"Is that bearded man going to die?"
Ronan Kendrick shook the cat teaser in his hand. "He should be dead by now."
Evelyn Ford sat down across from him. "How will he die?"
"His meridians will rupture, and he'll bleed from all seven orifices."
Ronan Kendrick suddenly reached out and took Evelyn Ford's hand. "I think I smell the scent of ore."
Evelyn Ford sniffed the air. "What scent? I can't smell anything."
"It's probably a coal mine, not far from here. Want to go dig some up?"
The people in Crystell City burned coal. Evelyn Ford thought of them and shook her head. "No. With the bearded man dead, without that Bloodsucker around, their lives should get a little easier."
Beyond Crystell City lay an endless mountain range. Taylor Vance had said that once they crossed the mountains, they would be in Varden.
There seemed to be quite a few people living in the mountains. They could see thick smoke rising from within, and as they got closer, they even heard a rooster crowing.
