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her as gently as athing, sreen, stuck on a branch

She frowned, trying to coly difficult The thought drifted away fro sense that soone

"Howare youtodaygoddess?" A low, ru bass noise from somewhere in the darkness

She tried to open her eyes She felt thein to open, slowly, like the reluctant es

She saw socircleout of focus No, not a circleround Round, yes Face A face fringed by pale golden light A halo Angel

"Wellhellothere" It was the sa and intinized it, that she'd heard it before today It was the voice that had always been with her in the great, cold darkness, the voice beckoning for her to fightselena She didn't knohat itsomehow "Areyoucold?"

Gibberish Her head started to ache The raw fire in her throat came back " knohoyouare?"

She could feel his expectation, his need, and she wanted to do what he wanted, but she didn't understand Frustration welled up inside her

She kneas talking to her She should be able to speak back to him, but she couldn't remember any of the words, or how to form them, or what to say

She started to utter a low, growling sound of irritation, but the noise aborted itself, cut off by the harsh, unrelenting fire in her throat "Wouldyoulikesomewater?" Water The word surprised her She understood it

39

Yes, water She had need of it in her throat How did she tell him so?

The angel leaned closer He pulled the thing from her throat The pain was exquisite She trembled, whimpered

Then the thing was gone, and the pain in her throat

lessened