a's

the only maid who had

zed a few gold coins into my hands be

huge gates were slammed

ipped out of me, but because I was just walking. Within minutes the sound of the pack was lost in the woods an

that I felt. Perhaps somewhere in my mind I had always suspected that this was the way it would always be: no am

myself, mostly to hear a voice, ev

e made myself small but somehow I was never small enough. I didn't want

t wal

't hear them coming until I turned around, and then I heard them coming again, and again, and by the t

tarted, stu

ws, yet my limbs were slow and sluggish, and my body was all too weak from the ritual. I landed on my ass with a hard thud,

aised in front of me, "Please," I said.

came closer. He was broad shouldered, dark

said, "But I

. "Why don't you ask a question, s

unded. "Who

.." he

, it was her. Exile wasn't enough for her, you see. She wanted

nts me

r, "Smart gir

could attack someone else grabbed him by

id. "We can n

h me,

led royalty – the auction house in Kelmoor would pay double wh

wl worse than death, as his eyes scanned me up and down as if

far as she's concerned, dead is dead,"

as if I were livestock. My body was already running out of strength , though, and before I

umbling of people. The auction house was far worse than I expected: a large wooden building with cages lined u

a holding pen and not long after

inkling his nose. "What

e said. "Exiled from her pack. No good use for her face

n't measure up to her expectations, "Barely worth the trouble

to a ball and go away. I'd rather not let them see me break. Not her

ed me to the platform with the rope still t

oke out, th

hting - snarls, violent body movements, shouting. They all ran for their live

my rope got distracted, and grabbed me from b

urgent, but I couldn't tell who

oil, past overturned cages and struggling bodies, the warmth of the flames against my b

couldn't go

arms that caught me before I hit the ground and a

e safe