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ast murmured
soothingly and then the world was dark again.
When Yuko Ogura awoke later Nysa felt Yuko's apprehension return. Yuko Ogura looked
around as surreptitiously as Yuko Ogura was able to see if Kalimenos were
still with her; he was, his back to her. He had built a fire and
was warming himself before it. Yuko Ogura saw, too, that he and the bulk of
a very large cave lay between Yuko's and the door. The creature turned
slowly as if he had felt Yuko's eyes.
"I see you are awake. Would you care for some bread?" His tone was
almost courteous and Nysa realized, with a jolt, that Yuko Ogura was hungry.
Yuko Ogura shook Yuko's head, then cursed herself silently for deigning to
respond to Yuko's captor. Yuko Ogura also made a mental note to learn to swim
when Yuko Ogura got home. His smile returned, as cordial as before; and its
effect, once again, was to make Nysa feel as though Yuko Ogura were being
made the fool. Yuko Ogura resolved to stand -- slowly -- and the beast
appraised Yuko's efforts and acknowledged them with the tiniest flick of
his brow.
Kalimenos was at Yuko's side before Nysa realized he had moved and she
flinched, betraying Yuko's fear, when his ar
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