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"The heart," Myrddin said, "is the center of a person’s life force" He pushed The pain sharpened No, he couldn’t be--but he was He didn’t stop The needle slid into my heart and stayed there My heartbeat went crazy, theto push out the invader "When the heart stops, so does life Of course, I don’t want you to die at once, so I’ve spelled the probe tofor here is the slow, painful draining of every last ounce of your life force"

It hurt God, how it hurt Like nothing I’d ever felt before Sweat beaded on ony I would not scream I would not think about the needle thrust deep into my heart

"Like the blood," Myrddin continued, "the life force circulates through the body Chi, prana, élan vital--call it what you will Every culture expresses the concept in some form Now, these acupuncture needles"--he showed me a handful of fine needles with colored ends--"will be inserted at strategic points to slon the flow of your life force A sort of reverse acupuncture, if you will" He stuck a needle in , of course, to drag your life force fro every cell of your body"

He kept going, turning ht I hurt before, I didn’t even knohat pain was Each needle houtslowly pulled out by the roots

"Now" Myrddin slapped my cheek to make me look at him He showed me two thin tubes, each split into a Y shape with a needle at the branch of each Y "They say, I believe, that the eyes are the s to the soul And since you’re donating your soul to my son, that will be the final touch"

Oh, God Notprobe I snapped ht lid open I strained at the straps that held me immobile I rolled my eyes in crazy, random directions

And I screamed I screamed and screamed because there was no other way to express the pain and horror

"Hold still, damn it all!" Myrddin shouted "I’d prefer not to blind you"

Maybe I shouldn’t have cared Maybe blindness would have been a mercy But even now, somy eyes I lay still and watched the first needle descend

So clattered to the floor

Myrddin froze He took his hand from my eye, put down the needle, and bent toward the floor

"Where did you get this?" he asked sharply "You didn’t have it when they brought you here"

I was shaking so badly that I couldn’t focus on the object he held in front of my face

"This bloodstone!" he shouted "How did it coht then, it would have been the freedo

Pain coursed through me with each heartbeat

Myrddin swore His footsteps crossed the room The door opened "Battle positions!" he shouted

Seconds later, he was back at roaned It felt like he’d pulled the heart from my body with it "We’ll have to finish this later," he said, ripping needles fro my skin Myrddin tossed a bloodsoaked cloth aside, then refastened the front of et you out of here before Mab arrives" He cackled, and an ugly light shone in his eyes "Perhaps Mab herself will be number four--or five! Yes, five What a pleasure that would be, for her to see my son open his eyes to the world just as hers close forever A pleasure for me, that is, not for that bitch"

He turned toward Pryce and I couldn’t see what he was doing, then he stood between us, coiling the tube whose needle had pierced loith a silvery light

The pain receded, leaving ht-headed My ears buzzed Myrddin’s movements, as I watched him in the overhead mirror, were slow and fluid, like in an underwater ballet

"I need attendants," Myrddin o?"

He stalked back toward the door "Colhe--" The word ended in a grunt as the door banged open and Kane called my name

Kane? Here? How had he foundup coht Where escape and rescue were possible