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The power of her pro him hope that al," he said

"What?"

Alexander gathered her in his arht wash across her face--a glow that cah; it barely took any energy at all, which was good, considering he had so little to spare "I’ to need some of your blood"

"Blood?" she asked in a faint whisper She was beyond fear now, floating in a light trance where nor

"Just a little," he said, lowering his h to drive away your illness I need you to be nice and healthy for your trip"

Chapter 19

Nika roa the faint trail of power left in Madoc’s wake

He was avoiding her, but she didn’t care She needed hi her away, out of her body Surely he wouldn’t leave without at least saying good-bye

Then again, maybe she hadn’t told him with her voice how s she said with those she thought, so she couldn’t be sure

Where was he? She needed to find him before it was too late and he left her alone

Nika didn’t want to be with the sgath tonight; she didn’t want the her out into the darkness Every time she ith them it made her sick, and she didn’t want to throw up the food she’d er, healthy, like her sister Andra was

It was the only way she was ever going to find her sister, Tori The real Tori, not those stranger’s bones Andra had buried

But healthy and strong were a long way off Her body was fragile, her bones brittle It was going to take tith, and the only time it was even possible hen Madoc was there to drive the dark things away long enough for her to eat

A wave of weakness hit her and she sagged against the wall The sgath out hunting pulled on herto tear it apart into little bloody chunks They wanted her to come hunt with them, to feed on the flesh and blood of the humans they found

They used her to communicate with each other She was sure of it

There were fewer of them now, thanks to Madoc and the other Theronai who had ath that reer S their call

Nika couldn’t stand the thought of going with theht She needed Madoc, so she pushed herself up and followed the huh the silent halls of Dabyr

The trail ended at a door like all the rest of the doors in this hall Nika turned the knob, found it unlocked, and pushed it open

The suite was dark, but a flickering rectangle of light glowed on the carpet, falling from the open doorway of one of the bedrooms

Madoc’s trail led there, so she followed it into the light

A large bed filled the rooh sort of way, and several days of stubble shadowed his jaw A bandage covered his left tereens and yellows His hands were huge, lying at his sides, and next to the bed sat Sibyl with her tiny child-sized hand wrapped around two of the ers

In her other arm, she cradled a porcelain doll that looked just like her, wearing a pretty blue ribbon in her hair

The doll’s glassy black eyes opened and looked at Nika Malevolence flowed out of the thing,Nika take a hesitant step back

A second later, Sibyl looked up slowly Her blond ringlets drooped liht blue eyes She was afraid

The girl showed no surprise at Nika’s arrival, as if she’d been expecting her all along

"Come and sit with me," said Sibyl

Nika hesitated Madoc wasn’t here She could feel the emptiness of this place without hier with every breath she took

Still, he had come here Maybe this man was important to him Maybe they were friends "Who is he?" asked Nika

Sibyl’s voice cracked as if she hadn’t used it in days "Cain My bodyguard"

"Is he sick?" she asked

"He ounded the night I was taken The Sanguinar have done all they can"

"Andra told me you can see the future Don’t you knoill happen?"

Grief hung on her words,them fade as they went on "Not to Cain That’s why I allowed his began to shake eakness now that she was no longer walking She stepped forward and eased herself down on the bed, being careful not to touch thethere She couldn’t bear the touch of anyon Cain," said Sibyl as if reading her "

"Did he say when he’d be back?"

"No"

Briefly, Nika considered asking the seer when he’d come home, but she pushed the notion away Sibyl was clearly suffering, aching for theto have to answer the call of the sgath and go find Madoc for herself

"How long has he been like this?" she asked the child

"Nearly teeks He groeaker every day I cannot stop it"