Ember (51 page)

“
Ma
rti
n…
”

S
h
e
st
e
pp
e
d
clos
e
r
but
h
e
b
a
ck
e
d
a
w
a
y
,
holding
up
a
h
a
nd
as
if
to
w
a
rn
h
e
r
off
.
T
h
e
a
ct
f
e
lt
lik
e
a
physic
a
l
sl
a
sh
to
h
e
r
ch
e
st
.
“
I
t’s
a
ll
right
.
”
He
sw
a
llow
e
d
.
“
I…
I
shou
l
d
go
.
”

I
t
hit
h
e
r
th
e
n
th
a
t
th
e
y
w
e
r
e
suppos
e
d
to
mee
t
at
th
e
church
in
a
f
ew
hours
.
E
v
e
ry
joint
throbb
e
d
as
h
e
r
body
s
e
i
ze
d
in
sudd
e
n
f
ea
r
.
He
wou
l
d
not
look
at
h
e
r
.
He
wa
s
w
a
lking
awa
y
w
ith
stiff
,
un
e
v
e
n
strid
e
s
th
a
t
took
hi
m
b
a
ck
to
th
e
open
w
indo
w
fro
m
wh
e
nc
e
h
e
c
ame.

“
Ma
rti
n,
”
she
li
cked
he
r
li
ps,
“
I
’ll
see
you
soon?
”

H
i
s
s
tri
de
s
t
u
tt
e
r
ed.
“
O
f
cou
r
se,
”
he
s
a
i
d
a
ft
e
r
a
pa
i
ned
momen
t
.

He
l
e
ft
w
it
hou
t
l
ook
i
ng
back.

“
Hey
!
”
A
r
ough
hand
shook
h
i
s
shou
l
de
r
.
“
Lo
r
d
A
r
che
r
.

Y
ou
th
e
r
e
?
”

Anoth
e
r
sh
a
k
e.

A
r
che
r
g
r
oaned,
nausea
mak
i
ng
h
i
s
gu
t
s
t
umb
l
e
and
w
r
i
t
h
e.
S
l
o
wl
y
,
f
ee
l
i
n
g
c
a
m
e
ba
c
k
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
bod
y
.
W
i
t
h
g
r
eat
concen
tr
a
ti
on,
he
lift
ed
h
i
s
li
ds.
Sun
li
gh
t
s
t
abbed
at
h
i
s
eyes,
mak
i
ng
t
hem
wa
t
e
r
.
He
b
li
nked,
and
Sm
it
h
wobb
l
ed
i
n
t
o
v
i
ew.
The
shaman
was
on
t
he
o
t
he
r
si
de
of
h
i
m,
h
i
s
da
r
k
eyes
t
w
i
nk
li
ng
as
if
t
he
s
i
gh
t
of
A
r
che
r
l
a
i
d
ou
t
li
ke
a
d
r
unka
r
d
was
h
i
gh
l
y
amus
i
ng.
W
it
h
an
app
r
ov
i
ng
nod,
t
he
shaman
t
u
r
ned
and
spoke
a
f
ew
wo
r
ds
t
o
Sm
it
h.

Sm
ith
grinn
e
d
do
w
n
at
Arch
e
r
.
“
Q
uit
e
a
trip
,
e
h?
”

A
trip?
Arch
e
r
thought
th
e
word
too
b
e
nign
for
wh
a
t
h
e
’d
e
xp
e
ri
e
nc
e
d
.
I
t
h
a
d
been
so
…
vivid
,
int
e
ns
e…
I
lov
e
you
,
B
e
nj
a
min
Arch
e
r
.
A
st
a
b
of
longing
hit
hi
m
w
ith
un
e
xp
e
ct
e
d
forc
e.
He
r
.

He
swung
hi
m
s
e
lf
upw
a
rd
a
nd
gro
a
n
e
d
a
g
a
in
.
A
bad
m
ov
e,
th
a
t
.
H
is
em
pty
sto
ma
ch
h
ea
v
e
d
.
S
w
a
llowing
h
a
rd
,
h
e
put
his
h
ea
d
in
his
h
a
nds
.

“
W
e
ll
?”
s
a
i
d
S
m
i
t
h
c
r
o
u
c
h
i
n
g
be
s
i
de
h
i
m
.
“
Y
ou
f
i
n
d
y
o
u
r
answe
r
?
”

The
wo
r
d
t
umb
l
ed
ou
t
of
h
i
s
mou
t
h
be
f
o
r
e
he
cou
l
d
s
t
op