A—ris—ta?†Degan asked, sounding horse. “What is it?â€
“A rat bit me,†she said, once again shocked by her own rasping voice.
“Jasper does that if—†Gaunt coughed and hacked. After a moment, he
spoke again. “If he thinks you’re dead or too weak to fight.â€
“Jasper?â€
“I call him that, but I’ve also named the stones in my cell.â€
“I only counted mine,†Arista said.
“Two hundred and thirty-four,†Degan replied instantly.
“I have two hundred and twenty-eight.â€
“Did you count the cracked ones as two?â€
“No.
— Michael J. Sullivan
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