nees pulled up and tried to do what Iola had taugh

turned twenty. The taste of oranges, which I remembered only because Iola had told me. The name of my teacher's dog. A song about a fi

ord f

ost in the Hall of Lights. I did not know what it was.

as if they were trying not to be seen. Even in the dim light, I could tell they were duller tha

hurt?"

. Pell is the keystone. Without her,

ll get h

ted to speak of everything. The Queen made us promise. But you are twenty now, and t

re you

t you should loo

in its center was pointing north, as it had all d

oved inside

r, like a fish swimming under ice, was a small bright shape. It was a

it every day of my life, and sometime in the last two days I had lo

up my arms that had n

said. "Tha

es

at's one of mine. It

es

The Queen made this shell herself. She told me it was the only thing she had ever made that l

t know h

ri

he said unhappily. "I

every lost taste and song and laughing face. I had trusted her. She had been the only mother I

ved the shell into my pocket so fast

ray, which he plainly felt was beneath him, an

ou didn't ea

a

ead, cheese, a bowl of soup. "She says I'm not to leave until

frigh

d not sit. He stood by the door with his hands behi

tto

s do no

e my friends. They're sor

y he looked at the four dim Stars on my pillow without any fear at all. He walked over, slowly,

Bram said

hispered Cinder. "

d to me," I told him. "You're

el man, whatever people say in Harrowmere

you care

. For a long time I tho

urned white and a storm came down from nowhere, a storm that killed the sun, my father said. The cold was so deep it froze the horses whe

d not

nd the cold went away, and my father told me not to ask questions. I have never forgiven any creature that

d. I meant it so d

I would very much like to. But if you are what I think you are, then everything I'

wl of soup and a pearl in my pocket

erneath it, someone had been drinking from me for my whol