Ember (5 page)

a
nyth
i
ng
.
He
r
m
ind
turn
e
d
to
h
e
r
dr
eam
s
,
a
nd
th
e
a
ch
e
in
h
e
r
sto
ma
ch
int
e
nsifi
e
d
.
S
h
e
’d
been
dr
eam
ing
of
H
im
a
g
a
in
,
th
e
ma
n
who
h
a
d
s
a
v
e
d
h
e
r
in
an
a
ll
e
yw
a
y
so
me
m
onths
ago,
th
e
ma
n
who
c
l
ung
to
sh
a
do
w
s
,
n
e
v
e
r
to
show
his
f
a
c
e,
y
e
t
a
lw
a
ys
to
d
we
ll
in
h
e
r
m
ind
.

Unw
itti
ng
l
y,
he
r
gaze
wen
t
t
o
t
he
j
ewe
l
box
on
he
r
d
r
ess
i
ng
t
ab
l
e.
I
t
was
emp
t
y
now
of
a
ll
bu
t
a
f
ew
ea
rri
ngs
and
one
go
l
den
co
i
n.
He
’
d
g
i
ven
it
t
o
he
r
,
t
ha
t
s
tr
ange
c
o
i
n
w
it
h
t
he
f
ace
of
t
he
moon
embossed
on
it
.

N
ot
th
a
t
sh
e
’d
e
v
e
r
tri
e
d
to
p
aw
n
it
.
T
o
s
e
ll
it
wou
l
d
be
to
a
b
a
ndon
hop
e.
Ab
a
ndon
dr
eam
s
.

“
Bugg
e
r
,
”
sh
e
m
utt
e
r
e
d
,
turn
i
ng
b
a
ck
to
th
e
m
irror
.
W
hy
did
sh
e
h
a
v
e
to
dr
eam
of
hi
m
?
O
f
his
r
a
sping
voic
e
a
nd
strong
,
h
a
rd
thighs
.
T
h
e
m
yst
e
ry
ma
n
who
h
a
d
turn
e
d
h
e
r
world
on
its
ea
r
.

“
A
c
on
c
e
r
n
e
d
s
ub
j
e
c
t
o
f
t
h
e
C
r
o
w
n
.
”

Ha
!
M
ost
lik
e
ly
a
hunt
e
d
subj
e
ct
of
th
e
C
rown
.
He
h
a
dn’t
e
v
e
n
l
e
t
h
e
r
s
ee
his
f
a
c
e.
S
h
e
ought
to
be
th
a
nkfu
l
sh
e
got
awa
y
fro
m
such
a
sh
a
dy
ch
a
r
a
ct
e
r
unsc
a
th
e
d
.
But
h
e
h
a
d
h
e
lp
e
d
h
e
r
.
And
don
e
noth
i
ng
to
stop
h
e
r
wh
e
n
sh
e
’d
s
ea
rch
e
d
his
p
e
rson
for
wea
pons
.
T
h
e
skin
a
long
h
e
r
p
a
l
m
s
throbb
e
d
as
if
r
emem
b
e
ring
th
e
f
ee
l
of
his
thighs
as
sh
e
ski
mme
d
a
long
th
e
ir
l
e
ngth
,
th
e
n
up
to
th
e
turgid
sw
e
ll
of
his
buttocks
.

M
ir
a
nd
a
’s
f
a
c
e
fl
ame
d
.
C
ursing
,
sh
e
plung
e
d
h
e
r
h
a
nds
into
th
e
ic
e
wa
t
e
r
onc
e
m
or
e.
S
h
e
h
a
dn’t
ti
me
for
dr
eam
s
.
S
h
e
h
a
d
things
to
do.
T
h
e
loud
gro
w
l
co
m
ing
fro
m
h
e
r
sto
ma
ch
punctu
a
t
e
d
th
e
f
a
ct
.
S
h
e
h
a
d
a
br
ea
kf
a
st
to
find
.

S
o
mew
h
e
r
e.

C
o
m
ing
to
E
gypt
h
a
d
been
a
coloss
a
l
wa
st
e
of
ti
me.
N
ot
a
singl
e
soul
h
a
d
a
ny
infor
ma
tion
r
e
g
a
rding
th
e
hours
l
ea
ding
up
to
Da
oud’s
d
ea
th
,
a
f
a
ct
th
a
t
scr
a
p
e
d
at
A
rch
e
r’s
insid
e
s
until
h
e
w
a
nt
e
d
to
punch
so
me
thing
.
H
is
h
a
nds
tight
e
n
e
d
on
th
e
r
e
ins
,
a
nd
his
hors
e,
f
ee
ling
A
rch
e
r’s
a
git
a
tion
,
nick
e
r
e
d
a
nd
toss
e
d
its
h
ea
d
.
Arch
e
r
loos
e
n
e
d
his
grip
a
nd
conc
e
ntr
a
t
e
d
on
his
d
e
stin
a
tion
inst
ea
d
.