Ember (8 page)

Sa
v
e
th
a
t
sh
e
did
.
He
n
ee
d
e
d
a
cur
e.
F
ind
th
e
cur
e
a
nd
h
e
could
cl
a
i
m
h
e
r
.
F
ind
th
e
cur
e
a
nd
his
lif
e
could
b
e
gin
.
He
’d
s
e
nt
h
e
r
gr
ee
dy
crook
of
a
f
a
th
e
r
e
nough
funds
to
k
ee
p
h
e
r
s
a
f
e
until
Arch
e
r
could
co
me
for
h
e
r
.
He
r
f
a
th
e
r
,
He
ctor
E
llis
,
th
e
v
e
ry
me
rch
a
nt
w
ho’d
p
a
id
thos
e
d
am
n
a
bl
e
pir
a
t
e
s
to
st
ea
l
Arch
e
r’s
ship
.

Arch
e
r
r
e
c
a
ll
e
d
th
e
night
h
e
’d
fin
a
lly
tr
a
ck
e
d
E
llis
down
.
I
t
wa
s
th
e
s
ame
night
h
e
’d
me
t
his
d
a
ught
e
r
.
M
ir
a
nd
a,
th
e
w
ill
fu
l
,
f
ea
rl
e
ss
young
l
a
dy
who
h
a
d
f
a
c
e
d
two
thugs
int
e
nt
on
r
a
ping
h
e
r
without
flinching
.
M
ir
a
nd
a,
who
h
a
d
ch
a
stis
e
d
Arch
e
r
for
st
e
pping
in
a
nd
sc
a
ring
th
em
off
.
T
h
e
m
o
me
nt
th
e
y’d
me
t
,
Arch
e
r
f
e
lt
a
liv
e,
f
e
lt
lik
e
a
ma
n
,
not
a
th
i
ng
.

Arch
e
r
h
a
d
me
t
w
ith
E
llis
th
e
following
m
orning
a
nd
h
a
d
been
disgust
e
d
by
th
e
ma
n’s
co
we
ring
a
nd
sniv
e
ling
.

“
I
shou
l
d
kill
you
for
wh
a
t
you
h
a
v
e
don
e,
”
Arch
e
r
h
a
d
told
hi
m.
“
I
shou
l
d
do
it
s
l
ow
l
y
,
so
you
m
ight
e
xp
e
ri
e
nc
e
e
v
e
n
a
t
e
nth
of
wh
a
t
I
’
v
e
been
through
.
”

“
P
l
ea
s
e,
m
y
lord!
I
did
not
know!
I
did
not
know
it
wa
s
you
r
sh
i
p
!”

Bas
t
a
r
d
t
ha
t
he
was,
A
r
che
r
had
used
eve
r
y
ounce
of
i
n
ti
m
i
da
ti
on
t
ha
t
he
had
at
hand.
And
when
E
lli
s
had
been
r
educed
t
o
sobb
i
ng
f
o
r
h
i
s
lif
e,
A
r
che
r
gave
h
i
m
a
way
ou
t
.

“
De
spit
e
m
y
b
e
tt
e
r
judg
me
nt
,
I
am
willing
to
consid
e
r
a
tr
a
d
e
f
o
r
you
r
lif
e.
”

Thus
a
bargain
had
been
s
tr
uck.
E
lli
s
wou
l
d
li
ve,
and
A
r
che
r
wou
l
d
wed
t
he
man
’
s
younges
t
daugh
t
e
r
,
t
he
f
a
ir
M
ir
anda.
A
r
che
r
wou
l
d
p
r
ov
i
de
f
unds
f
o
r
bo
t
h
E
lli
s
and
M
ir
anda
t
o
li
ve
o
ff
un
til
t
he
wedd
i
ng.
The
fir
s
t
i
ns
t
a
ll
men
t
of
wh
i
ch
shou
l
d
a
lr
eady
be
i
n
t
he
man
’
s
hands.
A
r
che
r
knew
he
ough
t
t
o
f
ee
l
gu
ilt
y
f
o
r
wha
t
he
’
d
done.
Bu
t
he
cou
l
dn
’t
.
He
me
r
e
l
y
had
t
o
p
i
c
t
u
r
e
M
ir
anda
’
s
l
ove
l
y
f
ace
and
he
r
gaze,
so
d
ir
ec
t
when
he
had
g
i
ven
he
r
h
i
s
go
l
den
c
o
i
n
i
n
a
f
oo
li
sh
a
tt
emp
t
t
o…
wha
t
?
Make
he
r
s
t
ay?
G
i
ve
he
r
hope?
He
d
i
dn
’t
qu
it
e
know
why
he
’
d
g
i
ven
he
r
a
co
i
n,
on
l
y
t
ha
t
he
wou
l
d
g
i
ve
he
r
t
he
wo
rl
d
if
he
cou
l
d.
Bu
t
she
hadn
’t
wan
t
ed
g
ift
s
fr
om
h
i
m.
“
I
don
’t
t
ake
g
ift
s
fr
om
s
tr
ange
r
s,
”
she
had
s
a
i
d
t
o
h
i
m.
“
A
tr
ade,
howeve
r
.
”