Walking The Shadows

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Okay, all these people are mine. This is dedicated to the real life Jao, who I miss terribly and has always liked this story, and to the dragon, who has, by turns, played all of these parts with me. Couldn’t have done it without you. This is a work in progress; I happen to like it. You should read Shades Of Gray before you read this.

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Tobias’ back was to the wall as Moira advanced on her, grinning cruelly, the knife in her hand sharp and deadly. Too proud to scream, Tobias gritted her teeth as the blade was plunged deep into her left arm, between the two bones, and was drawn slowly towards her wrist. The witchsilver burned; the pain was intense. Then Moira started on the other arm. Tobias was too weak to resist. She knew she would die.

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1 Jao woke screaming. Tobias might have had iron control, but the young Xiané leader simply could not stand the pain. Every few nights, she would wake in a cold sweat, or, in the worst cases, doing exactly what she did now.

2 As soon as Jao realized she was awake, the pain and fear retreated and her frantic cries stopped. She wiped the tears from her face, feeling cold sweat on her forehead. The door opened quietly, and Duenna Mickai edged through it, wearing the long black tunic she slept in.

3 “I could hear you through the wall. Same dream again?â€