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of death, much less the kind that Charcoal would give her.
Unless he gave Charcoal what he really wanted.
And if I'm going to die, I'd like it to be keeping my friends safe. Keeping Shar safe.
Right, Tannim. Very brave. Very noble. Very stupid.
What the hell. When we played soldiers, I was always the one who fell on the grenade and got the
terrific funeral. Too bad I won't be around to see this one. Damn. Life's been good.
He took a slow step forward, feeling every bruise, and savoring the pain as the last thing he was
likely to feel. He was acutely aware of the soft, shifting sand under his shoes, the oddly clean
taste to the air, the faint ache where that mist-thing had bitten him. "Here I am," he repeated.
"I won't fight you. It won't cost you a thing. Take me."
* * *
Shar could not believe her eyes and ears, as her throat closed, choking back her cry of horror.
What was he doing?
He was sacrificing himself, that was what he was doing.
She tried to grab him, to stop him, to counter his offer with one of her own, but she was held
frozen, paralyzed. And what could she offer? She had just defied her father should she make
Tannim's offer worthless by surrendering herself now? Charcoal would never take her surrender and
let Tannim go. Tannim was right. Charcoal didn't want her and never had; he wanted the human. She
had never been more than the means to get Tannim.
Tannim stepped forward again, arms still wide. "Think about it, Charcoal," he said, as calmly as
if he was not writing out his own death warrant with every word he spoke. "Think about how much
you gain. You make Chinthliss miserable. Since you let Shar loose, you don't make Ako unhappy; in
fact, you might even stand a chance of getting her back. Ako doesn't give a damn about me, she
only wants her daughter safe, and she knows you won't want her once I'm gone. You get rid of me.
As an added bonus to that, there's a bunch of Unseleighe who'll be so happy with you for getting
rid of me for them, you'll be able to write your own ticket with them. Madoc Skean wasn't the only
Unseleighe lord who wants me dead."
Everyone's attention was on Tannim, so only Shar saw that Thomas Cadge had crept out of the rear
seat and was stealing out of the Mustang on all fours. He had taken the bandage off his head, and
although she could not see his face from where she stood, he did not appear to be acting in the
least blind.
He waited for a moment, crouched behind the shelter of the driver's-side door, then twirled his
fingers in a peculiar gesture.
A thick eddy of mist twined up to the door, and he slipped off out of sight under its protective
cover.
Shar nearly choked on bitterness, and fury shook her along with her grief. He must have been
Charcoal's confederate he was the one leading Charcoal to us, and here we thought we were trying
to save him! I should have thrown him to the Wild Hunt.
If she ever saw his cowardly face again, she would throw him to the Wild Hunt.
"Well, Charcoal?" Tannim waited, now just within Charcoal's reach, the droop of his head and his
slumping shoulders reflecting weary resignation. "How about it? Is the offer good enough?"
No Shar wailed silently. No, Tannim, please
don't leave me alone
Charcoal looked down with smoldering eyes for a long moment at the small human at his feet. Silent
tears cut their way down Shar's cheeks, and her heart spasmed with agony.
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"Yes," he said at last. "I believe that I shall take advantage of this situation."
He stared down at Tannim for a moment longer; then, before anyone could move or speak, he struck.
He lashed out at Tannim with a foreclaw, all talons extended, striking sideways, like a cat.
Shar reached out uselessly, with agonizing slowness. Every second became an eternity, enabling her
to see the tiniest of details. Charcoal's talons hit Tannim in the chest and bent against his
armor, tearing at the remains of his shirt. Only one of the five three-foot-long talons caught and
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