She wore it uncomfortably for a time, if only because the echo of Ismail’s voice still lingered on the words, but the change was inevitable. She wasn’t the same person anymore. She had no home to return to; she had no future to reach for, so she wandered from one desert outlaw town to another, stealing what she needed to stay alive, and only barely that. If let alone, she left alone, but if attacked, she struck back without mercy. She destroyed. There were men along the way, many faceless no ones. She felt nothing for any of them. It was just biology, a raw and ugly grappling, a momentary escape. As deceptive as any of the quick fixes. It washed through her and out, leaving her emptier than ever. People drifted across her life without making any difference, until in the town of Tinder she met treasure hunter Marshall ‘Spartan’ McHenry, with his long white hair and ice-blue eyes that saw straight to the heart of everything. He’d made every difference. Ev’r stepped out of the Murk into real time and faced Eli and his big, hopeful stare.
