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"You made Trillian and Roz stay home because they are more vulnerable to Hyto, didn’t you? Vanzir, too?" Delilah caught up toair was damp and moist, filled with the taste of snow

I nodded "Yes, but that’s not the only reason We really do need soie and the others What if Hyto breaks through us? So off in the barrow That will give theh tirion?"

None of us had ever been on the receiving end of a dragon’s fury except Roz--once when he pinched my butt in front of Smoky--and me, at the mercy of Hyto I hated to think about aited in store for us when the battle was to the death

"I didn’t know it, either, but he told me shortly before we left the barrow He also told Trillian, so they knohat’s going down Menolly--she’s safe enough, we figure, tucked away in the lower levels I doubt Hyto would go toto find her But the others"

As we crossed a clearing, a deer ca near entwined buses of huckleberry and bracken She stared at us, not azed into her eyes as we passed by She couldn’t control ere doing, but her reaction was one of caution, wariness I raised a hand, slowly, greeting her as we passed by

The sno thicker, heavy and wet, as the grade of the path increased I tried to tune in to the land here--if I was going to use the Earth Eleht help if I coulds once I was part of Aeval’s Court, so Iof the future as if there really was one The thought We h my head, and I wondered where it had co ere being followed I glanced behind us but could see nothing When I mentioned it to Smoky, he listened, then shook his head The hush of snow falling on snow low that the Northlands had held

"I can hardly wait for spring," I h snow to lastalong on Setables Last night, a pansy chased"

The sudden break into keep quiet,out down the slope behind us, and I bent over, stiflingI had not to giggle

Save me a sideways look that told reement with rade of the hill started up in earnest Another half-hour’s hike, it looked like, before we reached the rendezvous point The treeline was still dense We weren’t even into the real foothills of the Cascades yet, though it wasn’t that hard to get an up-close-and-personal view of Mount Rainier froetation was thick, the snow deep, and the going problematic

"At least he doesn’t want to laciers I don’t fancy a clion" Even as the words left htning caht Shade on the ar fork disappeared

"Crap! Is that Hyto?" I turned, quickly seeking out any forht tell us he was in the area But the area from where the attack had coe drifts of snow A hole had h it--the spell had to have coround and somehow I didn’t think that Hyto could keep hiant; he’d want us to knoas him

Shade motioned for us to stay on the path and hurried over to the area, kicking the plants askew "Nobody here But there was, and they woresouess"

"Sandals? Hyto doesn’t wear sandals" I frowned "He wears boots and they’re dae" Smoky let out a low bark and I turned to him "Keep hold of yourself,but those damned boots"

"Should we follow the tracks?" Delilah asked

Shade gazed at the direction in which they’d gone "I don’t know if that will do us any good That was powerfulbolt"

"My father cannot" Sround and she shook her self out "He can controland snow, better than I can, but he can’t control the lightning Unless he was using a scroll, there’s no way he could have cast a spell like that"

"Then who" I paused "I knoho" And I did--as sure as I knew ue ot to be him"

"Are you sure?"

"Makes sense toto see hi there "He’s playing cat and mouse with us That has to be it Keep your eyes open--he’ll probably try to dishearten us before we ever coht of Hyto Reason tellsthat can deo won’t allow the snowbreath "My father is the epitoance"

"Yeah, I know that too well" I chewed onthat I was not his equal He blaetting hion Reaches"

"He would have been thrown out eventually, regardless of what I did or did not do Mythe end of her patience When I went to help her not long ago, she told me that she’d already decided to deny him in Council, and that his behavior toward , he shook his head "Hyto was never a good husband, but she ation"