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I don’t believe for a eneral wished for my recovery

"I never left him alone with you," Hector adds softly, his face unreadable "Not once"

I’ht es This tiht wrap around entle at first, lifting strands of er; the gust beco me into darkness The Godstone turns to ice

I sob fro for it The blade glimmers hot and cruel as it strikes

My own screarasp blindly for Hector He claspsto squeeze the panic frorip

Gradually the pounding in h slant of sun through lass doors indicates that I slept well into the e it, I say, "Did you find Martín’s fa real and solid to shake the dream from my head

"The Guard took up a collection I delivered it this evening In spite of everything, she was" He ss hard, then says with a touch of wonder, "She was grateful"

"I’"

He gives o I snake it under uely disappointed He has been stiff and uneasy with me since my brush with death Xi as I needed

He leans back in his chair and crosses his ar a wall between us "It’s very cohtmares after combat," he says "Especially if they were injured"

My chest lurches just to think about it "Oh?"

"And sohtmares?"

"Yes" His voice is hardly more than a whisper

"And do you talk about them?"

He turns his head to avoid al, even with the crisscross of scars on his left cheek But the light pouring in from my balcony softens his features and makes him seem almost boyish I say, "But you’d like me to talk about htaze turns inhile he considers When he finally looks at me, I catch the barest shift of his eyes as he studies every part of my face

He opens his mouth Closes it At last he says, "I think it would be best if you discussed your dreams with Ximena or Mara"

The hurt that wells up my throat is unexpected and inexplicable "Maybe I will," I whisper "Thank you for your counsel"

During the next couple of days, I think hard about what Hector said I try, twice, to talk to Ximena about my dreams But the words clot in ue I can’t bear to be weak and frightened in front of everyone I aer

But then coainstfire in htmare flashes to a different place, a different knife, a different terror I aer pricks at Humberto’s precious throat "You could have stopped this, Elisa," he tells me, just before the blade whisks across his neck and Humberto’s hot blood spurts all over my crohich is suddenly inscrea from my mouth

Mara and Ximena rush to helpthey will have hts in no tiht to have Clutching the bedpost, I drag s quiver with disuse, but they do not betray me "Find Hector," I order to no one in particular The voown to s fro to wash," I tell them "And thenand then" I have no choice I have to face this black monster of terror before it eats me from the inside out "And then, I ht"

I bathe quickly, with Mara’s help Xiown, but I refuse "Pants," I say "And my linen blouse" I’ll not be hampered by a skirt--it’s all I can do to remain steady as it is--and I know I’ll feel arb

Hector arrives as Xireet hiuilty that I’ve decided on an excursion during the one night he allows hiuard Where are we going?"

"The catacoain"

"We scoured it a dozen ti braid down my back I have so much hair that she usually weaves two, one atop the other, but she senses ive h"

Hector opens his es hiselse Like a memory that’s alives o But do let me carry you if you tire"

"Of course Thank you" I turn away to hidehow he carried me in our failed rush to save Martín It would be easy to let hi to be weaker than I aht a feeble queen, and I will not pretend weakness Not ever, not for anyone

I hold e--Hector, Xiuards--array themselves in a protective circle around round floor

A sentry I’ve never er at hi as unfair andus into the stairwell, and I let his feel like date jelly, but I put a hand on Hector’s shoulder and use hi jaws of the Hall of Skulls seeid beside e cohtened as I am

But the fear dissipates as we enter Alejandro’s toht torches It’s bright and warm, the air still I feel everyone’s eyes onthe silk banners I’ to find, how this excursion will help When the toes of e dark stain on the stone floor, I freeze

My blood

My fingertips find the wound at my side, then the bump on my skull I fell and hit ht I fell ontoat the exact spot, I reet such a terrible knot on the back ofisn’tI don’t re to say That I didn’t hit et up and then fell a second time I lost so much blood, it’s a wonder I remember as much as I do

"Elisa?" Hector says