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“You are not the one we waited for.” Said the first.

“All this time, and the little ones from the bloody diamond are the ones to come for us?” Asked the second.

Conor observed Ella, begging her not to use the knife. The first stared straight at her, spoke again, “Touch me with that knife, and I will bite off every limb and let you crawl to the pit for death.” The calm with which it said these words caused his Ella to resurrect briefly. She took a breath, letting Conor enjoy a rare pragmatic moment from his sister, she replied -

“A friend sent us here to find you. Now that we have done so, we must take you up.”

“And how do you propose to do that?” asked the smallest of the three.

Ella realised she had no answer for this. Back the way they came was impossible; the serpents would never fit through the narrow tunnel. Besides, it would only take them back into the enormous greenlit room. Back the way you came was never possible. There was no route back up from there. It took her an embarrassingly long time to get to the conclusion Conor had recognised immediately. The man without eyelids took them both up when he’d promised his offering. Now the way up was by completing his pledge. The words rang in her ears again - I offer you Ella. Conor had quietly edged away from his sister, further out along the branch. He had no desire to fulfil her fantasy of seeing a sibling flung from a great height.

The smallest of the three, the one Conor assumed was Catherine, continued - “I see your way up! This one has not yet made his sacrifice. Go on, boy - do what you must.”