‘Why are you tormenting yourself?’ asked the serious and calm voice of the pedantic sorceress called Tissaia de Vries. “Why prolong the suffering? Finally be done with it!’
‘No. I will not surrender.’
‘You do not understand. Do you know how you die of thirst? At any time you will become mad and then it will be too late. Then you will no longer know how to finish it.’
‘No. I will not surrender. I will endure.’
She put her sword back into its sheath. Rose, staggered, fell. She rose once more, staggered and began to walk.
Above her, high in the yellow sky, she saw a vulture.
When she regained consciousness, she did not remember when she fell. She could not remember how long she had been lying there. She looked up. Two other vultures had joined the other one circling around in the
