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Mike opened his ht, but Blade disappeared up the stairs again before they could object to his…friendliness

"Okay, on that note" Morgaine pulled o see Eileen"

"E and I started up the stairs

"Still here," she trilled in a chirpy voice

I wanted to stay and hear what she was going to say about David Assu about hih, Falcon was in the ‘circle of trust’, but not Blade I wondered why Maybe certain members of the Private Guard were to be perinary place seeht now--and I would have to put David in there, too, to keep his for his dead brother

"Ara?" Morgaine startled hts "Can you experience any one e? You’re exhaustingon in here" I tapped ain

"So? What was that thing in there--ere you thinking when Mike said you had to , really I just kind of thought to myself how easy it’d be if I just shot a bolt of electricity at Drake’s head and ended this thing"

"Whoa" Her eyes widened "Moody today Are you okay?"

"Not really I’o hoerssmall impressions in my flesh "I know, okay, but you shouldn’t say that here These people need you, Princess, " I nodded "Why do you think I’m still here?"

The short puff of each breath I tookI couldn’t remember how to find my way out My tiny feet pattered, one over the other, in the short-clipped grass, while es of the brush It sh the ht outside these walls, the shadows behind the it dark down here

I looked behindhis breath through the gaps in the leaves He was close; he’d findwalls, I knew there was nowhere to hide There never was Running was my only option

"Where are you?" his voice jeered in a creeping, ringing tone "I’ to find you, Princess"

I squatted down and tuckedI could make ain; I turned ure stop beyond the wall right beside aps in the brush with his darkness

My whole body becarab ain, and I relaxed "Lili?"

Abovethe glare of the sun, and under its evil call, the voice of the man trailed away; I was safe For now

I dared to peek,around a distant corner; his feet were gone, his ghostly figure loo, and this was all a gaame, where he let me think I’d escaped

"Lili" His tone peaked on the end "My little Lili, where are you?"

Little Lili? I looked down at my small hands; the nails were squared, the skin pink, almost transparent with youth Lili? Who was Lili?

"Ah-hu!" Deep blue eyes set onout at rabbed ot you, Little Lili You can never hide from me I always hear you" He releasedin the arain--and this time," he said, "don’t aine’s face; she pulled her hand back fro ords I couldn’t hear Insidepulse owned my breath, and the feel of that ently back down to earth,on with her lecture, to the do blue eyes of the lass, having a tea party with Lilith--Little Lili--was Drake

I took a few deep breaths and co whispered

"I had a dream"

"When?"

"Now" I nodded to myself on the chair "Just then"

"A to me"

I stared forward "I was?"

She nodded at Eileen when she turned and gave us a glare, her eyes questioning our attention "Yeah Don’t tellattention--to the point where you can sleep and hold conversations"

I slinked down inthe pressure offthe daylight slip behind the horizon The smell of bonfire smoke rose up frohter ed to find its way intoout on

"So, as your drea closer

I took a heart-steadying breath and closedback into the et me"

"Don’t worry, Princess" She tookcrease inlife-line He’s not going to get you"

"It’s not death or capture I’"

"Then what is it?"

I looked out theagain, frowning "The hunt"

Loud hter filled the warm, summer air--distant but homely in the leafy rims of the enchanted forest I traipsed down the dark trail toward it, withsafer once I spotted the orange glow of firelight

"What do you reckon, Petey--is that the right spot?"

Petey took off, leaving hts with a spritely bound; they juerly

Falcon frowned at the dog, then looked up--looked around, his wide eyes relaxing as soon as he saw me

I waved; he nodded casually and went back to his conversation