Ember (38 page)

He
ju
m
p
e
d
b
a
ck
w
ith
a
scr
ee
ch
,
th
e
fr
a
ntic
m
ov
eme
nt
only
ma
king
th
e
fl
ame
s
grow
.
T
h
e
y
lik
e
d
to
d
a
nc
e.
I
t
g
a
v
e
th
em
po
we
r
.

Pa
i
n
sea
r
ed
he
r
t
h
r
oa
t
fr
om
whe
r
e
he
’
d
p
i
nned
he
r
.
“
I
d
i
d
wa
r
n
you.
”
I
t
wo
rri
ed
he
r
how
fl
a
t
he
r
vo
i
ce
was,
and
some
t
h
i
ng
deep
w
it
h
i
n
he
r
hea
rt
fr
oze
and
t
u
r
ned
b
l
ack
and
p
itil
ess.

T
h
e
thug
didn’t
a
nsw
e
r;
h
e
wa
s
too
busy
try
i
ng
to
beat
out
th
e
fir
e
spr
ea
ding
ov
e
r
his
co
a
t
a
nd
biting
at
his
h
a
ir
.
M
ir
a
nd
a
turn
e
d
a
nd
st
a
rt
e
d
do
w
n
th
e
a
ll
e
y
.

O
n
l
y
to
h
ea
r
hi
m
scr
eam.
T
h
a
t
scr
eam.
I
t
wa
s
n
a
ils
t
ea
ring
into
h
e
r
soul
.
S
h
e
stu
m
bl
e
d
,
turn
i
ng
b
a
ck
to
hi
m.
He
r
p
a
l
m
scr
a
p
e
d
a
g
a
inst
th
e
rough
w
ood
e
n
w
a
ll
of
th
e
s
a
gging
building
.
He
wa
s
hopping
a
round
,
th
e
fir
e
spr
ea
ding
a
nd
turn
i
ng
hi
m
into
a
torch
.
Agony
t
w
ist
e
d
his
count
e
n
a
nc
e
as
his
skin
split
a
nd
blist
e
r
e
d
.
T
h
e
sc
e
nt
of
ch
a
rr
e
d
w
ool
a
nd
ro
a
sting
fl
e
sh
ma
d
e
h
e
r
gag.

G
ood
G
od
,
wh
a
t
h
a
d
sh
e
don
e
?

S
h
e
l
ea
pt
upon
hi
m,
h
ee
dl
e
ss
of
th
e
fl
ame
s
,
a
nd

tu
m
bl
e
d
hi
m
down
.
T
h
e
y
f
e
ll
in
a
h
ea
p
b
e
for
e
sh
e
roll
e
d
th
em,
st
am
ping
out
fl
ame
s
.
He
howl
e
d
,
his
f
a
c
e
a
p
a
l
e,
s
wea
ty
ma
sk
.

“
B
e
s
t
i
ll
,
”
s
h
e
c
r
i
ed.
“
I
’
v
e
got
y
o
u
.
I
’
v
e
got
y
o
u
.
”
T
ea
r
s
blurr
e
d
h
e
r
vision
.
S
h
e
wa
s
a
m
onst
e
r
.
S
h
e
’d
don
e
this
.

He
was
sobb
i
ng
now,
ch
il
d
i
sh
and
d
i
m
i
n
i
shed
as
he
cu
rl
ed
i
n
on
h
i
mse
lf
i
n
pa
i
n.
M
ir
anda
’
s
hands
shook
as
she
he
l
ped
h
i
m
up.
“
Come
w
it
h
me.
I
’ll
see
you
sa
f
e.
”

“
Ge
t
awa
y
fro
m
me.
”
S
pittl
e
fl
e
w
fro
m
b
e
t
wee
n
his
c
l
e
n
c
h
ed
t
ee
t
h
as
h
e
g
r
o
un
d
o
u
t
t
h
e
w
o
r
d
s
.
“
B
l
ood
y
,
f
u
ck
i
n
’
witch
.
”

O
h
,
sh
e
wa
s
th
a
t
a
nd
m
or
e.
S
h
e
took
a
deep
br
ea
th
as
sh
e
slid
an
a
r
m
a
round
his
wa
ist
.
He
wa
s
too
wea
k
to
stop
h
e
r
.

He
took
a
st
e
p
,
th
e
n
stopp
e
d
w
ith
an
unho
l
y
m
o
a
n
.
T
h
e
fir
e
h
a
d
ea
t
e
n
m
ost
of
his
co
a
t
a
nd
shirt
.
Ra
w
,
r
e
d
fl
e
sh
oo
ze
d
a
nd
cr
a
ck
e
d
a
long
his
a
r
m
a
nd
upp
e
r
torso
.