Chapter ONE - Weebly

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“Hmmm.” She retrieved her own wrap from behind the bar, took his hand again, and pulled him toward the door. “I’ll choose this one,” she said. “I know just the place to get it.” He halted, forcing her to stop as well. He pulled her close, and kissed her. “What was that for?” Ethan brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “For being willing to take on Sephira Pryce to defend me.” “That wasn’t for you,” she said, tugging him toward the door again. “I didn’t like her calling my place a stable.” Ethan laughed and followed her out into the city.
Historical Note Historical fiction is a strange hybrid—a literary Chimera, in a way—in that it blends historical fact with fictional, and in the case of this book, fantastical elements. The central premise of the book, that thieftakers were active in the American colonies, is not true. Thieftakers were starting to appear in England at this time, and made a brief appearance in the fledgling United States in the early nineteenth century. But there were no thieftakers in Boston in 1765. Sephira Pryce and Ethan Kaille have no direct, real-world counterparts. However, the other historical elements of the novel are largely accurate. The Stamp Act riots of August 26,
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The author and publisher have provi
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Contents Title Page Dedication A Pl
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Historical Note Acknowledgments Tor
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light of day, but the sky over Bost
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and glinting off the dagger he carr
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“I was hired by Ezra Corbett to r
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the dead. Folter wouldn’t be able
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The pup gasped and doubled up. “W
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“I’ll give you one day, Daniel,
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jus’ … I wouldn’ tell anyone.
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Only two weeks before, such a rabbl
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He was a short, round man whose clo
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coins. Ethan tensed. “Is that so?
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felt the pulse of a spell, the air
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knew only of the mutiny and Ethan
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and trotted up to him. Shelly and P
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“Care t’ join us?” the man as
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At last, as he continued to walk up
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Chapter THREE The Dowsing Rod was o
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Ethan had to laugh. The evening mis
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“We’re paid through a few round
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only for an instant. “Is he … d
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He smiled, as did she. Then she loo
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Diver’s cheeks reddened. He was a
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can’t sell any of it the usual wa
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“I have for years. Why should it
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efore.” Diver got up again, eager
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a part of him would always long for
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“You say it went well with Corbet
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Kannice giggled. “I’m glad to h
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disgusted. “Not tha’ we know,
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Chapter FOUR Soon after the men lef
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Ethan could tell that Kannice was w
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He reached for his shirt. “All ri
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“You understand, sir, that I’m
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change at all. “It’s no’ my p
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The stranger looked genuinely surpr
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to me?” “I thought you weren’
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She straightened, her eyes meeting
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Church of England. Its congregation
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natural wood. Given the chapel’s
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still uncertain, and so when a figu
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dark hair. A powdered wig sat on th
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“I understand,” Ethan said. “
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“No.” “Perhaps she wasn’t m
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don’t you? You just don’t want
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“You can learn those things?”
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serene; she couldn’t have known w
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murderer’s conjuring had struck h
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ared his arm, and laid the blade ag
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that.” Bett stared at the dead gi
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me something more about the spell i
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Ethan had thought, for at last Bett
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He threw his hands wide. “I don
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efore. What did you expect?” “I
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half expected her to gloat at the a
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She stopped at that and regarded hi
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shirt, the sleeves of which he had
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told, the diminutive cooper worried
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Before he could clear his vision or
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kindness. God knew they could be al
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But her sex remained her greatest w
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safe. And by dint of having forged
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Ethan wanted to challenge her on th
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not sure I’d tell you if I did, b
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important clients and ruin my reput
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him. “But we both know that you
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position. His head spun a bit, but
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done before had impressed the old m
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The cooper glanced doubtfully at th
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Uncle Reg appeared, took one look a
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those around it, and it was modest
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Even in the wealthiest households,
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Missus Berson, and your younger dau
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“There weren’t any others, even
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probably wouldn’t be asking such
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The merchant rubbed a hand over his
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sensation some years back.” “It
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woman in the city to be talking abo
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cheek. “It was oval,” she said
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“By Cyrus Derne,” Ethan said.
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Chapter SEVEN Like the Bersons, the
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off with a stronger sheriff and a c
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head slowly, his expression grim.
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“Aye,” Ethan said, fighting to
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elaborate black cockades, and both
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“That’s fine, sir. Thank you. A
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overhead. “Occasionally, yes. I
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“Sir?” “Looking for betrayal
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had the chance. And to be honest I
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hope you’ll let me know.” “Of
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Berson and Derne, and even Sephira
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and her men charging at him. The gi
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She didn’t walk quickly, and in t
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ooch is all that matters. And I can
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illusion—or hers—for several mi
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the conjurer wasn’t using Ethan
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“Lux ex cruore evocatus!” Light
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The minister looked away, gently to
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y the men who found him. Mister Tro
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“I doubt he or his family had any
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thinking about the boy, and how str
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“Yes, you could,” Ethan said, k
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asked. “Surely you could do for y
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gasp from his lips. He sat still fo
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Berson paying.” “Speaking of jo
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“She seen you since…?” Diver
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so, Diver responded. “It’s Gren
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courage he could find a way to keep
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Greenleaf hardly spared her a glanc
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doubled over, and the man drove his
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Chapter NINE The sheriff and his me
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killed a rat behind the hovel and a
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spot for a prison, set in the midst
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the stairs, Ethan thought he saw a
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door behind him. Hutchinson faced E
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“Yes, Your Honor,” Ethan said.
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who abused my family and me with su
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Matthews?” he asked. “Yes, sir.
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you’ll have to go to Sephira Pryc
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make it home without being seen. Th
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hitting him full in the chest. Nap
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Nap. “What does Sephira want with
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“Yes.” The man smiled. “Tha
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The man looked at him. “Yellow-ha
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Boston have t’ feel safe. They ha
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Daniel’s body. “Tha’ could be
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that bloodied alley. Mercy is weakn
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done. Mother never catches herself
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learning that she had been widowed,
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having this small role in their liv
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“You get it now?” the boy deman
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“Sephira killed him because she k
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“Why are you with him?” she ask
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memory lingered. When he dreamed of
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think they would be fine.” “But
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to the Dowser and see Kannice. He n
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their first encounter. The girl mar
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communicate through the girl, but a
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uildings. The breeze off the harbor
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murder.” “It is over, Kaille. A
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Chapter ELEVEN By the time he reach
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the nearest pew. Leaning back, he c
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“No. But another day would have h
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Before Pell could respond, Ethan he
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heavy-lidded eyes. He didn’t wait
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Caner halted, as did Ethan. “I le
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with dark purple bruises. Seeing Et
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Ethan had finally finished his tale
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“That sounded stranger coming out
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eeches, one fist wrapped around Jen
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did all they could to avoid notice.
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always went to Janna. Ethan followe
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toward the bar. “Well, you here,
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Ethan shook his head, knowing that
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he turned to look, it had vanished.
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dangerous extreme: killing spells.
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had stolen from a peddler. “It’
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“You do that,” she said without
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Chapter TWELVE Ethan stepped onto t
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a casting would do anything, destro
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another explaining this to someone
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“You needed … you needed her
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daughter’s brooch and putting thi
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etter than Sephira Pryce deserved.
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and austere bastard swords that mig
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the room, Ethan could smell her per
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inquiry, but he managed to stop him
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comment away. She studied his face
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“Answer the question.” “I fou
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wouldn’t do for him to lose himse
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“No, I haven’t.” She started
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listening.” She shook her head sl
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nodded. The big man did as Ethan ha
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hating him; as long as he insisted
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olled barrels, and others worked in
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paused to watch Ethan and his son,
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“You told me that you had no idea
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you, but later, when I told Abner,
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had nothing to do with her or her m
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watching, and Ethan thought they lo
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me work.” He took a step, intendi
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You find out what those spells did
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abroad in the city after dark if he
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tavern. But no one stopped him or o
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Chapter FOURTEEN Adams walked to wh
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“And this is Peter Darrow.” Oti
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cast our lot with that charlatan th
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he looked apoplectic. But it was Ad
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his rabble inflicted upon Thomas Hu
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need the support of laborers, wharf
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North Square. We had word that Mack
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pulling the trigger already. “Go
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“Hello, Ethan.” He knew that vo
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throwing off enough heat to warm Et
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instant, Ethan charged the first ma
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But before Ethan could get to his f
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them, conjured— The phrasing slow
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with blood than I can with grass.
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that struck him dumb. He couldn’t
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sheriff had apologized for meddling
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Chapter FIFTEEN Conjurers in the Am
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hearing what Greenleaf said, though
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I have your blade please?” Ethan
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Before long they reached the chapel
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“Does the bullet wound hurt much?
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Greenleaf shifted his weight from o
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pointedly. He eyed Ethan again. “
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Mister Caner and I just lied to She
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The door opened onto a comfortable
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Ethan stared at him, his mouth hang
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me for asking.” “It’s all rig
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of agreement between Thomas Hutchin
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“Did you feel a spell?” Ethan a
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freedom. And here he was, scared of
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A few moments later, Kannice arrive
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“Some.” A lot, actually. “I
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himself hadn’t thought to ask. Ka
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conjurer is after me.” “You’r
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the blood draining from his face. A
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“You didn’t listen,” Anna sai
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daughter.” She shook her head.
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would shatter. Red-hot iron flowed
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cruore evocatum! Conjured from bloo
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You’ll watch the boy die, and the
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Strange, isn’t it? There should b
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was sorry. The words caught in his
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Ethan turned his attention back to
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They should fit you. Get yourself c
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“Who?” she asked, as if intent
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He was sure she would object, that
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Ethan and Elli shared a look. “Al
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her was something else entirely.
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stepped once more into the rain and
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Nor was he done taking risks. He st
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want to go home. So I thought I’d
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ack, and get away myself, but … b
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the conjurer broken through his war
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His boots were still damp, but they
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I’m safe?” “If I have to.”
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As Ethan approached the Derne house
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“He’s not afraid of you. No one
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stepped aside, revealing the last p
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Brower laughed. “Don’t be ridic
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stock in this, thinking it the bitt
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know tha’—” “I’m investig
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Mackintosh’s swagger fell away. H
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interests at heart, but he’s done
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ut to dissemble, at least until he
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had no doubt that they could convin
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Chapter EIGHTEEN As much as he didn
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seemed agitated. Ethan expected the
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“As close to a daughter as I’m
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so simple that Ethan laughed out lo
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light…” Ethan shook his head.
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of him. But he couldn’t remember
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“What did you say?” the rector
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asked. “I believe so. This girl,
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Mister Kaille,” he finally said,
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Chapter NINETEEN Ethan was more eag
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the middle of the afternoon the wha
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usiness with the merchant? He watch
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At the north end of Ship Street, th
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have said that this was a finding s
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hear the old man hiss, like a feral
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as a prisoner had inured him to pai
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imagine before you die!” He had m
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across the lane, heading north, awa
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crashing heavily on his maimed hand
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Chapter TWENTY Consciousness came t
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them that he could use to fuel a sp
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Ethan nodded. Anna glanced to the s
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would go to all that trouble. Anna
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Here is a man I could work with, a
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naïve to a fault, and Otis is wors
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streets near Mackintosh’s mob. Sh
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actually. You’ll hardly feel a th
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was rough enough to have scraped hi
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hired to do this. What he wants or
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Chapter TWENTY-ONE Darrow came forw
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Mackintosh’s frown deepened. “Y
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ing. “I think he’s tryin’ t
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Ethan saw the image of Stephen Gree
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him! Bu’ you haven’ touched him
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had sent to keep watch on Darrow; S
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all of this unfold. Now, though, he
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vanished from Darrow’s face, leav
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alarmed. “You shouldn’t have co
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Then he looked at Darrow, and there
Page 583 and 584: more real than any he had conjured
Page 585 and 586: three men addled. It also hammered
Page 587 and 588: cordwainer backed away from the man
Page 589 and 590: “Do you understand now?” he ask
Page 591 and 592: head leaned to one side, his neck b
Page 593 and 594: thoughts clouded by the throbbing p
Page 595 and 596: “He killed Jennifer Berson and th
Page 597 and 598: toy.” “We didn’t know, Ebenez
Page 599 and 600: talents to his shattered knee. By t
Page 601 and 602: Mackintosh glared. “Wha’s tha
Page 603 and 604: will always be welcomed as a friend
Page 605 and 606: “His body. He was a witch, wasn
Page 607 and 608: walk, shoulders hunched, hands in t
Page 609 and 610: His anger began to sluice away, tho
Page 611 and 612: “Peter Darrow.” “Darrow?” D
Page 613 and 614: Berson had just turned to close the
Page 615 and 616: whatever you pay me should reflect
Page 617 and 618: Chapter TWENTY-FOUR As Ethan neared
Page 619 and 620: happened. I found him out front thi
Page 621 and 622: stopping him from going this day, r
Page 623 and 624: where Hutchinson sat alone, gazing
Page 625 and 626: Hutchinson again. “He was what so
Page 627 and 628: purposes by dark means.” Hutchins
Page 629 and 630: “Is it beautiful?” Kannice aske
Page 631 and 632: friend?” she repeated. “I’ll
Page 633: need to be more careful?” Ethan a
Page 637 and 638: Acknowledgments I’ve written hist
Page 639 and 640: Stephen Leigh, Lynn Flewelling, Car
Page 641 and 642: TOR BOOKS BY D. B. JACKSON Thieftak
Page 643 and 644: This is a work of fiction. All of t
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