Cautiously I release the book and lean back, breaking the contact. The Ash King stirs and frowns slightly, like a man woken from a dream. Then he props a pillow behind him, leans against it, and opens the book at random. In a sonorous voice, he begins to read aloud. “‘You’ll take all of us, one after another,’ said the highwayman. ‘We’re going to remind you who you belong to. If you’re very good, we’ll let you take all four of our cocks at once.’ ”
