Ember (28 page)

He
suppr
e
ss
e
d
a
sigh
a
nd
look
e
d
up
at
th
e
bl
a
ck
v
e
l
v
e
t
clo
a
k
of
th
e
night
sky
.
S
o
ma
ny
st
a
rs
h
e
r
e,
lik
e
cryst
a
llin
e
b
ea
ding
on
a
g
e
ntl
e
wo
ma
n’s
gown
.
T
h
e
st
a
rs
w
ink
e
d
a
nd
glitt
e
r
e
d
,
silv
e
ry
whit
e
a
nd
undu
l
a
t
i
ng
.
He
suck
e
d
in
a
br
ea
th
,
his
body
going
still
.
We
r
e
th
e
st
a
rs
m
oving?
T
h
e
thought
h
a
d
b
a
r
e
ly
s
e
ttl
e
d
wh
e
n
a
gr
ea
t
bl
aze
of
sliv
e
ry
whit
e
light
sl
a
sh
e
d
do
w
n
th
e
c
e
nt
e
r
of
th
e
h
ea
ving
sky
a
nd
split
it
op
e
n
.
I
nk
-
bl
a
ck
s
e
ctions
of
v
e
l
v
e
t
p
ee
l
e
d
b
a
ck
as
th
e
fi
e
ry
light
gr
ew.

Arch
e
r
l
urch
e
d
to
his
f
ee
t
,
h
ee
dl
e
ss
of
his
co
m
p
a
nions
.
H
is
insid
e
s
tr
em
bl
e
d
at
th
e
sight
b
e
for
e
hi
m.
S
t
a
rs
f
e
ll
lik
e
r
a
in
.
Ma
gnific
e
nt
di
am
onds
th
a
t
bounc
e
d
upon
th
e
ea
rth
.
He

s
t
umb
l
ed
f
o
rt
h,
wan
ti
ng
t
o
ca
t
ch
t
hem.

Powe
r
su
r
ged
t
h
r
ough
h
i
m,
and
w
it
h
it
t
he
oddes
t
f
ee
li
ng
of
d
i
sso
l
v
i
ng,
as
if
h
i
s
body
we
r
e
made
of
spun
suga
r
sudden
l
y
subme
r
ged
i
n
t
o
wa
r
m
wa
t
e
r
.
No
soone
r
had
t
he
t
hough
t
p
r
ocessed
t
hen
he
f
e
lt
d
iff
e
r
en
t
,
as
if
he
we
r
e
now
expand
i
ng.
Each
b
r
ea
t
h
he
t
ook
seemed
t
o
pu
ll
at
t
he
wo
rl
d
be
f
o
r
e
h
i
m.
The
s
t
a
r
s
and
sky
b
r
ea
t
hed
w
it
h
h
i
m.
The
b
li
nd
i
ng
wh
it
e
rip
i
n
t
he
m
i
dd
l
e
of
h
i
s
wo
rl
d
ebbed
and
fl
owed
w
it
h
h
i
m.
A
r
che
r
wa
l
ked
t
owa
r
d
t
ha
t
r
en
t
,
h
i
s
f
oo
t
s
t
eps
hamme
ri
ng
i
n
h
i
s
sku
ll
.

W
h
a
t
wa
s
this
ma
dn
e
ss?

T
h
e
v
e
ry
a
ir
w
hisp
e
r
e
d
th
e
qu
e
stion
.

The
li
gh
t
was
so
b
rilli
an
t
now
t
ha
t
he
ough
t
t
o
be
squ
i
n
ti
ng,
bu
t
t
he
r
e
was
no
pa
i
n,
on
l
y
a
sh
i
ve
ri
ng
powe
r
t
ha
t
had
h
i
m
wan
ti
ng
t
o
l
augh
and
r
un.
He
s
t
epped
i
n
t
o
t
ha
t
b
rilli
ance
and
f
e
lt
it
pa
i
n
t
h
i
s
fl
esh
i
n
a
r
a
i
nbow
of
co
l
o
r
s.

The
gap
c
l
osed
a
r
ound
h
i
m,
sa
t
u
r
a
ti
ng
h
i
s
bones.
Ano
t
he
r
b
r
ea
t
h
and
it
bu
r
s
t
w
i
de
open.
He
was
no
l
onge
r
i
n
t
h
e
de
s
e
r
t
b
u
t
i
n
a
l
o
n
g,
da
r
k
c
o
rr
i
do
r
.
T
o
r
c
h
es
l
i
n
ed
t
h
e
wa
ll
s,
t
he
ir
fl
ames
fli
cke
ri
ng
and
h
i
ss
i
ng
w
it
h
t
he
r
ush
of
a
ir
t
ha
t
tr
ave
l
ed
down
t
he
pa
t
h.
He
knew
t
h
i
s
p
l
ace.