Chapter nine
Missad QuondamYou have returned, Lut. Hana smiles at him, but he only frowns at her.
She is in grave danger, I tell you. It is wicked for you to use her in this way.
Wicked for us, you mean? You are one of the Amaranthine. Why will you not accept it?
He shakes his head firmly. I am human. That is all I want to be.
Hana shakes hers, just as firmly. We need your strength, Mariner.
* * * *
When Katkin opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a face. It hovered only a few inches above her own, filling her visual field with a blurry apparition surrounded by a halo of dark hair. Almost immediately it disappeared, and she heard footsteps clattering away across the wooden floorboards.
Poppy’s voice drifted back down the hallway to her. “Patre! Come quickly. Patre Huw, her
