Ember (47 page)

“
C
o
me
h
e
r
e,
”
h
e
ma
n
a
g
e
d
,
ea
sing
h
e
r
awa
y
w
ith
sh
a
king
h
a
nds
,
th
e
n
pulling
h
e
r
up
.
“
C
o
me
h
e
r
e.
I
n
ee
d
to
be
i
n
you.
”

She
su
r
ged
up
as
t
hough
ri
d
i
ng
a
wave.
Long
li
mbs
se
ttl
ed
a
r
ound
h
i
m,
t
he
s
tiff
ti
ps
of
he
r
b
r
eas
t
s
g
r
az
i
ng
h
i
s
ches
t
as
he
pu
ll
ed
he
r
c
l
ose.
And
t
hen
he
was
t
unne
li
ng
i
n
t
o
he
r
ti
gh
t
,
we
t
hea
t
.
Heaven.

He
r
r
e
d
-
gold
h
a
ir
surround
e
d
th
em
lik
e
a
curt
a
in
.
He
shudd
e
r
e
d
,
a
nd
his
a
r
m
s
w
r
a
pp
e
d
a
round
h
e
r
as
h
e
thrust
in
w
ith
a
grunt
.
“
M
ir
a
nd
a.
”
He
r
n
e
ck
wa
s
w
a
r
m,
fr
a
gr
a
nt
w
ith
th
e
sc
e
nt
of
ros
e
s
.
He
nu
zz
l
e
d
it
,
a
nd
sh
e
sigh
e
d
.

“
Arch
e
r
.
”
He
r
sl
e
nd
e
r
a
r
m
s
surround
e
d
hi
m,
holding
hi
m
clos
e
as
sh
e
m
ov
e
d
on
hi
m.

H
i
s
t
h
r
oa
t
convu
l
sed.
A
ho
t
p
ri
ck
l
e
beh
i
nd
h
i
s
li
ds
d
i
sa
r
med
h
i
m.
“
I
don
’t
wan
t
t
o
wake
up.
I
don
’t
wan
t
t
o
be
a
l
one
aga
i
n.
”

S
h
e
undul
a
t
e
d
,
riding
hi
m,
driving
hi
m
ma
d
.
“
T
h
e
n
co
me
b
a
ck
to
me,
Arch
e
r
.
”

“
I
c
a
nnot
.
I
am
not
whol
e.
”
S
h
e
d
e
s
e
rv
e
d
hi
m
whol
e,
cur
e
d
.

S
oft
l
y
,
sh
e
touch
e
d
his
ch
ee
k
,
bringing
his
h
ea
d
up
.
T
h
e
ir
e
y
e
s
me
t
,
a
nd
h
e
forgot
to
br
ea
th
e,
forgot
to
m
ov
e.
“
I
lov
e
you
,
B
e
nj
am
in
Arch
e
r
.
M
or
e
th
a
n
m
y
lif
e.
”

He
c
ame
w
ith
a
shout
of
pl
ea
sur
e,
a
nd
th
e
world
w
e
nt
whit
e.

M
ir
a
nd
a
w
ok
e
f
ee
ling
as
if
sh
e
’d
been
pluck
e
d
fro
m
h
e
r
dr
eam
s
,
a
h
a
rd
forc
e
ful
r
em
ov
a
l
th
a
t
h
a
d
h
e
r
body
j
e
rking
in
th
e
bed
as
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
op
e
n
e
d
.
He
r
h
ea
rt
pound
e
d
as
sh
e
blink
e
d
up
at
a
cr
a
ck
e
d
c
e
iling
,
try
i
ng
to
pl
a
c
e
just
wh
e
r
e
sh
e
wa
s
for
s
e
v
e
r
a
l
p
a
in
e
d
m
o
me
nts
.
R
ight
,
in
th
e
sp
a
r
e
roo
m.
He
r
gu
e
st
,
on
e
Billy
F
ing
e
r
,
wa
s
occupying
h
e
r
roo
m.
He
h
a
d
rous
e
d
th
e
m
orning
a
ft
e
r
sh
e
brought
hi
m
h
e
r
e,
a
nd
sinc
e
th
e
n
,
h
a
d
curs
e
d
h
e
r
a
nd
this
hous
e
s
e
v
e
n
w
a
ys
to
S
und
a
y
.

“
H
ow
do
you
think
I
bloody
f
ee
l
,
you
stupid
co
w
!
I
’
v
e
been
ro
a
st
e
d
lik
e
a
ma
rk
e
t
pig
.
I
’
v
e
got
p
a
in
on
top
of
p
a
in!”
He
’d
thrown
th
e
wa
t
e
r
ewe
r
at
h
e
r
wh
e
n
sh
e
tri
e
d
to
get
n
ea
r
.
“
Ge
t
out
.
”