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When you were an eleether, inside and outside, in one big…thing Thing That was a useful word…thing Thing was anything the Winterss, and they were exciting It was good to be a man! Oh, he was anized dirty water, after all Yes, he was hus He had senses, he couldhumans, he could…search That was how to search for humans You became one! It was so hard to do it as an ele thing-ness of the physical world But a human could talk to other humans with the holes for the sound He could talk to them and they would not suspect! And now that he was hu Winter! All he needed was a queen Tiffany woke up because soone to sleep in Nanny Ogg's cottage with her head against the Cornucopia Froe pif noise, like a dry drip Pale-blue snowlight filled the rooently pushing her back into her chair "You've been sleeping since nine o'clock, o home, I think" Tiffany looked around "I a dizzy "No, this is Nanny Ogg's house And this is a bowl of soup--" Tiffany woke up There was a blurry bowl of soup in front of her It looked…fa, shadowy figure Tiffany yawned "What day is this?"

"Tuesday," said Granny Weatherwax "Mmm…what's a Tuesday?" Tiffany woke up for the third tiht "There," said the voice of Granny Weatherwax "This tio home" This time Tiffany's storees, Tiffany warmed up Granny Weatherwax sat opposite, the kitten You on her lap, watching Tiffany until the soup was gone "I expected too rew longer, you'd find more power That ain't no fault of yours" The pif noises were gettingout of the Cornucopia The nurains increased even as she watched "You set it on barley before you fell asleep," said Granny "It slows right dohen you're tired Just as well, really, othere'd have been eaten alive by chickens"

"It's about the only thing I've got right," said Tiffany "Oh, I don't know Annagra promise Lucky in her friends, froainst Granny Weatherwax's face, she would have lost The patter of the new grains suddenly becaan Granny sniffed "I'm sure no one has to explain themselves to o ho, and I hear it's not too bad yet, down on the plains You go back to your Chalk country You're the only witch they've got" Tiffany sighed She did want to go ho away "Itup her old habit of replying to soo tomorrow then," said Tiffany "Good" Granny stood up "Co" Tiffany followed her through a snow tunnel that cae of the forest The snow had been packed down here by people dragging firewood hoe of the forest, the drifts weren't too bad; a lot of snow hung in the trees, filling the air with cold blue shadows "What are we looking for?" asked Tiffany Granny Weatherwax pointed There was a splash of green in the white and gray It was young leaves on an oak sapling a couple of feet high When Tiffany crunched her way through the snow crust and reached out to touch it, the air felt wared that?" asked Granny "No!"

"Me neither I couldn't do it You did, girl Tiffany Aching"

"It's just one tree," said Tiffany "Ah, well You have to start small, with oak trees" They stared in silence at the tree for a few reen seemed to reflect off the snow around it Winter stole color, but the tree glowed "And noe've all got things to do," said Granny, breaking the spell "You, I believe, would nor for Miss Treason's old place about now I'd expect no less of you…" There was a coaching inn It was busy, even at this ti The Fast Mail coach hadhaul into the mountains, and another one, bound for down on the plains, aiting for the passengers The breath of horses filled the air with stea loaded

Men bustled around with nosebags So In fifteen ain, but for now everyone was too busy to pay er Afterward they all told different stories, contradicting one another at the tops of their voices Probably the most accurate account cahter, as helping her father serve breakfast: "Well, he, like, caht there I could see he was odd He walked funny, you know, lifting his legs like a trotting horse does Also, he was kind of like shiny But we get all sorts here, and it does not pay to make pers'nal remarks We had a bunch of olves in here last week and they were just like you and ht, yes, this man…well, he sat down at a table and said: 'I am a human just like you!'

He came out with it, just like that! "Of course, no one else paid attention, but I told hilad to hear it and what did he want to eat, because the sausages was particular fine this , and he said he could only eat cold food, which was funny 'cuz everyone was gru about how cold it was in the roo Anyway…actually we did have soe left in the pantry and they were a bit on the turn, if you knohat I ave them to him, and he chewed one for a bit and then he says, with his mouth full if you please, '

This is not what I expected What do I do now?' and I said you s and he said, 'S?' and I said, yes, you s it down into your stoe all over the place, 'Oh, a hollow bit!' and sort of like wavers and then he says, 'Ah, I aes!' and I said there was no need to be like that, they were , same as always "Then he says what is he supposed to do with them now and I says it's not my place to tell hiold coin so I curtsy because, well, you never know Then he says, 'I am a huh the sky?' which was a funny way of putting it to my mind, but I told him if it itches he wanted, there was plenty of 'ee, and he said, 'Name of Treason?' and I said I heard she was dead but itches who can say

And off he went All the ti So with his clothes, too, like they were stuck to hi But you can't be too choosy in this business We had some trolls in here yesterday They can't eat our food, you know, being kind of like walking rocks, but we gave therease But he was a ruot a lot warmer after he left, too" Expect no less of you… The words kept Tiffany warm as she flew over the trees The fire in her head burned with pride but contained one or two big crackly logs of anger Granny had known! Had she planned it? Because it looked good, didn't it? All the witches would know Mrs Earwig's pupil couldn't cope, but Tiffany Aching organized all the other girls to help out and didn't tell anyone Of course, a things found out

Witches were very good at listening to what you weren't saying So Annagra was e around, to let Granny feel s and everyone else, of course That made it complicated If you could, you did what needed to be done Poking your nose in was basic witchcraft She knew it Granny knew she knew it So Tiffany had scurried around like a little clockworkwas full of snow in great icy drifts, but a path had been worn to the cottage, she was pleased to see There was sorave, and soht as she circled down, please say she hasn't gone looking for the skulls! It turned out to be, in sorave

They were villagers, and they gave Tiffany the defiant, worried stares of people scared half to death by the sry pointy hat in front of the about the very deliberate way they weren't looking at the mound that instantly drew her attention to it It was covered in little torn scraps of paper, pinned doith sticks They fluttered in the wind She snatched up a couple: Miss Treason please keep oin bald pleas help Miss Treason, please find our Girl Becky what run away Im sorry There were ers for still bothering Miss Treason, she remembered the packets of Jolly Sailor tobacco that the shepherds even now left on the turf where the old shepherding hut had been They didn't write their petitions down, but they were there all the sa, who herds the clouds in the blue sky, please watch , cure , find my lambs" They were the prayers of sh places They trusted in what they knew They weren't right or wrong They were just…hopeful Well, Miss Treason, she thought, you're a oddess It's not much fun, I can tell you "And has Becky been found?" she said, turning to the people A aze as he said: "I reckon Miss Treason'll understand why the girl won't be wantin' to coht Tiffany, one of those reasons "Any news of the boy, then?" she said "Ah, that one worked," said a woot a letter yesterday sayin' he'd been in a dreadful shipwreck but was picked up alive, which only goes to show" Tiffany didn't ask what it was that it went to show It was enough that it had gone to show it "Well, that's good," she said "But lots of poor sea in the fog A big floating mountain of ice shaped like a woman, they said What d'you think of that?"

"I expect if they'd been at sea long enough, anything would look like a woave him a Look "He didn't say who she--if she looked like, you know…anyone?" said Tiffany, trying to sound nonchalant "Depends where they were looking--" the ht to wash your brain out with soap and water," said the wo hi down at his feet "He just said her head was all covered with seagull-- poo, miss" This time, Tiffany tried not to sound relieved She looked down at the fluttering bits of paper on the grave and back to the woht be a fresh request behind her back "Do you believe in this stuff, Mrs Carter?" The woman suddenly looked flustered "Oh no, miss, of course not But it's just that…well, you know…" Ityou can do when there's nothing ht work Yes, I know It's-- Her hand itched And now she realized that it had been itching for a while "Oh yes?" she said under her breath "You dare?"