Ember (30 page)

Me
rryw
ea
th
e
r
sigh
e
d
as
h
e
pour
e
d
out
a
mea
sur
e
of
br
a
ndy
.
H
is
h
a
nds
w
e
r
e
gn
a
rl
e
d
now
,
th
e
knuckl
e
s
big
a
nd
clu
m
sy
looking
.
W
h
e
n
h
a
d
h
e
gott
e
n
so
old?
“
Arch
e
r
,
you
r
e
duc
e
d
th
a
t
ma
n
to
a
drooling
sh
e
ll
.
”

“
He
i
s
ou
t
of
con
tr
o
l
,
”
s
a
i
d
Pe
r
c
i
va
l
.

T
h
e
oth
e
r
me
n
a
void
e
d
Arch
e
r’s
g
aze.

Arch
e
r
sudd
e
nly
und
e
rstood
.
He
kn
e
w
this
t
a
bl
ea
u
.
He
’d
h
a
d
this
ch
a
t
b
e
for
e.
T
h
e
y
’
d
b
a
nish
e
d
hi
m.
He
look
e
d
to
L
e
l
a
nd
a
nd
wa
it
e
d
for
hi
m
to
s
a
y
th
e
w
ords
Arch
e
r
r
emem
b
e
r
e
d
so
w
e
ll
.

Le
l
and
’
s
l
ean
f
ace,
now
mapped
w
it
h
va
ll
eys
of
w
ri
nk
l
es,
was
sombe
r
as
he
me
t
A
r
che
r’
s
eyes.
“
Pe
r
haps
it
wou
l
d
be
bes
t
if
you wen
t
ab
r
oad
f
o
r
a
wh
il
e.
”

U
n
t
i
l
t
a
l
k
d
i
e
s
do
w
n
.
A
r
c
h
er
d
i
d
n
’
t
h
a
v
e
t
o
h
ear
Le
l
a
n
d
’
s
w
ords
to
know
th
em.
L
e
l
a
nd
,
on
e
of
his
b
e
st
ma
t
e
s
.
Se
nding
hi
m
a
w
a
y
.
W
hy
h
a
d
h
e
co
me
to
this
ti
me
a
nd
pl
a
c
e
?
T
his
wa
sn’t
a
cur
e.
T
his
wa
s
h
e
ll
.

“
I
was
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
he
l
p
h
i
m,
”
he
hea
r
d
h
i
mse
lf
say.
Oh
yes,
he
’
d
s
a
i
d
t
h
i
s,
t
oo,
once
be
f
o
r
e.
I
t
was
hum
ili
a
ti
ng
t
ha
t
he
was
say
i
ng
it
aga
i
n.
Bu
t
t
he
wo
r
ds
pou
r
ed
ou
t
as
if
he
we
r
e
r
ead
i
ng
fr
om
a
sc
ri
p
t
.
“
He
was
i
n
dange
r
of
succumb
i
ng.
”

Pe
r
c
i
va
l
sno
rt
ed.
“
And
who
i
s
t
o
b
l
ame
f
o
r
t
ha
t
?
”

“
Who
i
s
t
o
say
t
ha
t
one
of
us
won
’t
be
nex
t
?
”

A
r
che
r
managed
no
t
t
o
r
o
ll
h
i
s
eyes.
“
I
cou
l
d
k
ill
you
a
ll
ri
gh
t
now
w
it
hou
t
e
ff
o
rt
.
”

P
e
r
c
i
v
al
j
u
m
ped
on
t
h
a
t
.
“
Y
ou
s
ee
!
”
H
i
s
t
h
i
n
h
a
n
d
quiv
e
r
e
d
as
h
e
point
e
d
at
Arch
e
r
.
“
He
’ll
be
th
e
d
ea
th
of
us
a
ll
.
”

Me
lodr
ama
tic
fool
.
Arch
e
r
wa
s
a
m
onst
e
r
,
but
not
a
kill
e
r
.
N
ot
y
e
t
.
T
hough
h
e
wa
s
t
em
pt
e
d
just
th
e
n
.

He
sh
ift
ed
on
h
i
s
f
ee
t
.
“
I
won
’t
be
d
ri
ven
fr
om
my
home.
”
“
Y
o
u
’
l
l
go
,
”
P
e
r
c
i
v
al
s
a
i
d.
“O
n
e
w
ay
or
a
n
o
t
h
e
r
.
”
T
h
ey

gl
a
r
e
d
at
ea
ch
oth
e
r
.