The tip of The Autumn Queen’s scepter sparkled.  Two other stars made 
up the shaft, and a myriad of additional stars made up the rest of the Queen.
	Melissa blinked, then strained through her tired eyes to see the sky 
better.  The Autumn Queen had always been her favorite constellation.  She was 
born under it, almost eight years ago.  Her mother used to tell her that the 
Autumn Queen would protect her.  Her father said it meant she was destined to 
good luck.  Melissa did not feel lucky now.
	Her heavy eyelids slid shut.  This time she let them.  She was too 
tired to keep herself looking up.  Watching dark clouds dance in front of the 
starry sky helped her forget about how cold she was.  Now, with her eyes closed 
the night air seemed to crawl around her, exhaling its cold breath against her 
skin.  But she couldn’t force her eyes open any longer.  They hurt.  Her entire 
face hurt.
	Melissa couldn’t remember when she had stopped crying.  She cried the 
day before.  Silent tears; she knew they would become angry if she made any 
noise.  She cried all that night as well, when she was awake, even though it 
made the air sting against her wet cheeks.  She cried all that day too, but 
sometime in the afternoon her tears ran out.  So she just sat, staring blankly 
ahead as they rode along.
	Now she wished the tears would return.  She wanted them to wash the 
pain out of her eyes.  She wanted them to wash the cold off her body.  She 
wanted the tears to drown the bad men sleeping nearby.  Most of all, she wanted 
the tears to come and float her away to the city.  To Darben, where her father 
was.
	But the tears did not come.
	Instead, Melissa imagined herself in her bed back home, above the 
tailor shop, before the fire.  And she hoped that Taren would find her soon.

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