The woman shook her head and said softly, "No." Aleia nodded politely and turned back to her toast upon the table. "Not a day for friendliness," she muttered to herself. Finally finishing her breakfast, she pushed her stool back from the bar and went up to her room.
Upon reaching her room, Aleia packed her belongings back into her rucksack. She withdrew a few coins to pay for the board of her and her horse and the food she had consumed. She thumped down the stairs, paying the barkeep, and made her way to the stables. When Skeet saw her, he nickered and waited eagerly for a treat. She gave him a piece of carrot that had been hiding in her pocket and led him out of the stable, nodding to Derufin as she left. Aleia mounted Skeet and trotted off.
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"There's a big...machine in the sky...some kind of electric snake...coming straight at us."
"Shoot it," said my attorney.
"Not yet...I want to study its habits."
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