13/02/2026 00:44

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Alain passed over what he had plucked from Roland’s collar. “Yes—that’s how he’s played us,” Cuthbert said. Much of what we find is fascinating, some of it may be useful, if ka allows, but all of it is still wreckage. A hunched figure made of smudged shadows with a pack clearly visible over one cringing shoulder.

“What’s wrong with you, plaguey thing? What’s wrong?”The ball was heavy, and Rhea’s strength was fading. “My name’s not Will but Roland,” he said. Easy to wander in; perhaps more difficult to wander back out. Men fled, screaming—some on foot, others laid flat along the necks of their nags, their eyes wide and panicky.