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."Alle moved to help Kae with the healing, dutifully fetching hot water and whatever ingredients the healer needed for her poultices.Soterius tore strips of cloth for bandages from a clean sheet Alle thrust into his hands.Tadrie stayed close to the village girl, talking to her in low, reassuring tones, like a father with a sick child.Soterius guessed that Tadrie's wife would find herself with a new charge once the girl was well enough to travel.After a couple of candlemarks, Kae finished her healing.The wounded fighters rested on pallets on the floor.After much coaxing and reassuring, the wounded girl permitted the healer to tend her wounds, and drank a mixture of herbs and warm wine that guaranteed her a peaceful sleep.When Kae finished, she washed her hands in the basin Alle provided and looked from Alle to Soterius."I've been to the village that girl came from," Kae said sadly."They were honest tradesfolk.They did nothing to deserve what happened to them.What she's been through.I've healed her body, made sure she wasn't with child, but there are scars I can't fix.She needs a mind healer." Kae's hand tightened to a white-knuckled fist and shook against her skirt."I'm glad you killed the ones that did that to her—saves me from breaking my healers' vows.""I killed their captain myself," Soterius assured her."He had it coming.""I'll be back to check on them before dawn.They should all sleep well tonight, and feel no pain," Kae looked back at her three charges."On the other hand, they're in no shape to flee if we get raided tonight.""I'll stand guard," Tadrie volunteered, patting the pommel of his sword."Come downstairs with me," Alle said to Soterius."Lemus has information for you from what he's heard in the common room the last few nights."They were halfway down the narrow hallway when a loud voice sounded on the front stairs.The speaker was well into his ale."Margolan officer!" Alle hissed.The door behind her was locked, and they were too far from the back stairs to run without being caught.As the footsteps approached the top of the stairs, Alle fell backward against the wall, grabbing a handful of Soterius's shirt and pulling hard against him.He lost his balance, bracing himself against the wall with one hand on either side of her shoulders.Alle reached up and pulled his head down, crushing his lips against hers.Her leg slid up and wrapped around his hip.She gave a shrug, letting her blouse fall provocatively from one shoulder."Someone's lucky tonight!" the drunken man chortled as he and his companion started down the hallway."How about coming to see us when you're finished?"Alle thrust out her hand, rubbing her fingers together as if to ask for coin."Poxy whore!" the man's companion spat as they shoved past.The two made ribald remarks, laughing at their own jokes, until they reached their room at the end of the hall and the door closed behind them.Alle pushed Soterius away, straightened her blouse, and smoothed her skirt."Don't let it go to your head," she warned, and then flashed him a wicked grin."I figured it was better than killing them and having to clean up the blood.And we've all got to make sacrifices for the war—right?"Soterius gave her a sour look that made her laugh."C'mon.Lemus is waiting."After another candlemark in the kitchen, Soterius was finally warm once more.His mind buzzed with the bits of information Lemus shared: overheard troop movements, rumors about Jared's interest in an alliance with Nargi, and unsettling tales about soldiers in the cities sent to round up and eliminate dissenters.It was almost dawn when Soterius finally made his way back to the barn, and while he thought he might be too full of thoughts and worries to rest, exhaustion won out, and sleep found him quickly.CHAPTER NINESTADEN gave his whole-hearted permission for Tris to set up a Court of Spirits in the weeks before Winterstide.Word spread quickly, and Tris was aghast to see how many petitioners, living, dead, and undead, lined up to receive the blessing of the first Summoner to pass through the kingdom in years.Tris began the Court of Spirits just a few days after he returned from the citadel.Within a week, the court was so crowded that Tris could not see all of the petitioners in a single day
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