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Chapter Six

NOLA SPENT THE evening serving custo sure custo on forever

There was no longer any way for Nola to rew blackberries in Low Beck Either he would co

But in any case, that now seereater problem was that the bespelled bucket of water would be discovered And if she feared that a man would track her down a day-and-a-half's journey away to denounce her as a witch because she had hurt his pride and caused hi, how relentless would the pursuit be if soress?

Keep ed This town is too close by

But then she argued with herself, It's not You worry too much, and you'll yet be the death of both Mother and yourself by this constant fleeing

Everything hinged on whether the bucket had been discovered or not

Of course, there was one easy way to find out, for she had hairs fro to Innis hiht be from someone who had simply been in the shop, for she had found it on one of the pieces of velvet Innis used to display his finer wares Then there were three long golden strands that were obviously Brinna's And five light brown ones that could belong co either Kirwyn or Alan Or rather, in all probability three of theotten theht; and the fourth was probably Alan's, for she had found that when she had - for that specific reason - offered to make up his bed in the cubbyhole by the stairs; and the last she had gotten off the kitchen floor, so that it could easily belong to either th, and she hadthem to keep track of which hich

So, she decided, she would start with Brinna For of theo down to the root cellar, where sheon inside it

When she and her mother were at last in the privacy of the larder room where Edris had said they could set up beds, Nola cleared a space on one of the shelves so that she could place the washbasin there

"Oh, no, not again," Nola's mother moaned when Nola poured out a pitcherful of water "Leave be, Nola Half the tio awry that you specifically cause things to go awry"

It didn't help Nola's ht

Nevertheless, Nola put her hands over the basin and said the ic words Then she took a strand of Brinna's hair and dropped it into the water

The shadowforan to dance

Brinna was in the kitchen, the day's pots and crocks and dishes cleaned and stacked neatly on the counter Her blond hair was tied up, but with long strands hanging loose as she scrubbed vigorously at the floor The bucket beside her was the bigger one she normally used, not the smaller one Nola had left in the root cellar

Poor Brinna, Nola thought: still at work so late because there was no one to help her There was a crock on the cable that Nola knew, from her short time in the household, contained dried beans Apparently there would be beans to eat to the floor she would ht

Nola was deter: She was not overly fretful; she would pluck Brinna's hair out of the water, and she would resist looking again until toers broke the surface of the water, she saw so in the quiet domestic scene that made her pause

Over Brinna's shoulder, framed by che unshuttered , a ers out of the basin, and the water settled

Kirwyn, she realized But as Kirwyn doing, standing outside his own house, staring in theas Brinna washed the floor?

Nola hesitated, and in the bucket Brinna gave a sigh of weariness and reached to tub the small of her back And Kirwyn absolutely proved he had no honest business being where he was: Seeing Brinna start to move, he ducked down below the sill of theto avoid being seen

He's spying on her, Nola thought Of course, Nola was spying, too, but she knehy she was interested What mischief was Kirwyn up to?

A h, as Nola watched, Kirwyn peeked in again, warily, as though ready to dive for cover

Nola became aware, in the world beyond the basin of bespelled water, that heras happening

"What's he doing?" Nola asked

As though there could be no other answer, her h to loosen her bodice" Seeing Nola's look of startled distaste, she laughed and said, "Co you really don't want to see"

No, Nola thought That isn't it Or, at least, that wasn't all of it She doubted Kirould mind if Brinna cook off her top, but his look held liht He admires her beauty, but She shuddered at the hard look on Kirwyn's face

To prove to her mother that she could do it, Nola plucked the hair out of the water; and when the ripples settled all she could see was the bottoe of the an to unfasten her shoes, first one, then the ocher, and still Nola stood by the washbasin It was the way her h and shook her head that settled the h to resist, why bother fighting?

Nola looked at the five brown hairs, three - if not four - of which were Kirwyn's She selected one and threw it into the basin If it was Alan's, so be it Whatever caht The water, already bespelled, shivered

It was Kirwyn's hair

Kirwyn had left the kitchenand alking - in the dark - around the outside of the house His steps were careful and precise,into obstacles He see from shadow to shadow, he made his way toward the front of the house He stopped once, crouched and silent, and waited while someone on the nearby street passed

Well, at least he wasn't trying to sneak up on Brinna

In fact, Nola saas heading toward the door that led into his father's shop

Kiraited until the street was eainst the door

No answer

Kirwyn stepped to the side of the shop and rapped his knuckles against the closed shutter

Innis's voice cah the wood of the wall and the water of the spell "Shop is closed Coh the crack of the shutter He went back to the door and knocked again