ELIA
"What?" he asked, an edge in his voice. "Why do you look like that, Elia?"
"My training…" she said faintly.
"Yes?"
"It isn't always just me and Gahrye."
"What?" his voice was very low, very flat, and laced with warning.
Elia swallowed. "Some of the other disformed… they're all friends. They call each other the pride they chose. Anyway, some of them join us. We practice together. Everyone's good at different things. It makes us stronger. And if one person didn't quite catch something, someone else usually did…" She trailed off.
"I'm still waiting for the part that made you go pale when you heard me speak of the thefts," he spat.
She held his gaze. "I don't know, because no one has mentioned it to me. But I have had the feeling for a while that several of them are… sick of living here. I think they're planning to leave."
Reth's jaw twitched. "They're stealing to make a start."
