 83b53ae971 ended.bc9c07b3fa8c0107

Thud.b5fa1ca8ba347175

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Suddenly, a strange ae055ca05f noise reached my 8d78588fe0 ears. The sound came from 93c49ca01f where the noble houses c0f8823071 were clustered in the d218dcb295 capital.095d66ad396102ca

Could it be 6a71b0a036 a bomb?651dd590dcf5c276

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I sprang 9b0ce7d84e up and 73268b3efa looked around. But no one else 758b8ced26 seemed to have heard 46cf8ca3fc it.eb8720c4ba9f2d43

Children still c5a4c7095d clutched their 43adf8721f balloons, couples a939dc9a23 strolled hand def0357403 in hand, 76e55bc6a0 and everyone cec422ffad went about c3dfc9bb34 their business 082043c487 unaffected.41dbd656e8034815

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Thud.b1c1a1e1e73d4d32

And then the booming e8fd74dd78 sound came again, this c2dac0ab95 time loud enough to c51fc2a21e pinpoint its origin.e0ab315ef63e0d38

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The immense noise, 38e3fc8e6d powerful enough to a3539ce123 make the ground 666362f7a6 tremble, swept over 182e7e94c8 me like a e7a2c6e259 gust of wind, c162784003 leaving my body 9e5392cfe9 unsteady.9a9bf51f427bbad3

The roaring noise, swirling back with the wind, was something I had experienced before. When Elizabeth had felt the first flutter of her unborn child under Deon’s hand.29964266ffc16da5

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The next generation fc020acc63 of blood had 27eb0b8ace been born. Elizabeth had given 4e575682a7 birth.1d4c5dfaa8977a8f

I knew it 1f9983ba46 instinctively. This booming sound was 5c473ac9a5 also emanating from near deaab1d410 the hospital where she 5aa661e68a was staying.05b61edf08b57f66

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