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Nena gave a laugh, and shook her head.

“Then we have a proposal. We’ll tie this one up for you, and ask that you keep him until we send someone back to fetch him. We’re talking at the most a week, hopefully less. And Kassia and Cervantes will pay you for your trouble, and make restitution on the fence.”

Nena stared at her, head angled to the side. “That’s the most fair anyone’s dealt with me for years.” She held out her hand. “It’s a deal.”

They stood in the cold, shivering a little while Ivan, Caro and Jacinta carried a weeping, pleading Gus into what looked like an old stable. They were probably only gone for half an hour, but as the darkness gathered in the woods behind them, and the air got colder, it felt like time stretched out, that Marchant could have dealt with Melodie and was right now running after them, terrible spells at the ready.

Nena came back with the three soldiers, talking softly.

“I can show you where the horses are kept at the inn,” she said as they came into earshot. “Maybe save you some time?”

“I’ll go with you.” Jacinta flicked a look at Gallain and he gave a tiny nod. “We know the town guards have a deal with Marchant, so we need to be invisible.”

“I know the guards.” Nena sounded bitter. “I didn’t know they were in with Marchant, but that makes a lot of sense.” She drew in a breath and flicked a quick look at Vivi and her friends. “I’ll be a diversion if you need one.”

“Appreciate it.” Gallain kept all suspicion from his voice, but none of them trusted her completely. Still, if she was being sincere, she could help them ghost through town.

She led them out of her gate and down the track toward Warven, with Jacinta sticking close to her.

The night was almost completely silent except for the sound of the horses hooves on the hard-packed ground and the rustle of clothing.

Viviane let herself believe, for the first time since they ran for the forest, that they might actually be free. Her eyes watered, and her nose started to run, and she slid her pack off her shoulder and found a handkerchief inside.

It was one her mother had embroidered for her, and she gripped it tight in a white-knuckled fist. She felt the tingle of her mother’s magic, and dabbed away her tears.

“It’s starting to feel real, isn’t it?” Ric hooked an arm over her shoulder, his voice soft. “And once we’re free and clear, we need to talk about what you did to my shirt. To me.”

She glanced over at him. “No, we don’t.”

He stared at her, his expression thoughtful. “I think we do. But we have time.” He dropped his arm, but kept close to her, walking shoulder to shoulder.

“Ric—”

“It’s all right,” he murmured. “This is just between you and me.”

She relaxed a little. “As long as you understand that.”

Up ahead, beyond a line of trees, the night sky lightened with the glow of a small settlement, and Gallain looked back at them, finger to his lips.

They fell silent, and Jacinta and Nena disappeared, running ahead.

“We go this way,” Gallain whispered. “Nena says there’s a short cut through the woods to the main road.”

“And do we trust her?” Viviane asked.

“No.” Ivan suddenly loomed out of the darkness, and Viviane realized he’d been scouting ahead. He was holding his knife in a very businesslike manner. “But it does look like there is a short cut. I’ll go ahead, whistle if it’s clear.”

Caro had fallen back, taking up the rear, Vivi noticed. Gallain had already moved to the front.

They were getting out of here. They were really getting out.

CHAPTER 33

Melodie watchedthe magical barrier erode, little by little.

At one point, deep into the night, she wondered if it would dissipate fast enough to be of any use, but it clearly reached a tipping point sometime after midnight, and a few hours later, it winked out completely.

“Time to go.” She glanced inside at Theo, a dark, reassuring figure in the shadows, and gave herself a moment to admire him as he straightened to his full height.