Chapter 11: What He Almost Said

That night the practice lawn was dry and silver under a nearly full moon.

Cormick was already in the circle when I got there.

He had both hands in his pockets.

He did not say hello. He said, "You were magnificent this morning."

"I was shaking."

"I know. I was watching your hands." He took one hand out of his pocket and held it open. "Dance with me."

We ran the figure without music.

The wolf came up in me easily now, and his rose half a step behind and settled into mine.

For ten turns I forgot Niles and the elders and the burned doll.

On the eleventh turn Cormick said, in the middle of the figure, "I owe you something."

"You owe me nothing. The contract's paid."

"This isn't in the contract."

He did not stop moving, and neither did I.

"You told me last night I never asked why you left," he said. "That's true.

"But I did something worse. For three years I was angry at someone I couldn't find."

"At who?"

"At whoever was supposed to be standing in front of me at the Rite.

"Each year I stood in that circle with a dancer who smelled of nothing, and I thought: she's somewhere close, and she's keeping out of the way."

I stumbled, and he caught me.

"I didn't know it was you," he said. "I walked past you for three years, Seren.

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