The Dagger in the Dark

"Mother, please dispel this idea immediately!" I bowed my head, and spoke sadly. "We have no way to escape!" "No, Emily!" My mother squeezed my hand and said, "I have to take you away, I can't put you in deep danger!" This splendid-looking court is in reality a cannibalistic hell! I really ought not to have let you come here, and you ought not to have touched a Logan! They bring disaster to you!" My mother's lips whitened as she spoke, and her palms perspired. Her nervous, flustered look told me that she must be ill again! Oh, my poor mother! She must have suffered a great deal in prison! Time for her to rest! "Mother, I think you should lie down and rest first!" I whispered, "Please try not to think about anything else!" " "No, Emily! I need you to stay by my side, and we'll sneak out when the guards doze off at night!" I will take you to the Illyrian Islands, where some one can give us shelter! Believe me!" Before my mother could finish speaking, the door opened. The maid just now wa