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"Ready?" Chubs asked once ere standing in the file roo him into the small hallway that connected it to the cells The door at the other end of the hall had a sh

"You have to stay here the whole time," I said "You can’t come in I know you think he can’t affect you, but I’d rather not test the theory"

"Hell no, I’ to lock you both in there together and go get help" He shot me a sharp look "That’s not allowed to happen Make sure you don’t putNoLia to do Good or bad Pro your body to get him to talk instead of your--, I can’t even finish that sentence, htened around the sack of food "Nothing like that I’d just rather not have this serve as a reo"

"Ruby"

I pushed by hi it firaze through the glass Then he stepped back, just out ofti to come for a quick visit? I’, back against the wall Blanket and pilloere neatly stowed beside hiranted by Cole in the vain, stupid hope it ht butter the kid up to be more loose-lipped As I opened the door’s flap to throw his brown-bag e in his book, marked it, and set the book down on top of the pillow

He ht as well have thrown the copy of Watership Down at my face

"Oh," he said, all innocence "Have you read it? Stewart brought it in forfor War and Peace, but beggars can’t be choosers, et cetera et cetera"

It was an old edition of the book--the cover rinkled bylibrary stickers on its spine The pages had yellowed, curved under too ht it up to rance that no a could ever scrub from libraries and bookstores A few more books had been stacked neatly beneath the cot--battered copies of To Kill a Mockingbird, Sons and Lovers, a book called A Farewell to Arms And a copy of a blue book--Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers--that had been torn to shreds and tossed across the cell

Typical Cole I wondered who he’d picked to watch his back last night

"What did you give him for it?"

"Solanced inside the bag as he sauntered back over to his cot He coain "It’s only by virtue of everyone’s sheer stupidity here that they haven’t figured out what he is He telegraphs it so obviously Gets so pathetic when he asks about them--"

"Why that book?" I interrupted, well aware that Chubs was listening Myto re the book The way he was holding it, pressed against his chest, o in there and rip it out of his hands before he tainted that, too

"I re the unasked questions "You said it was your favorite book"

"Funny, I don’t reht-lipped smile "Must have been one of our more private conversations, then"

Private conversations? That’s how he rationalized all of those invasive lessons, when I let rounds of hi to "teach" me how to control my abilities?

"‘your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies,’" he read, "‘and whenever they catch you, they will kill you But first they er, listener, runner, prince with the sarning Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed’" He snapped the book shut and leaned back against the wall "Never thought I’d find a story about rabbits fascinating, but even they have their appeal, apparently"

"Do you even understand what you just read?" I asked, angry all over again In the story, the lines had been spoken by Lord Frith, the rabbits’ god He was addressing El-ahrairah, a prince of his kind, who’d let his warren’s population spiral out of control, too proud of their strength In retaliation for his arrogance, Lord Frith turned the other animals of the forest into the rabbits’ eneifted the chance of survival

Leave it to Clancy to mentally cast hih I think I prefer this one to ift has h he may think otherwise himself"

I shook my head "Stop Just stop This is low, even for you"