“Emeralds mean eternal life, Mother,” I said. She appeared the boy standing there again, the last glow of the fire just tracing the line of her cheek and mouth. “It’s as I said before,” she whispered. “You aren’t afraid of anything, are you?” “What does it matter if I am or not?” I shrugged. I took her arm and drew her to the passage. “We are the things that others fear,” I said. “Remember that.”
