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She got out of bed, and the ht bloo Vi barely noticed She pulled on the fruht and sore As she stepped into the hall, light blooainst the wall Then, as if an unseen hand were drawing in big, bold lines, the light became a star suspended in a spider hich was draped between an elk’s antlers The beast regarded Vi tiredly but stood to acco her section of the hall arht remained, but all else faded The web around the star was replaced by an old iron lantern The elk disappeared and in quick strokes was replaced with a bearded, fatherly woodsh She touched the figure and it faded to be replaced with a grinning dog, balancing the star on its nose She began walking, and it walked beside her It was a This entire floor was made to be a safe place for children

In sudden fury, she punched the wall The dog faded and a jester replaced it Vi choked back a sob and hurried to the stairs at the center of the building When she arrived at Sister Ariel’s roo open before Vi knocked "Co cup of ootai Her eyes looked bleary

Vi was speechless She stepped inside and took the cup in her left hand

"Sit," Sister Ariel said Her rooe, and most of it was covered in piles of books and scrolls, but there were two chairs

Vi sat

"Pay attention and hold still," Sister Ariel said She took Vi’s swollen right hand and tsked "Savaltus" Pain shot through Vi’s hand, then passed and her bruises faded "You have an unfortunate habit of hitting things that are harder than your fist The next time your recalcitrance evinces itself in self-mutilation, I won’t heal you"

Vi had no idea what the words ist "I want you to make it stop," Vi said

"Excuse me?"

"You trickedoff"

Sister Ariel cocked her head to one side, doglike Her eyes glea words I don’t understand!"

Soue is a flame, child," Sister Ariel said, her eyes cold "We who speak to use ic learn to control it, else it burns us Do you knohat I was doing while you were studying today?"

"I don’t give a shit"

Sister Ariel shook her head "I have no , you fecal-uttershite curses, the world can’t even hear it, Vi When a maja curses, the world trembles So I’ve come up with some punishments I expect that you will exhaust them before I exhaust your defiance But we’re coer Sa troca excepio dazii"

Though she’d briefly seen the aura of"What have you done?" she asked, eyes narrowing

"That, et to guess Now, you came because you had a particularly vivid dream, did you not?"

Vi stared into the bottom of her cup Why was she suddenly squeamish to talk about sex? "It was him He came to my bed It was real"

"And?"

Vi looked up "What do youa nant?"

Vi’s eyes locked back on the ootai "We didn’t, um, actually you know"