Ember (6 page)

Ahead
of
h
i
m
l
ay
a
s
i
gh
t
be
tt
e
r
su
it
ed
t
o
l
egends
and
my
t
h.
Red
sand
undu
l
a
t
ed
t
owa
r
d
t
he
se
tti
ng
sun,
a
g
r
ea
t
,
pu
l
s
i
ng
ba
ll
of
li
qu
i
d
fir
e
t
ha
t
s
li
pped
be
t
ween
t
he
b
l
ack
ri
se
of
t
he
t
owe
ri
ng
py
r
am
i
ds
of
G
i
za.
Those
g
r
and
s
tr
uc
t
u
r
es,
geome
tri
c
shapes
t
ha
t
r
eached
up
t
o
t
he
heavens—no
t
i
n
supp
li
ca
ti
on
bu
t
as
if
t
o
shou
t
ou
t
man
’
s
i
ngenu
it
y
and
w
ill
—
t
ook
h
i
s
b
r
ea
t
h
away.
H
i
s
t
h
r
oa
t
ti
gh
t
ened
at
t
he
s
i
gh
t
.

At
l
ea
st
h
e
r
e,
dr
e
ss
e
d
as
a
n
a
tiv
e,
Arch
e
r
wa
s
not
forc
e
d
to
wea
r
his
s
m
oth
e
ring
ma
sk
.
N
ow
,
h
e
wor
e
a
g
a
llib
a
y
a
,
a
tr
a
dition
a
l
M
usli
m
tunic
th
a
t
f
e
ll
loos
e
ly
to
his
a
nkl
e
s
.
Around
his
h
ea
d
wa
s
a
k
a
f
i
y
a
h
th
a
t
h
e
’d
t
a
k
e
n
th
e
lib
e
rty
of
w
r
a
pping
ov
e
r
his
f
a
c
e,
just
b
e
n
ea
th
his
e
y
e
s
.
O
dd
,
y
e
s
,
but
not
as
odd
as
a
h
a
rd
c
a
rniv
a
l
ma
sk
,
a
nd m
uch
m
or
e
br
ea
th
a
bl
e.
W
ith
th
e
bro
w
n
f
a
c
e
p
a
int
h
e
’d
s
mea
r
e
d
ov
e
r
his
skin
,
h
e
m
ight
be
m
ist
a
k
e
n
,
at
l
ea
st
m
o
me
nt
a
r
il
y
,
for
a
n
a
tiv
e.
O
n
l
y
wh
e
n
on
e
got
clos
e
a
nd
s
aw
his
e
y
e
s
wou
l
d
th
e
ill
us
i
on
f
ade.

B
e
sid
e
hi
m,
his
guid
e
e
y
e
d
Arch
e
r
w
ith
n
e
rvous
int
e
nt
.
Ama
r
wa
s
a
cr
a
fty
sort
,
an
unr
e
p
e
nt
a
nt
to
m
b
robb
e
r
,
good
w
ith
a
knif
e,
a
nd
poss
e
ssing
an
in
-
d
e
pth
knowl
e
dg
e
of
th
e
loc
a
l
cri
m
in
a
l
conting
e
nt
.
T
h
a
t
Arch
e
r
p
a
id
hi
m
a
fortun
e
did
not
n
e
c
e
ss
a
rily
mea
n
Arch
e
r
wouldn’t
find
hi
m
s
e
lf
at
th
e
busin
e
ss
e
nd
of
Am
a
r’s
knif
e
at
so
me
point
.
Arch
e
r
g
a
v
e
Ama
r
a
h
a
rd
st
a
r
e.
T
h
e
sly
d
e
vil
wou
l
d
be
in
for
an
unfortun
a
t
e
surpris
e
shou
l
d
h
e
try
it
.

“
R
id
e
a
h
ea
d
a
nd
t
e
ll
our
p
a
rty
th
a
t
w
e
a
r
e
h
e
r
e,
”
Arch
e
r
said.
He
w
a
nt
e
d
to
h
ea
r
wh
a
t
Ama
r
told
th
e
s
e
me
n
without
A
rch
e
r’s
pr
e
s
e
nc
e
to
st
a
y
his
tongu
e.
I
t
wou
l
d
n
e
v
e
r
occur
to
th
e
guid
e
th
a
t
Arch
e
r
wou
l
d
be
a
bl
e
to
h
ea
r
e
v
e
ry
word
said,
e
v
e
n
fro
m
so
me
hundr
e
d
y
a
rds
off
.

Ama
r
nodded.
“
Ve
r
y
we
ll
,
s
a
yyid
,
”
he
s
a
i
d
w
it
h
f
a
l
se
hum
ilit
y.