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Elinor stared at the words, shaping them with her lips In the streets of Ombra

She’d stood here so often over the last feeeks, surrounded by books that ain alone with them They didn’t speak to her, just as if they knew that she’d have exchanged them all on the spot for the three people she had lost Lost in a book

"I will learn how, damn it!" Her voice sounded defiant, like a child’s "I’ll learn how to read them so that they’ll s me up, too, I will, I will!"

The dog was looking at her as if he believed every word of it, but Elinor didn’t, not a single one No, she was no Silvertongue Even if she tried for a dozen years or more, the words wouldn’t make music when she spoke theh they didn’t sing for her the way they sang for Meggie or Mortimer — or Orpheus, damn him three times over

The piece of paper shook in her fingers as she started to cry Here ca, all the tears in her heart, until it was si with the cowered in alarm

How ridiculous that water ran out of your eyes when your heart hurt Tragic heroines in books tended to be aly beautiful Not a word about swollen eyes or a red nose Crying always gives ht Elinor I expect that’s why I’ll never be in any book

"Elinor?"

She spun around, hastily wiping away her tears

Darius stood in the open doorearing the bathrobe that she had given hie for him

"What is it?" she snapped Where had that handkerchief gone this ti, she pulled it froone three ood reason to cry? Yes, it is Don’t look at ly with your owlish eyes Never mind how many books we buy," she said, with a wide sweep of her aret at auctions, swap, or steal—not one of them tells me what I want to know!

Thousands of pages, and not a word on any of them with news of the only people I want to know about Why would I be interested in anything else? Theirs is the only story I want to hear! How is Meggie now, do you think? How are Resa and Mortimer? Are they happy, Darius? Are they still alive? Will I ever see theain?"

Darius looked along the books, as if the answer ht after all be found in one of theave her no answer

"I’ll make you so into the kitchen

And Elinor was alone again with the books, the

CHAPTER 2

ONLY A VILLAGE

The fairies were already beginning to dance aht the starlight, and Mo saw the Black Prince glancing anxiously at the sky It was still as dark as the surrounding hills, but the fairies were never wrong On a cold night like this, only the coe whose harvest the robbers were trying to save this tierously close to Oone