Ember (19 page)

Sm
it
h
’
s
t
h
i
n
mou
t
h
kicked
up
at
one
co
r
ne
r
.
“
So
my
be
l
oved
mama
t
e
ll
s
me.
”

A
r
che
r
g
l
anced
at
t
he
man
who
’
d
been
p
l
ay
i
ng
chess
w
it
h
Sm
it
h
bu
t
now
s
t
a
r
ed
at
A
r
che
r
w
it
h
unb
li
nk
i
ng
eyes
of
b
l
ack.
A
r
che
r
l
ooked
back
t
o
Sm
it
h.
“
M
i
gh
t
I
have
a
wo
r
d
w
it
h
you?
”

Sm
ith
g
a
v
e
a
nod
to
his
co
m
p
a
nion
,
a
nd
th
e
ma
n
slipp
e
d
off
.
Arch
e
r
took
th
e
ma
n’s
s
ea
t
as
Sm
ith
l
ea
n
e
d
b
a
ck
in
his
cr
ea
king
ch
a
ir
to
a
ppr
a
is
e
Arch
e
r
.

He
moved
w
it
h
t
he
l
anguo
r
of
an
o
l
d
man,
ye
t
appea
r
ed
fit
and
tri
m.
Pa
l
e
ye
ll
ow
li
gh
t
fr
om
a
sway
i
ng
o
il
l
amp
ove
r
head
pa
i
n
t
ed
t
he
man
’
s
dun-b
r
own
ha
ir
a
g
r
een
i
sh
co
l
o
r
.
“
Tha
t’
s
qu
it
e
a
cos
t
ume
you
got
t
he
r
e,
fri
end.
”

Arch
e
r
h
a
d
tri
e
d
to
dr
e
ss
to
fit
in
,
donning
sh
a
p
e
l
e
ss
togs
of
c
am
bric
a
nd
cotton
just
as
Sm
ith
w
or
e.
But
fitting
in
wa
s
an
i
m
possibility
wh
e
n
on
e
m
ust
a
lw
a
ys
hid
e
on
e
’s
f
a
c
e.
He
’d
ma
d
e
do
w
ith
w
r
a
pping
his
f
a
c
e
in
lin
e
n
b
a
nd
a
g
e
s
a
nd
pulling
a
worn
,
w
id
e—
bri
mme
d
h
a
t
do
w
n
lo
w
on
his
h
ea
d
.
H
is
h
a
nds
h
e
’d
k
e
pt
hidd
e
n
b
e
n
ea
th
thin
l
ea
th
e
r
glov
e
s
.
At
l
ea
st
it
wa
s
dry
a
nd
cool
h
e
r
e,
not
lik
e
th
e
hu
m
id
h
e
ll
of
th
e
Br
az
ili
a
n
j
ung
l
e.
Arch
e
r
wou
l
d
r
a
th
e
r not
r
emem
b
e
r
th
a
t
trip
.

T
h
e
r
e
w
e
r
e
pl
a
c
e
s
of
f
ea
r
,
a
nd
th
e
r
e
w
e
r
e
pl
a
c
e
s
of
night
ma
r
e
s
.
T
h
e
A
maz
oni
a
n
j
ung
l
e
wa
s
th
e
l
a
tt
e
r
.

“
Be
li
eve
me,
”
A
r
che
r
said,
“it
i
s
be
tt
e
r
I
wea
r
t
h
i
s
t
han
show
wha
t
h
i
des
benea
t
h.
”

Sm
ith’s
e
xpr
e
ssion
r
ema
in
e
d
i
m
p
a
ssiv
e.
“
W
h
a
t
c
a
n
I
do
you
f
o
r
?
”

A
r
che
r
r
es
i
s
t
ed
t
he
u
r
ge
t
o
cu
rl
h
i
s
fi
nge
r
s
ti
gh
t
.
“
I
’
ve
hea
r
d
you
can
f
ac
ilit
a
t
e
a
mee
ti
ng
w
it
h
t
he
Hu
i
cho
l
.
”

Sm
ith
ma
d
e
a
sound
of
am
us
eme
nt
as
h
e
pour
e
d
hi
m
s
e
lf
a
gl
a
ss
of
t
e
quil
a.
An
em
pty
,
us
e
d
gl
a
ss
s
a
t
b
e
for
e
Arch
e
r
,
a
nd
Sm
ith
fill
e
d
th
a
t
,
too
.
“
W
h
a
t
do
you
w
a
nt
w
ith
th
em
?
”
Sm
ith
a
sk
e
d
.