Page 3 (1/2)

"Lark, no!" Mywith tears as they tracked down her cheeks "Run, sweet pea, run!"

She moved to hand me Bramley and was jerked backwards by invisible strands of air I caught Bra high into the air, far into the clouds above the forest I trembled where I stood, unable to obey her Bramley let out a wail, his chubby fists clenched, and his face red with anger and fear I counted the seconds, waiting for her to fall And when she did, the whoosh of a body coh the clouds stilled my heart

The world slowed asup as if she were a kite, the string broken and the body free of tethers My eyes were unable to close, I watched her fall, her body breaking as she hit The fall shouldn’t have killed her, yet in one, and there was only the two of us Shock, unbound and fillingMy mother--the one person I kneho loved iving those who had less than her all we had, sheltering those who had nothing

Gone, in a split second on the whim of a jealous queen

"You see ill happen if you don’t do as I say?" Cassava ses Hard She was granite, with none of the beauty true granite held "Now, give the brat to lanced at her friends "Wicker, kill the baby first, and the girl last He is the one my fool of a husband has named as his heir"

"What about the other half-breed?"

Cassava glanced at Cactus "I ipe his memory clean I think I will have a use for him later" Then she reached for us, as if I would hand Bram to her

"NO!" All le word and the dirt around us exploded Stones and chunks of earth flew through the air The projectiles , a hunk of quartz by the flash of it, smashed into her teures took a rock to the head, which slashed his face on the left side

A distant part of my mind wondered where our Ender was Father would never let us be without protection Where was he? He was supposed to keep us safe frohts scattered as I faced the danger alone Taking down the queen left three figures, Sylphs, who closed in on us I clutched Bra body with all I had His tiny fingers grippedin hard as he whi a steady teer that had sustained ure on the left burst into flarabbed me, and with Cactus atBra us back, inch by inch We leaned into the sudden wind tunnel, our bodies jerked around like puppets on strings I clung to Bra of the wind around us

I did the only thing I could I called on the earth, begged the mother earth to save us

"Please!" My scream was ripped away fro