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CASSIA

When it happens, everything feels sudden and slow at the sa the narrow path when Ky goes down to his knees

I crouch beside him, put my hands on his shoulders

His eyes, unfocused at first, find me "No," he says "Don’t want you to see this"

But I don’t look away I hold on and I ease hirass and I keep rass is cool and new

"Indie," Ky says "She kissed me" I see the pain in his eyes

I should feel shock, I know But it doesn’tatearth I almost tell Ky this, that it doesn’t matter, but then I realize that it does to hiht," I say

Ky sighs out in relief and exhaustion "Like the canyons," he says

"Yes," I say "We’ll coh them"

Xander kneels down too The three of us look at one another; my eyes meet Xander’s briefly, then Ky’s

Can we trust one another? Can we keep one another safe?

Near the edge of the path, the grass gives way to wildflowers, sorass around our feet, sending a clean smell of blossoaze I reach over and snap off one of the buds and roll it around in my hand It’s so ripe in tint and texture that I half expect to look down and see my palm turned red, but it isn’t The bud keeps its color

"You toldup the bud for hi it into his hand, "that red was the color of beginning"

He s For a moment, awhen both buds on the trees and flowers on the ground are red The air is cool and at the saht and deterarden day Grandfather , to have both red tree buds and red flowers at the same time, to feel the way it did I’m certain of this But what did Grandfather and I talk about?

I don’t know that, yet But as I feel Ky’s fingers tighten aroundleft to do but let go

CHAPTER 26

KY

Ky," Cassia says I wonder if this will be one of the last times the sound of her voice reachesat all?

I kneas sick when I couldn’t keep my balance on the ship My body didn’t move when instinct said it should My ht

Xander kneels next toto find a cure Xander’s not blind Just believing It’s so damn painful to see

I look back to Cassia Her eyes are cool and green When I look into them I feel better For just a second the pain is muted

Then it’s back

I knohy people hting the pain, fatigue would win, and that seeue was ue didn’t have the sores that I can feel for across ht appear in ers lift ive in to the exhaustion, let yourself go still, and then the pain comes back?

Cassia touches , but ere She had sand on her skin and the smell of water and stone in her hair I think I sone to reood to know that Xander’s here So that when I go down, she won’t be alone

"You walked through the Carving to find h this to reach you"

Cassia holds on to one of ave me The air in the mountains is cool I can tell e pass underneath the trees Light Dark Light It’s alis so heavy

And then the pain gets worse It turns red all through ht red in front of my eyelids

Cassia’s hand disappears froo

Xander’s voice is here instead "The i," he tells me, "is that you res, that’s when pneumonia can settle in" A pause Then he says, "I’m sorry, Ky We’ll find a cure I proone and Cassia’s back, her hand a softer pressure now onon the ship," she tells me, "was a poem I wrote for you I finally finished it"

She speaks toI breathe

Newrose, oldrose, Queen Anne’s lace

Water, river, stone, and sun

Wind over hill, under tree

Past the border none can see

Cli into dark for you

Will you wait in stars for me?

I will

And noor anyone else, can take that from her Too much has happened And too much time has passed