As she dreamed, she imagined Eleanor sitting beside her, stroking her hair. 'There, there, my dear Emma Jane. Don't be sad.' Emma sat up. 'Eleanor?' 'I'm here, I'm right here.' 'I killed a man, Eleanor,' she whimpered. 'No, child. You didn't kill anyone. He was an evil beast who was already dying. You didn't kill him, you merely sped it up a little. This is precisely what he wanted. He wanted to get to you. It was his dying wish, to take a little of the innocence from a dear, sweet Watcher with a heart of gold. No matter what he made you think or feel, you did what was right. I would have done exactly the same thing. And so would Declan, or Lana, or even Diarmuid. It needed to be done so you could find me.' 'Are you still alive, Eleanor?' 'Barely, my dear. If you get to me in time, I