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Pearllight

She had no idea where she was--only that she was in a cave, the walls pressing close about her, all of white stone Light came from somewhere, dim and diffuse, and the air was old: musty and bonedry

She was thirsty, so thirsty All her liht ear crouched a pain she knew she azed at the featureless walls of the cave She had been lost for a long ti her over She knelt on the hard, gritty surface of the tunnel floor until the spas--find food and water--or die She had no idea how she had co was hunting her, following relentlessly: a Shadow, soht

She ht came from It came from her, from the space between her breasts Puzzled, she reached into her gown to lift out what lay against her breastbone, gli as the end of her thuht

Meli the pearl upon her hand How long ago had that been? She could not re through the pale yellow cloth, its light seear sari Why was she wearing a wedding sari?

An iblack hair

His eyes were clear blue, almond shaped; one cheek was scarred What had he to do with her gown?

Dizziness overcaain, she would be too weak to rise She struggled to recall who the young ht be But all her memories slipped away: beads hopelessly scattered fro The fierce ache in her head would not let her gather them

A sheet of mirrorstone loomed before her, darker than the rest of the cave She saw a figure in its s into woers like bone The pale, pale hair that fell to her shoulders was disheveled Slant green eyes gazed blinking, huge as a bird’s She cast no shadow in the wan pearllight

The girl halted, gasping, as the pang in her skull spiked almost unbearably She must not see herself!

The pain behind her ear forbade it, as it forbade her to know or to ree and hurried past, for in that moment she realized just how lost she truly was: she had no idea who she was

The sound of water ca plash She stu corridor opened abruptly into a lighted chah it, barely a handspan wide in a bed thirty paces across A es past, reduced now to a mere trickle: its clear, clean brilliance played across the cavern’s ceiling and walls

The pale girl fell to her knees beside the streaht It ar in the cool, dry air Desperately, she licked the delicious drops froers Savory, full of minerals, the water tasted like crushed herbs She knew there must be an easier way to drink, but she could not re stream held her whole attention--so that she did not even notice the others standing in the cha one dropped his pick

The sound rang sharp as a silver pin The pale girl started up, water dripping fro curiously at her They were very short, only a little over half as tall as she, and were dressed in trousers and sarks with many pockets The two men wore caps Their leader seemed to be the woman, whose fair, silver-coppery hair fell in four thick braids, one before, one behind each ear She stood upstreaer of her coht up his pick

"Reckon it’s dangerous, Maruha?" the boy asked The woman shook her head "Can’t say, Brandl

An upperlander-fro"

She cocked her head and studied the girl The upperlander stared back, wide-eyed, afraid to move

The squat little worey stones

"But what’s it doing so far underground?" the young one, Brandl, asked

"Witch’s work," the olderhis beard "Could be the Witch’s work"

"Bite your tongue, Colluet down here We’ve wards"

"That one got through," the bearded one answered "Perhaps only the first oftih," hissed Maruha with a glance at Brandl "You’ll frighten the boy"

The pale girl watched theainst her ribs She had seen such a creature once before A little ment of memory needled her, merciless, then vanished The woman took a step toward her

"You, upperlander, who are you?" she called

The other flinched She wanted to answer, but her throat tightened till she could hardly breathe "Uh, uhn…" sheA thin wail threaded past her lips Her head pounded She stopped, whi

"Can’t speak," bearded Collum breathed "Witch’s work"

"Look how thin," Brandl said, bolder now He pointed, taking a step closer to Maruha "Cheeks all sunken in"

Collum snorted "All the upperlanders look that way: spindly as spiders"