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"When wil you have the coronation?" Varis asked

"I’l telClarisse "Knowing hihts He’s been waiting a long time for this" He turned his head at last; it wasn’t clear if wil be in just a few nights He’s been waiting a long time for this" He turned his head at last; it wasn’t clear if he was speaking to Varis or Darri "You wil at end, won’t you?"

"Of course," Varis said "We wouldn’t drea before then"

Now both his sisters atching hily His father wouldn’t like this; he would be disappointed, and ly clear, when he learned how lit le Varis had ed to accomplish But deep beneath the earth, in a place his father had never been, beset by coined, it didn’t h

"After the coronation, though, there is no further reason for us to stay" He met Prince Kestin’s shadowed eyes "We’l return to our own land the evening after And we’l be taking Cal ie with us"

Chapter Fourteen

Kestin’s coronation was a ful -night af air The celebration would begin at dusk with a play, to be fol owed by a banquet and dancing Only at dahen al the celebrations were finished, would the coronation cere to castle lore, that custom had been instituted so that most of the nobility would be too drunk or exhausted to try to kil their new king

Cal ie was deter the Ghostlanders kne to do, it was throw a party; both the living and the dead waited o, Cal ie would have been prepared to spend the evening doing nothing but having fun There was, she told herself, no reason this evening should be dif erent No purpose in set ing herself apart frohthearted as the living

She was going to have to spend centuries e how to live--to pretend to live-- hat she was She ht as wel start now

She spent a ful hour on her appearance, donning a high-necked green gown and having a htly elaborate it pul ed at her scalp Feeling appropriate and beautiful and alive, she opened the door to her roo outside

SoCal ie said flatly, "You look nice"

It was only half a lie Darri’s goas a marvelous display of yel ow silk and black lace It just looked ridiculous on her

"I have a plan," Darri said "And I need your help"

Cal ie twisted her fingers in the edges of her sleeves, wondering what the odds were that what Darri needed help as her hair "Why?"

"I need you to tel me where to find the Guardian"

So much for that "Why?"

"Because," Darri said, "he’s the only one who could possibly kil the Defender"

Burial plots Cal ie stepped out into the hal way and closed the door behind her "No He couldn’t You heard what the Defender said, what he is He can’t be kil ed"

"If there’s any chance--"

"Then I have to spend everyit down?" Cal ie found herself suddenly on the verge of tears Her hair pul ed painful y at her head "And then face ain, every time it doesn’t work? No"

Darri was silent for aat the lace on her skirts Then she said, "You’re giving up""I have no choice"

"You do" Darri reached out for her, an al motion "Cal ie, I understand I mean, I don’t--I could never understand--but I know this is not your fault I know you’re trapped And if there’s anything that can save you, anything at al --"

"But there isn’t!" Cal ie started to turn away, then whirled "Spirits, Darri Do you knohy I brought you to the caves?"

"To shohere you--" Her sister couldn’t get out the word And al of a sudden she couldn’t meet Cal ie’s eyes

"Where I died," Cal ie finished "So we could talk about how you could help eance on my kil er Because I wanted your help, yes; but also because I knew that was the only thing you could talk to me about, now that I’m this"

"That’s not true," Darri whispered, but she said it weakly "Cal ie, I’m notI don’t hate you"

"You just hate what I am"

"But so do you" Darri pushed her hair away froed the Defender to free you, back in the caves"

"I don’t want to be what I am But I don’t hate it the way you do I can bear it, if I must"

"Can you?" Darri said harshly

Cal ie looked away When she spoke, her voice was a whisper "They al bear it Al the rest of the ghosts

They’re as content as they can be They laugh and dance and paint andand sometimes, they’re happy"