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A terrible dream. It had been a long time since he had been tormented by such dreams; a long time, in fact, since he had dreamt at all. The last few seconds played over and over in his head and he saw the lemon tree again and heard his brother's laughter again.
It echoed almost too clearly in his head. Suddenly, without being aware of any conscious decision to move, Rye found himself at the open window. The night air was cool on his cheeks as he gazed into the silvery darkness.
" Dambie?" He sent the thought out with a surge of power, searching. Then he lapsed into absolute silence, listening with all his senses.
He sensed nothing, no trace of a reaction. Nearby, a pair of night birds rose in flight. In the city many minds were asleep, in the forests nocturnal animals were going about their secret business.
He sighed and turned back to the room. Perhaps he had been mistaken about the laughter; perhaps he had even been mistaken about the threat in the graveyard. Fell's Church was quiet and peaceful, and he should try to imitate it. He needed sleep.
5 September (actually early 6 September - about 1:00 am)
Dear Diary,
I should be going back to bed soon. I woke up a few minutes ago thinking someone was screaming, but now the house is quiet. So many strange things have happened tonight that my nerves are shot, I think.
At least I woke up and I know exactly what I'm going to do about Rye. The whole thing just popped into my head. Plan B, phase one, starts tomorrow.
Harper' eyes lit up and his cheeks flushed as he walked towards the three boys at the table.
"Oh, Andy, you've got to hear this!"
He smiled at him politely, but not too intimately. Harper ducked his dark blonde head. "I mean ... can I join you guys? I've just heard the wildest things about Rye Beaumont."
"Sit down," Andy said kindly. "But," he added, buttering a roll, "we're not really interested in the news."
"His...?" Harper stared. He looked at Jack, then at Mikey. "He's joking, right?"
"Not at all." Jack speared a green bean and eyed it thoughtfully. "We have other things on our minds today."
"Exactly," Mikey said after a sudden yelp. "Rye's old hat, you know. Pass." He leaned down and rubbed his ankle. Harper looked at Andy promptly. "But I thought you wanted to know all about him."
"Curiosity," Andy said. "After all, he's a visitor and I wanted to welcome him to Fell's Church. But of course I have to be loyal to Jean-Claude."
"Jean-Claude?"
"Jean-Claude," Jack said, raising his eyebrows and sighing.
