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"But I didn’t see Alain again When I woke from my trance, I was in Shu-Sha’s palace, where Laoina and the others had carried one with three of the s He never came I waited there for five days, but he never ca around the outside eaves A coed from a nearby byre If she stopped now, she would fall into pieces and never be able to go on

"Tell h she had seen into Adica’s heart "What is her palace like? Do the people of her land look the same as we do? What do they eat?"

"Queen Shuashaana is powerfully fat You’ve never seen a wo as e as a cauldron and her breasts are like melons"

"She must be very powerful," whispered Weiwara in awe "I wasn’t even nearly that fat when I was pregnant with the twins"

So drowned had Adica been in her own fears and sorrows that she hadn’t thought once to ask of doings in the village So one, and yet she had to be careful how she asked, never to ht thereby beco around her

"I hope the Fat One’s favor still s and summer passed swiftly, Hallowed One There were two raids by the Cursed Ones north of here, at Seven Springs and Four Houses, and some people were killed but the Cursed Ones were driven off Dorren ca-down to tell us that we must fortify Queens’ Grave We had work parties froes all summer to build the palisade on the lower embankment, to protect the stone loo party shot arrows at us, but both palisades were finished by then, so they left when they saw they could do no dae with such small numbers Still, we’ve sent for war parties froes, in case they come back The Fat One has blessed us with three births and no deaths in theover us"

"May it continue so," prayed Adica softly "Forgive me, Weiwara, to speak of fate when the spirits swar troubles me Since you are Mother to our people, it falls to me to ask you"

"I remember our friendship I will not turn"Promise me that you will lay me beside the ancient queens, if you can"

Adica s us as if you were one of the queens of the ancient days I proet you, as long as we have children"

"Thank you"

"Is there anything else you would ask ofdown alone on her old pallet made her think of the queens, asleep under the hill, but she knew she had to sleep, to keep up her strength just as she had to eat So Shu-Sha had told her Nothingbe completed successfully

"I will sleep You e now, and I will prepare for what is coly, once Weiwara had left and she lay down undressed on her pallet, covering herself in furs, she dozed off easily Weariness ruled her She slept, and she did not drea dawned cold and ruthless, nor had sleep softened her heart She rose at dawn and did what she could to air out her bedding She exa out lavender that had gotten eaten away by a fungus, burning a tuft of thistle too withered to be of use

Already, at dawn, villagers gathered before her house

"Hallowed One, the birthing house hasn’t been purified properly"

"Hallowed One, da says it was the berries she had, not the cider There are still five jars left Maybe evil spirits got in theood"

"Hallowed One, is it true that Alain didn’t coot a thorn in his paw and one of the geese has a torn foot--"

It was a relief to be busy She dressed, broke her fast with porridge and goat’shouse After three new births, it desperately needed purifying; she serous for the next woive birth here As she exa how the thatch had weathered the su for birds’ nests, spiderwebs, and other woven places where spirits e