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The northern edge of the Ri ahead I found Coal asleep, an ar his proper title He propelled himself up, his eyes blurry

"Darin that slipped off as his eyes focused on h ot the words out "Do you know if my father is back from the eastern front?"

Coal shook his head "No, he’s still there The last guard change ca proble my eyes, I breathed in the air and tried to still my mind Who could help me? "Be careful, Coal"--I turned my back on hi burrowers"

"Hey, aren’t you going to stay and keep lance overdesire whispered overonmyself to step closer to him, to test my theory, shock faded to need, the heady thruhtened Hehireen eyes, they had that sae that I’d seen in Mal’s eyes when he’d ht," he whispered, catching ainstover me The comfort of his love, the familiarity of his touch, the smell of his skin--they suckedfor what see, kissing No sex, just together

Like ere under soht around us having shifted enough that it was easy to see the hours that had gone by My sto and so thirsty I reached down and scooped up Coal’s kit of food and water The food was rancid, h stale, was clean and clear, and I gulped it down, the raggedness of rateful

Hours, it wasn’t hours I’d stood there with hiasped out and really looked at Coal Like I was trying to see hilow hovered in the whites of his eyes I never would have seen it if I hadn’t drawn so close I stepped back, easy to break away now that I kneas happening Days--days had been wasted here

Frowning, I continued to back away

"Lark, please don’t go"

That clinched it "You never ask ether"

He tipped his head and the pink faded froan to heat in the bottom of my belly "No, of course not," I said and turned away fro pink glowing eyes, and feeling things I shouldn’t be feeling, hearing words Coal would never say

I trudged back to the barracks, ive me h the back door There was no one waiting for me, no one to ask me where I’d been

A cold rush of air circled up and aroundwith the air and I followed it down to the healers’ rooms I’d only been in the roo, to be sure there was nothing seriously wrong with hts letting in plenty of natural light to brighten the room The beds had all been empty, the roo ointments, a couple of curatives fro in order

Now, every bed was taken with an Ender, and the recruits were using the floor Jars and herbs were scattered, blood on the sheets, wriggling wor their trail of death down the bodies

The healer, Orchid, saw asped, and ran to my side "If you aren’t sick, leave, now Ender Ash is the only other one not showing syainst her hands "Is my father sick? Raven?"

The sorrow in her eyes was all I needed "Yes Everyone except the queen, and Ash And now you"

Chills swept through me, followed closely by a rush of heat "Why ah drew my eyes to the wall on my left Granite sat in the bed, but only just barely His shoulders sluer able to hold his own head up Io help Ash Tell hio with him" He held out a piece of paper to the healer, as another cough rattled through his chest, shaking his entire body with the aggressiveness of it A ripple of pain passed over his face Gingerly, I stepped forward and took the paper fro space between the disease and me as much as I could

I looked at the bed next to hi The burroere there, just under his skin, breeding, and then their spores were coughed out into the air ready to dig into another set of lungs