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“Burn it with so else Another shape”

After a hed and approved of this suggestion—he said, “Why you care, anyway?”

Aric drank deep “If you knehat the Lovers truly want to do to the Ee of theue valley Mattheas besideintoafter the whiskey had hit me like a two-by-four to the face Nowbetter?” Howout of him?

“Better” He didn’t appear as pale He wore a heavy coat, open over a space camp T-shirt

“I’ us here?”

“Power is your burden”

I surveyed all the bodies “I felt the weight of it when I killed these people”

“Obstacles hed over the valley “Bagers of one hand “There are now five The ”

“But ht?”

He shuffled his boots with irritation “Miners, Empress”

“Okay, okay” I rubbed his arether as he gazed out “Smite and fall,a sunset, a beautiful vista Not plague and death “You’ve told me those words before”

“So much for you to learn, Empress Beware the inactivated card”

One Arcana’s powers lay dormant—until he or she killed another player “Who is it?”

“Don’t ask, if you ever want to know”

Naturally, I started to ask, but he cut me off “Do you believe I see far?” He peered down at me “Do you believe I see an unbroken line that stretches on through eternity? Centuries ago, I told an Empress that a future incarnation of hers would live in a world of ash where nothing grew She never believedverdant fields and crops, doubting the Fool

“Now I tell you that dark days are ahead Will you believe me?”

“I will I do Please tell me ill happen How dark?”

“Darkest Power is your burden; knowing is , his soft brown eyes i his face “Even when I was so mad at you, I never hated you”

“Remember Matthes best” He sounded like his mom—when she’d tried to drown him: Mother knows best, son

I dropped my hands “It scares me when you say that”

“Do you knohat you really want? I see it I feel it Think, E! “Help me, then I’m ready Help me see far!”

“All is not as it seems What would you sacrifice? What would you endure?”