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rubbed his nose instead of finishing the question. Instead he said, “The word is, they’ll be there for a while. Want to train up some snatchers or some such. Inkna. Those mind-weapons the Graygual have. That’s what I hear. Men come and go all the time from there—up here to drink sometimes. They don’t say much, but I listen as best I can. They might act right, but they are policing matters they shouldn’t be troubled with. They think they run this place—tell me how to run my business, send performers away for being too coarse, tell me what’s what.” He shook his head and glanced back out the barn door. His gaze refocused on Shanti. “Watch yourself. If you’re running, you’d better run fast, because they’ll kill you if they catch you.”
    “They’ll do much worse than that,” Shanti mumbled, opening her satchel. She took out a handful of gold and forced it into his hand. “Thank you for the help.”
    “Oh my—oh no, m’lady. No, indeed. This is too much. Even if I were to charge—which I’m not, mind. I’m—”
    “I have it to give. Help someone else with it if you won’t keep it.”
    Claude bowed, clutching the money between his aging hands. “Thank you. Thank you, m’lady. Tauneya said she’d find someone to help if she was patient—thank you. I didn’t believe her. You understand—her god isn’t even real. But—thank you! I’ll make sure this goes to those who need it most.”
    “That’s all you can do.”
    Shanti tucked the map in her belt and covered it with the front of her shirt. She rolled her hair into a bun and stuffed it under the cap Claude provided. She looked him directly in the eye for the first time. “Keep yourself safe, Claude. Don’t get noticed.”
    Claude’s eyes rounded. The breath rushed out of his mouth. He glanced up at Rohnan and started to shake. “It’s true. My word—it’s true! I thought his hair seemed awfully light for these parts. The Ghost and the Violet-eyed girl! It’s true! Oh my, yes. Yes, I’ll keep my head down. But I am here to help. We all are—there are a lot of us. We aren’t warriors, but we aren’t useless, m’lady.”
    “Of course not.” Shanti walked back and stepped up into the stirrup. The horse pranced sideways. “Blasted animal!” She hopped after the horse, losing the dynamic mounting she’d intended. Legend, indeed.
    “He knows you’re uncomfortable with him, m’lady. Horses are like women—they can sense true intention,” Claude helped.
    It wasn’t helpful. Rohnan snickered.
    She pointed her finger in the horse’s face. It must’ve sensed it’d get punched again because it stopped moving. She hoisted herself up and swung a leg over the saddle. When she was settled, a little out of breath, she once again looked down at Claude. “After a week, you can say you saw me ride by with the Ghost. You can say we escaped the Graygual.”
    “Not just the Graygual, Miss,” Claude said as he picked his nail in nervousness. “The Hunter. He’s the one at that camp down there. You best ride on. It’s said that when he’s on someone’s trail, he doesn’t stop until he catches his prey.”
    “The Hunter? Is that what you’re calling the Superior Officer?” Shanti asked.
    Claude nodded with serious eyes. “Yes, m’lady. I heard he’s trying to get into the Being Supreme’s guard. You don’t want him knowing where you’ve gone.”
    “Great.” Shanti fixed Rohnan with a blistering stare. “Of all the camps you could’ve walked into, Rohnan.”
    She gazed back down at Claude. “Thank you for the help, Claude. Stay safe.”
    “Yes, Miss. Of course, Miss. I will, Miss, yes.”
    A piercing stab of mental power ripped across Shanti’s consciousness. She slammed her shields into place as Rohnan started and looked behind him with wild eyes.
    “They’re already here,” Shanti said in a low tone. She looked at Rohnan. “We’re going to have to fight our way out.”

Chapter Three
    “ Y ou revealed