1.
It was a fast and spartan little catamaran with a tall, thin sail
2.
He knew that Ava would be loyal to the mission because she had no reason not to, not because of some heartfelt camaraderie
3.
She tutted over the fact that a half used roll had been balanced on top of the empty cardboard inner - the two men stood helplessly watching her, a shared glance evidence of a fleeting male camaraderie
4.
The veneer of affection, the camaraderie of violence, of shared experience, is ripped away from the carcass of their relationship
5.
minute yells of camaraderie and encouragement could be heard throughout the
6.
Samaras, who had been friends with and
7.
They enjoy firsthand the camaraderie of the students, and they delight in some of the amenities the school has to offer
8.
The love, camaraderie and conversation made a memorable evening
9.
I was really happy because like I said as much as I loved the girls I was getting bored and I missed the camaraderie of the Battalion and after all you can have too much of a good thing
10.
Yet, if their days were filled with work, their evenings were filled with camaraderie
11.
“Why couldn’t he have been an ass to me last night?” Amaranthe muttered
12.
Amaranthe dropped her forehead onto the stock of the crossbow
13.
Amaranthe threw her arm up in an attempt to grab his, knowing it would be too late
14.
Her neck twisted nearly to snapping, Amaranthe froze
15.
Amaranthe considered carefully before answering
16.
Amaranthe started to shake her head, but stopped at the pain
17.
” Amaranthe stood so she could look at his face
18.
Amaranthe rubbed her neck
19.
Amaranthe shifted her weight, and snow compacted beneath her boots
20.
“I’ll bring this back to you,” Amaranthe said, “and let you know what I learned
21.
Neither Amaranthe nor the corporal spoke while his comrade was gone, though he sent numerous suspicious glances her direction
22.
Amaranthe decided against saying anything lippy or smug
23.
Amaranthe entered and closed the door behind her
24.
Amaranthe considered that cool face
25.
Amaranthe reacted without thinking
26.
Before Amaranthe could reply, the door swung open
27.
But the courtyard was empty, Amaranthe nowhere to be seen
28.
Shackles bound Amaranthe’s wrists behind her back
29.
As the group moved in and out of the shadows, Amaranthe felt as if she had stepped back hundreds of years in time
30.
Amaranthe had anticipated towering, monosyllabic guards led by a sadistic, whip-cracking overseer who had not seen the sun in twenty years
31.
The guards forced Amaranthe to follow
32.
“The emperor might not like the idea of a lady being dissected in his dungeon,” one of the guards holding Amaranthe whispered to the other as they traveled deeper into the tunnels
33.
Amaranthe wondered how many men in the Imperial Barracks were loyal to Sespian and how many to Hollowcrest
34.
The guard who had spoken up for Sespian left Amaranthe to obey the surgeon’s orders
35.
“Magic-throwing shamans?” Amaranthe asked
36.
Amaranthe made herself focus on Hollowcrest
37.
Amaranthe eyed the jar in his hands
38.
A part of Amaranthe wanted to face the moment with dignity, but when he removed the lid and set the mouth of the jar against her skin, fear surged through her
39.
Despite her frenzied struggle, Amaranthe felt the bite of the insect
40.
Amaranthe became as inert as the wheezing forms on the cots
41.
Amaranthe did not move her eyes to follow his pointing arm
42.
After a time, Amaranthe grew bored of staring at the ceiling and feeling sorry for herself
43.
Amaranthe checked the other two men
44.
Amaranthe slowly folded the note and returned it to her pocket
45.
Amaranthe sighed as they took it
46.
Amaranthe threw her back against the bars and glared about the room
47.
Amaranthe spun out some thread and tied the jars together, leaving a long leash dangling
48.
The pained wheezing of the others finally cracked Amaranthe’s stoicism, and she wept quietly
49.
Amaranthe waited until the surgeon unlocked the gate and pushed it open
50.
Amaranthe backtracked and tried other passages
51.
Amaranthe had nothing, not even Sicarius’s dagger
52.
Dreams and reality meshed for Amaranthe, creating a fevered realm of fear and confusion
53.
Amaranthe struggled to retain consciousness, afraid every slip into blackness would be permanent, but it swallowed her again
54.
Amaranthe dropped her forearms on the edge and watched him
55.
Amaranthe prodded her arm where the bug had bitten her
56.
Fugitive magic users? In her city? Amaranthe rubbed her face
57.
Amaranthe gave a detailed description of the conversations she had shared with Hollowcrest
58.
His tone didn’t change to suggest it was a question, and it wasn’t until he tacked on the last two words that Amaranthe realized it was a statement of disbelief
59.
“Honestly, I was surprised myself, especially when he came to chat in the dungeon,” Amaranthe said
60.
Amaranthe chomped down on her flapping lip and dropped her gaze to the floorboards
61.
His dark eyes narrowed, and once again Amaranthe remembered his knack for sensing deception
62.
Still clutching the blanket around herself, Amaranthe shuffled over to the tub and dipped a toe in
63.
Amaranthe bent over the tub and picked out the remains of a block that had not melted completely
64.
Amaranthe realized she had been lathering the same shoulder with the bar of soap for some time
65.
Amaranthe let the soap fall from her fingers and leaned on the edge of the tub
66.
Amaranthe waited apprehensively, afraid he would reject her plan, point out a dozen reasons it was ludicrous, or simply walk out without saying anything
67.
“I’m ready,” Amaranthe called over the chugging wheels of the locomotive
68.
” She cleared her throat and turned beseeching eyes toward Amaranthe, probably thinking they had come to collect on a loan
69.
If only he were that benign, Amaranthe thought dryly
70.
For a moment, Amaranthe thought the lady meant to warn Books that someone was looking for him and that he should run, but exasperated words soon tumbled out, eliminating the concern
71.
Amaranthe put her hand over her face and shook her head
72.
Arms laden with wine bottles, crusty food plates, and newspapers, she wore a harassed expression but struggled to smile for Amaranthe
73.
“Thank you,” Amaranthe said anyway and plucked a half-full bottle off the top of the passing stack
74.
He glared at Amaranthe, or maybe just at the door in general
75.
“That’s not the name he gave me,” Amaranthe said with a smile, “but details aren’t important
76.
Amaranthe was glad the cold voice was not directed at her
77.
“I’m Amaranthe,” she said
78.
Amaranthe debated what to tell him
79.
“Er, yes,” Amaranthe said, “that was his intent for me
80.
For a moment, Amaranthe was too dumbfounded to respond
81.
Amaranthe snapped at her too-frank conscience
82.
Books lunged forward and startled Amaranthe by grabbing her arm
83.
“See—” Amaranthe was more delighted than chagrinned at his logic, “—I knew you could help
84.
The breeze smelled of snow, and Amaranthe pulled her parka tight
85.
Amaranthe wished she had a bicycle so she could move around the city without having to walk
86.
Amaranthe waited until he disappeared around a corner, then she leaned against the nearest wall
87.
When she resumed walking, Amaranthe kept her pace normal
88.
Amaranthe darted into the establishment, suspecting her male followers would prove reluctant to step inside
89.
Did blackmailing the most powerful man in the empire count as an event? Amaranthe resisted the urge to ignore the woman and hunt for a backdoor
90.
If Amaranthe was a potential customer, though, the woman might be less inclined to point her out
91.
As if waiting off-stage for this introduction, the most handsome man Amaranthe had ever seen strolled into the room
92.
After a flustered moment during which she could not remember her name or why she was there, Amaranthe’s mind shifted to calculation
93.
“A fencing expert?” Amaranthe knew little about the sport dueling the warrior caste practiced, except that enlisted soldiers had little respect for it
94.
Amaranthe paused at a window to peer both directions down the street
95.
Amaranthe resisted the urge to roll her eyes
96.
With his help, Amaranthe found a back exit out of the establishment
97.
The gang brand on the young man’s hand almost made Amaranthe reject him without further consideration, but the clouds started unloading snow, and the crowd thinned in response
98.
Amaranthe’s head jerked up
99.
A couple bundled against the snow shuffled through the edge of the square, and Amaranthe lowered her voice
100.
Amaranthe shrugged and turned away