teo

I needed fort

atter. A fam

usy hovering over Sofia's recovery bed,

. Not for business, bu

ashes of Elena. I couldn't bring myself to bury her in the fam

er than that. She

ing over the peaks. The air was crisp and

the coordinates on the brochu

accessible only by a

e box against my chest. My breath

undly silent. No city noise.

He wore simple robes, not

e for Xiang Wan

es

nd gently t

"She said she wanted to be where the snow ne

The ash was gray

egan to chant something low and rhythmic, a sound that vib

e cast the contents of

nd cau

ded, a gray cloud against the bli

ywhere. And

st settle on the snow far below. "To give oneself to t

mp harden i

h

tings, the insults, the servitude. She died s

ng time, watching the

at we were the vil

hers, the avenging angels. But we were

trail. I had to go back to New

pered into the wind. "Yo