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The Thieves Guild

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by Jake Kerr.

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Episode 111:

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Prosper.

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It was slow going, but in some ways it was easier
than before.

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Katrina knew exactly where her husband's cabin
stood and the way

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was through heavy woods, which made it much easier
to sense the approach of the

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guardian. But they went slow with the wagon often
getting

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stuck in ruts and brambles.

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As they walked, the three of them were taut with
fear and excitement.

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Darla held her knives at the ready and Katrina
held her bow.

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Maila felt a bit useless as she pulled the cart
laden with supplies, but she

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knew that her skills were made for the shadows.

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She also had the important job of throwing the
three loosely knit together

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bags of flour sitting at the front of the wagon
when the guardian inevitably

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attacked. Katrina whispered details about her
husband.

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His name was Prosper, and she clearly loved him
dearly.

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He was a talented magician, but rather than follow
studies and scribe

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work at the library, he pursued practical magic,
which for him

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meant joining the guards.

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As Katrina proudly discussed Prosper, it led to
many questions for

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Maila. What was scribe work? The library was
mentioned in awe

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by Katrina, and she described it as a massive
building with catacombs.

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What was that about?

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She mentioned that Prosper was careful not to use
his magic casually as so many

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other magicians did without hesitation, as he
loved his wife and their memories

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together too much to do so. What did that mean?

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But the questions had to wait because all three of
them focused on the woods around them,

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listening for the pad of a heavy foot, the crack
of a branch, or some other

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sign that the guardian was approaching.

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Maila was cursing as she roughly pulled the wagon
over a tree root when she heard

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it, a distinct but muffled crack ahead of them.

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Katrina was whispering to Darla, so Maila
immediately dropped the handle of the

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wagon and grabbed Darla and Katrina's arms.

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They turned to look at her, and she held an index
finger over her lips with her left

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hand while she pointed ahead with her right.

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Darla immediately fell into a crouch, knives in
both hands.

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Katrina readied her bow as her eyes scanned left
and right.

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They were close to a wide gap between two trees,
which was ahead and

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to their right. It wasn't a path, but it was more
grass than

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brambles and roots. Maila was looking forward to
the easier passage,

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but now she saw it as a problem. The guardian
could approach with little more than

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the movement of grass or leaves revealing it.

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Picking up a bag of flour, Maila decided to focus
on that gap.

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She had no idea if the guardians were intelligent
enough to plan a stealth approach,

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but the chance that it would attack through a
clearing even without a strategy seemed

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reasonable. In either case, the gap was a
weakness, and she kept

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watch.

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It didn't take long for her to notice grass move
about 30 feet ahead

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and to the right near the outer edge of the
clearing.

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It would be a long throw for her with the heavy
flour, but Maila

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assessed that with two other bags, taking a risk
early could prove to have

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huge returns. So with both hands and all her
might, she tossed the

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bag of flour toward the swaying grass.

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The bag landed with a thud, flour billowing out.

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Darla and Katrina stared at the growing cloud,
their weapons at the ready.

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Two things then happened in quick succession.
Maila realized she missed.

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There was no guardian outlined in the flour, which
was filling the whole other side

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of the clearing with nothing more than white dust.

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And then, as Maila grabbed another bag of flour, a
pounding to the right

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approached.

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A large branch on a tree to their immediate right
snapped off like a twig.

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The tree shuddered, and then Katrina was hurled
toward the clearing, her

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bow and arrows flying to the side. Darla swung
both knives in

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the direction of where Katrina stood,

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which elicited an otherworldly howl of pain and
the guardian

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retreating.

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Maila scanned the direction of the thudding steps,
and then she saw it,

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a smudge of white dust hanging in the air like a
flat pane of glass.

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She smiled. Her first toss was in the direction of
the guardian after all.

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It was just too far back to be covered with the
dust.

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Still smiling, Maila hurled the other bag.

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The accursed beast, however, pounded back to their
right, and the flour once again

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filled the clearing with no guardian beneath it.

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"So you are smart," Maila thought as she grabbed
the third and final bag

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of flour.

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She had little time to ponder this new information
as a glancing blow tossed

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her to the ground in front of the cart.

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She looked up at the bit of flour hanging in the
air and prepared to receive a

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crushing blow when there was a thwack and then
another howl of pain.

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An arrow protruded from the center of the flour a
few feet from her.

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It swung back toward the clearing, and the
guardian again moved toward

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Katrina.Dala quickly grabbed the flower from
Maela's side and heaved

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it at the retreating arrow. The last bag exploded
in midair, filling the

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clearing again, but this time with the distinct
outline of the guardian.

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The short pause the beast took to assess what was
happening proved its

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undoing. Dala had time to quickly unsheathe her
knives, and she

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tossed them with precision. Thunk, thunk, and the
beast

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once again howled in pain. Turning and stumbling
toward Dala,

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it took a step.

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Whack, a Catrina arrow hit home. It stumbled
forward.

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Whack, another arrow in the center of its back,
and finally a killing

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blow from Dala as her final throw ended with a
knife protruding from the

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center of the guardian. It stumbled to its left,
collapsed to a

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knee, and then fell on its side. Maela and Dala
ran to

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Catrina, who was sitting while leaning on her arm.

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Her bow and arrows were scattered to her side.

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She looked fine, and smiled as they approached.

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Tha- thank you,

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she said, a wheeze to her voice. She gasped a bit
for breath after she

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said it.

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Are you okay?

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Maela asked as she and Dala knelt next to her.

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I think I have a few broken ribs, and it's a bit
difficult to breathe.

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She coughed and then smiled again.

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But I'll see Prosper soon.

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Maela helped her up, which elicited groans of
pain, but Catrina was

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steady on her feet.

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I'll be fine,

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she repeated as Dala reached out to hold her arm.

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She looked at Maela.

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You were struck as well.

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Are you okay?

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I'm just bruised,

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Maela replied, which was true enough, although she
too felt pain in her

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side. The guardian appeared to have large fists as
hard as stone.

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They gathered everything up. Catrina couldn't
carry her bow, so that

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was added to the cart. They continued forward,
finding the journey much

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easier. The clearing they had stopped at turned
out to be the beginning of a path

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that led to Prosper's cabin prison.

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As the cabin came into view, Catrina abandoned any
pretense of caring

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for her injuries and half ran, half stumbled
forward.

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As Maela and Dala arrived, the door to the cabin
opened and Catrina

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fell into Prosper's arms, his face full of shock.

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He quickly let her go and steadied her, looking
her up and down.

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She said something, and he looked over at Maela
and Dala.

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He waved them forward as he helped Catrina into
the cabin.

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Leaving the cart near a fire pit, Maela grabbed
Dala's arm.

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We will be home soon.

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Maybe not soon,

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she replied, turning to Maela and pulling her into
a hug, adding in

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a whisper in her ear.

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But soon enough.

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They introduced themselves and outlined their goal
of returning to Ness.

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Prosper appeared excited about the prospect, but
it quickly became clear that he really

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only cared about one thing: Catrina.

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Maela had a hard time figuring out if he was
suspicious of her and Dala,

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or if he was simply completely focused on Catrina.

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As they sat down at his simple table, Maela
started to understand it was

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possibly both.

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Prosper's supplies were minimal, and the four of
them nibbled on carrots as they

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talked. Prosper's chair was pulled out and he held
his hands over

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Catrina's side.

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As a guard, we're taught mostly spells of
violence,

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but we're also taught elementary healing spells,

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which we use in the field when someone is injured.

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He spoke as his hands were steady, and he looked
like he was focusing on something

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else.

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I cannot bring someone back from near death,

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but I can heal broken bones and even deep gashes.

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He stopped talking and closed his eyes.

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Maela whispered, trying not to interrupt him but
full of curiosity.

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Are you casting a healing spell now?

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Yes.

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At points, Catrina would groan in pain, but
otherwise nothing seemed to have

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changed, until Prosper leaned back and sighed.

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I lost something important of our past,

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he said to Catrina.

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but you are healed.

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Catrina smiled and rolled her chest left and
right.

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Thank you, my love. I will remember it for both of
us.

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What do you mean?

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Dala asked, although Maela was about to ask the
same thing.

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Catrina looked at Prosper, who shook his head, and
then replied.

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She is healed.

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That is all you need to know.

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Changing the subject, he slid his chair to face
the table and stated.

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We will leave tomorrow for the Southern Gap.

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What is the Southern Gap?

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It's a small valley that leads to a cave.

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The cave leads to an opening to Dragon Road.

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Is it defended?

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It won't be after tomorrow,

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Prosper replied grimly, before turning and asking
Catrina for

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updates about her life since they parted.

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Maela could not help but worry. Prosper not only
didn't appear to

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hesitate to resort to violence, but he also
appeared to think he was now running

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things. She had dealt with too many personalities
to not trust her

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instincts, so she decided to challenge him.

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We will leave in two days. We should assess our
supplies and perhaps see if we can gather more
food.

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Prosper turned to Maela and replied.

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You can leave in two days.

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We leave tomorrow.

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And with a lack of regard that bordered on
contemptuousness, he

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ignored Maela and Dala and returned his attention
to Catrina.

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(instrumental music plays)