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She didn’t want to, but she crawled back, the gloves still on, and carefully stuffed the rope into the bag.

She drew the gloves off and handed them back to the girl, who took them and whirled away, sprinting into the darkness to disappear into one of the carts.

She came back just as quickly, though.

“What is that?” she asked, looking at the bag in disgusted fascination.

“An evil thing that sucks your energy.” Ava’s voice was still a whisper.

The noise coming from the campfire was loud enough to hide their conversation, but she was terrified Sirna or Evelyn would turn and see her.

“Please, don’t go near it.”

The little girl nodded solemnly. “What are you going to do now?”

“Destroy it.” Only, she didn’t know how.

“Would it burn?” the girl asked.

“Maybe.” She really didn’t know.

“Then throw it on the fire.” The little girl waved toward it.

“I can’t. Not while Sirna and Evelyn can see.”

The little girl tilted her head. “Why not?”

“Who do you think put it on me?”

The child’s mouth opened into a little round o.

Ava felt a spike of unease. Should she be telling a child these things? She didn’t know.

She didn’t feel like herself.

She was barely keeping herself conscious, but she felt she should be doing better than this.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to frighten you. Why don’t you go back to your parents?”

“It’s just Da and me,” the little girl whispered. “I didn’t like the new people, but Da said I was to be polite. They said you were simple. You were tied to the seat on the cart when they joined us. They said you would wander off, otherwise.”

Hah. So that was their story.

“What’s your name?” Ava asked her.

“I’m Melodie. Who are you?”

“Avasu.” Ava decided to use the name the Venyatux had given her. It felt safer. And it brought back memories of good times.

Ava tried to push herself up from her hands and knees, and collapsed, face first, in the hay.

“What are you doing now?” Melodie asked.

“I need to find something that looks like the rope to tie around myself, so that Sirna thinks it’s still on me when he comes to check.” She spoke into the hay, her voice muffled.

She thought she heard Melodie run off, but she drifted off and lost track.

It suddenly occurred to Ava that Melodie had known the rope was killing her. She wondered how, but then she blanked out again.