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"Brandy," Shira replied

By now the rest of the First Circle except Talon had reached the spot--even Powell, as still puffing from the run

Gray looked up at Theran "I don’t knohat happened"

"Not your fault, Gray," Theran replied softly

"So many," Cassie whispered "So many"

"So many what?" Shira asked with that quiet voice Healers used when they were asking about so painful

"One for each," Cassie said "That’s how it grows That’s how you know One plant for each Living memento mori Can’t be killed once it takes root, can’t be hidden Ground soaked in blood nourishes the seed"

Gray saw the shock on the men’s faces Saw Shira pale

"Cassidy," Shira said

"It grohere a witch was killed," Cassidy said "It grohere her blood was spilled in violence So ht," Ranon said

Gray wasn’t sure which of the--he or Cassie--until she pulled away from him to sit up on her own

It was hi for the tonic bottle

Shira handed it over without a word

"Do you knoho ht have died here,Theran?" Ranon asked

Theran looked sick "I’m not sure Thera, I think And Talon’s wife"

"I’ve seen soin Dena Nehele-- and in the Shalador reserves," Ranon said "Was told it was just a weed, an invasive weed Mother Night"

Feeling timid, Gray touched Cassie’s shoulder "What do we do now?"

"It’s overgroeeds and hasn’t been tended for too long," Cassie said "So we’ll tend that ground and the witchblood that grows there" She paused "The Black Widows in the Dark Court told one, and if you kno, the plant can tell you whose blood nourished the seed"

Mutters Murmurs Shira shuddered

"I can ask how it’s done--if you want to know," Cassie said, looking at Shira

"I--Grayhaven?" Shira said, looking at Theran

"I don’t know," he said "I don’t know ifI don’t know"

Cassie nodded When she shifted position, Theran offered a hand to help her stand up

Gray got to his feet, wincing a little and pretending he didn’t see the way Shira was studying hi to clean up that ground," Cassie said

Gray and Cassie need to rest, Vae said

"Yes, they do," Shira said "Lady Cassidy’s hands are still fragile, and if she’s going to stay out here and supervise, I want Gray to stay close by and keep her coarden"

"So would I," Ranon said

"Gray?" Theran said "Do you have tools we could use?"

Gray called in the tools he’d vanished, handing them out as Theran, Ranon, and Archerr came up to claim theht places," he said "They’re still in the shed"

"I’ll get the the hoe to Shira

They worked in the garden the rest of thecarefully between plants that now held a different

Gray watched them, frustrated because all he could do atch There was an odd co Cassie was just as frustrated that she couldn’t help

And there was no co at Cassie when he thought no one atching

CHAPTER 16

TERREILLE

"I don’t knohich one is harder to get through," Cassidy arden to work off a little frustration "A round as solid as rock"

The day they’d all worked together to clean up the part of the garden filled itchblood, she’d thought she and Theran had finally settled into soht actually listen to what she was saying instead of telling her it couldn’t be done "that way" Hell’s fire! Anyone with a pebble’s worth of brain could figure out Dena Nehele couldn’t be ruled in "the ordinary way" They didn’t have enough Queens to rule in "the ordinary way" That had been the point! And there was nothing unusual abouton a Queen’s behalf It was done all the time in Kaeleer Her cousin Aaron ruled Tajrana, the capital city of Nharkhava, on his Queen’s behalf And Prince Yaslana ruled Ebon Rih And she knew there were Warlords assigned to be a Queen’s representative who, in essence, ruled their hoes