Chapter 11: Ash Speaks of Dying

"Can you die?" Sera asked Ash that night, while Cael slept.

The cat considered this with the seriousness it gave to all questions. "I have died," it said finally. "Several times. It is less permanent than you might hope."

Sera thought about that. "Does it hurt?" Ash looked at the stars — or what passed for stars in this part of the world. "The first time, yes. After that, you forget what not-hurting felt like, so the comparison becomes meaningless."

Sera didn't ask anything else. She wasn't sure she wanted answers that felt like that.