madeline told herself to move , to hit her head against the wall , to shift , to kick-anything to let him know where she was . he had waited on the edge of his seat , they all had , but the ship had fired only once . `` stay away , '' she said in a choked voice . the air was soft on her skin and the sun was shining brightly . `` that 's exactly what we 're talking about . you think that a king should be different ? ' no skin off my nose if she dies . '' 