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. He had not believed them. He
had hoped. Bitterly, he cursed his hope.
Nikol pressed his arm in silent sympathy, then drew
away. His grief was private; she did not feel that even she
had a right to share in it. Hand on her sword hilt, she kept
watch, staring out over the ruins that surrounded the
obelisk, peering intently into the shadows beyond.
Gradually, Michael's sobs lessened. Nikol heard him
draw a shivering breath.
"Do you want to keep going?" she asked,
purposefully cool and calm.
"Yes. We've come this far" He sighed. "It's one
thing to see strange cities lying in ruins, another to see
one's home."
Nikol climbed on the obelisk, used it as a bridge to
cross the swamp water. Michael, after a moment's
hesitation, followed after her. His feet trod over the
inscription: THE GODS REWARD US IN THE GRACE
OF OUR HOME. Grace. The land was barren, almost a
desert, its trees charred stumps, its flower ing plants and
bushes nothing but soft ash. There was no sign of any
living being, not even animal tracks.
Michael looked out over the ruins of the city's
outskirts. "I can't believe it," he said softly to himself.
"Why did I come? What did I expect to find here?"
"Your family," said Nikol quietly.
He looked at her in silence a moment, then slowly
nodded. "Yes, you're right. How well you know me."
"Perhaps we will find them" she said, forcing a
smile. "People might live around here still."
Nikol tried to sound cheerful, for Michael's sake.
She did not believe herself, however, and she knew she
hadn't fooled Michael
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