A Game of Universe (37 page)

The Grail blazed with white fire. It threw hard shadows behind the trees and made the stream appear as mercury. It sparkled, wavered insubstantial, and waited for me, waited for me to consume the last half of its power.

With great care, I opened Virginia’s swollen lips, and poured the rest of the water into her mouth, across her face, and over her burned body. I took her in my arms, and with mouth still wet with the Grail’s water, I kissed her for what seemed to be an eternity.

I kissed her until she woke.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ERIC NYLUND was born in Los Angeles, California, and was raised in the alpine mountains near Lake Tahoe, and later, the windswept Mojave Desert. He obtained his masters degree in chemical physics from the University of California, San Diego. Nylund currently makes video games for a living. He resides in the spirit-filled woods of the Pacific Northwest.