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The steps had reached the landing

Maharet stood at the edge of the open doorway, and Mael was beside her I hadn't even seen them move

Then I saho and what it was The wo her way out of the earth, walking the long miles on the barren plain The other twin of the dreams I'd never understood! And now she stood fraht at the distant figure of Akasha, who stood solass wall and the blazing fire

Oh, but the sight of this one Gasps came from the others, even from the old ones, from Marius himself

A thin layer of soil encased her all over, even the rippling shape of her long hair Broken, peeling, stained by the rain even, theto her naked arms and bare feet as if she were made of it, made of earth itself It made a mask of her face And her eyes peered out of the mask, naked, rimmed in red

A rag covered her, a blanket filthy and torn, and tied with a hemp rope around her waist

What i cover herself, what tender hu corpse to stop andremnant of the human heart?

Beside her, staring at her, Maharet appeared to weaken suddenly all over as if her slender body were going to drop

"Mekare!" she whispered

But the woman didn't see her or hear her; the wo with fearless ani the table between herself and this creature, Akasha's face hardening, her eyes full of undisguised hate

"Mekare!" Maharet cried She threw out her hands and tried to catch the woman by the shoulders and turn her around

The wo Maharet backwards so that she was thrown yards across the rooainst the wall

The great sheet of plate glass vibrated, but did not shatter Gingerly Maharet touched it with her fingers; then with the fluid grace of a cat, she sprang up and into the ar to her aid

Instantly he pulled her back towards the door For the wo northward, and then over on its side

Gabrielle and Louis moved swiftly into the northwest corner, Santino and Armand the other way, towards Mael and Eric and Maharet