Ember (14 page)

All
th
e
color
l
ea
ch
e
d
out
of
th
e
me
n’s
f
a
c
e
s
.
Arch
e
r

l
ashed
ou
t
,
g
r
abb
i
ng
Ba
si
m
by
t
he
co
ll
a
r
of
h
i
s
g
a
llib
a
y
a

a
nd
y
a
nking
hi
m
clos
e.

“
I
fr
i
t
,
ifrit
,
”
b
a
bbl
e
d
B
a
sim
in
h
e
lpl
e
ss
horror
as
his
cohorts
r
a
n
off
scr
eam
ing
.

A
r
che
r
g
ri
nned.
“
Ca
ll
me
t
ha
t
,
if it
p
l
eases
you.
”
He
d
i
dn
’t
m
i
nd
be
i
ng
t
hough
t
of
as
a
demon.
I
t
wasn
’t
f
a
r
fr
om
t
he
tr
u
t
h.
“
Bu
t
you
w
ill
t
e
ll
me
a
ll
.
I
know
it
was
you,
Ba
si
m
Awad,
who
k
ill
ed
my
man.

“
W
h
o
w
as
i
t
t
h
at
s
e
n
t
y
ou
t
o
do
t
h
i
s
deed?
T
e
l
l
m
e.
O
r
sh
a
ll
I
t
ea
r
out
your
h
ea
rt
a
nd
show
you
its
color?”
B
a
sim
convuls
e
d
.
“
S
h
a
ll
I
eat
your
soul
for
m
y
dinn
e
r?
”
E
v
e
n
as
Arch
e
r
s
a
id
th
e
w
ords
,
h
e
turn
e
d
ic
e
cold
,
his
insid
e
s
qu
a
king
,
for
p
a
rt
of
hi
m
w
hisp
e
r
e
d
th
a
t
h
e
should
.
Arch
e
r
g
a
v
e
B
a
sim
a
brut
a
l
sh
a
k
e,
th
e
r
a
g
e
a
nd
h
e
lpl
e
ssn
e
ss
building
insid
e
hi
m
until
h
e
f
ea
r
e
d
h
e
m
ight
t
ea
r
th
e
ma
n’s
h
ea
d off
.

B
a
sim
gagged
b
e
for
e
h
e
found
his
voic
e.
“
I
do
not
know
who
,
e
ff
e
nd
i
.
O
n
l
y
th
a
t
h
e
wa
s
E
nglish
.
He
st
a
y
e
d
in
sh
a
do
w
s
a
nd
p
a
id
us
w
e
ll
.
G
old
coin
.
S
tr
a
ng
e
coins
.
”

A
rch
e
r’s
t
ee
th
ground
.
“
W
h
a
t
coins?”
But
h
e
kn
e
w
th
e
a
nsw
e
r
,
a
nd
th
e
pit
of
his
sto
ma
ch
gr
ew
h
ea
vy
.

“
Co
i
ns
w
it
h
t
he
f
ace
of
t
he
moon
upon
t
hem,
”
Ba
is
m
s
a
i
d
i
n
a
r
ush.

A
rch
e
r’s
w
ill
d
e
fl
a
t
e
d
.
He
toss
e
d
th
e
ma
n
a
w
a
y
,
turn
i
ng
his
b
a
ck
on
hi
m
as
th
e
thi
e
f
scr
am
bl
e
d
off
into
th
e
night
.
We
s
t
M
oon
C
lub
.
I
t
a
lw
a
ys
w
e
nt
b
a
ck
to
th
a
t
,
didn’t
it?
T
ry
as
h
e
m
ight
to
forg
e
t
th
e
m
ist
a
k
e
s
h
e
h
a
d
ma
d
e
th
e
r
e,
so
me
on
e
wouldn’t
l
e
t
hi
m.

Y
e
s
,
E
g
y
pt
h
ad
been
a
c
o
l
o
ss
al
w
a
s
t
e
of
t
i
m
e.
N
ow
wh
a
t?

T
w
i
gs
dug
into
h
e
r
b
a
ck
,
a
l
ea
f
scr
a
tch
e
d
at
h
e
r
ch
ee
k
,

a
nd
th
e
qu
ee
r
cl
e
nching
f
ee
ling
w
ithin
h
e
r
b
e
lly
slipp
e
d
a
w
a
y
.
I
t
wa
s
a
f
ee
ling
th
a
t
a
lw
a
ys
c
ame
wh
e
n
sh
e
a
nd
Ma
rtin
w
e
r
e
tog
e
th
e
r
y
e
t
it
n
e
v
e
r
s
eeme
d
to
quit
e
ris
e
to
th
e
h
e
ight
sh
e
w
a
nt
e
d
.
S
o
me
thing
w
ithin
h
e
r
w
hisp
e
r
e
d
th
a
t
on
e
day
th
a
t
f
ee
ling
wou
l
d
ov
e
rwh
e
l
m
h
e
r
,
a
nd
sh
e
wou
l
d
sh
a
tt
e
r
fro
m
th
e
forc
e
of
it
.
And
lov
e
e
v
e
ry
m
o
me
nt
.