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"I don’t believe you," the Guardian said, but he didn’t move "And even if that’s so, you need me for the sainative than your brother The dead who exist are enough fora thin smokelike column "Not that I wouldn’t prefer to increase my subjects, and let you alone If you’l do the sareement"

"You kil ed my brother," the Guardian said

"Yes And I’l kil you, too, if Ithinned, and suddenly Clarisse was in the center of it, dressed in a violet gown, her golden hair stil tued curls down her back "It should be easier There’s nothing immortal about you, after alAl you have to protect you is a suit of armor"

"And this sword," the Guardian snarled

Clarisse floated doard, laughing Her feet were inches froh her from behind, and she screamed and crashed the rest of the way to the rocky floor

The ain, this tih her back Darri wondered wildly if she was hal ucinating

Varis’s other hand shot out; Darri reached out and caught a second dagger by the hilt, almost before she realized that he had thrown it She stared at it, at the undisguised gleam of silver

"Go," Varis snapped "Before she recovers"

The pit yawned behind her Varis, of course, didn’t kno deep it was Or that there was no way she could survive that fal

No way anyone could survive that fal

She glanced quickly at the Guardian, the creature who had started al this, who had dragged her sister into it

I remain trapped in life forever, so that the spel can continue to be channeled through my mind

Maybe there was more than one way to end the spel

Darri didn’t hesitate She threw herself sideways, into the Guardian, and the two of thee of the clif

For a moment there was only the rush of the air, the shock of terror The Guardian flailed, his iron ar her away, so she was fal ing alone The hipped up past Darri’s ears and streaht in her throat, the ground rushed up to meet her, and then two thin arms wrapped themselves around her

Darri’s screa ih the cavern Her hands closed instinctively on the ar her fal only yards froing into her palms, as Cal ie’s arms turned insubstantial Darri dropped the last few yards to the ground and pitched to her hands and knees

For a moment she couldn’t move; she couldn’t even breathe Her whole body felt bruised, her head stil rang from its impact with iron, and the fiery pain in her arm was bone deep Then she looked up at her sister, as staring past Darri with her blue eyes wide

Darri got to her feet, ignoring the stinging in the knuckles of her right hand, which was stil clenched around the dagger’s hilt She turned to fol ow Cal ie’s gaze The Guardian’s armor had broken when he fel ; the iron mask had come of , and rol ed into the corner Blood seeped sloay fro that had been behind the lad it was too dark to see ed farther fro this close to it was hurting her "You would have died!"

"I thought kil ing hi back

"Wel ," Cal ie said, her voice brit le, "I guess it didn’t, since I am stil here Sorry to disappoint you"

"Wel ," Cal ie said, her voice brit le, "I guess it didn’t, since I am stil here Sorry to disappoint you"

Behind Cal ie, the streams of white rock cascaded down froht at first they were actual y ; but the as eerily stil and silent, motion frozen in time Darri met her sister’s eyes

"It’s not too late," she said "Not now that I’m stil alive Thank you for that"

"Darri--" Cal ie’s throat worked Her face twisted, and Darri couldn’t tel if as causing her pain was the spel , or the words she was trying to say "Darri, you can’t The other ghosts don’t think like we do They’re here, and they don’t want to vanish"

"Here and unhappy" Darri shifted her grip on the dagger’s hilt "What was done to theht back like this"

"Are you asking them if they want to be ended like this?" Cal ie shook her head "What was done to them is already done It was done, and they are here, and they cling to the semblance of life they have It’s not your place to rescue the breath "Or me"

"I have to--" Darri stopped What was the point? She couldn’t change her sister’sfar more fundamental

She turned and walked up to the spel

Up close, the spiral of rock lost its beauty and becarew thicker, and her nostrils flared at the smel of rot She could see clearly where the strands of rock had twisted together, coiled around soloith a faint light, casting eerie shadows around the already eerie structure

The silver dagger was heavy in her hand Darri sith al her ht At the first stroke, the colored rock seeth of a black-speckled gray coil Behind her, Cal ie gasped

Powerful and fragile, the Guardian had said Like life itself

Darri’s breath caught in her throat She lifted the dagger to strike again, and a hand closed around her wrist and pul ed her back

It was so unexpected that only the tightness of her grip kept the dagger fro across the cave Darri whirled and yanked her arrasp Her sister stared up at her