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"I think that, perhaps, large donations were made to various priestly orders And in a number of cases, priest sons have been elevated to the status of heirs They will, by a special allowance, serve in both capacities in their lifetihtfully she took up her whistle and put it in her ht his pipe She breathed through it, whistling softly, and then spoke around it, "I think it ht be a matter of influence and power and wealth Even priests are human, Nevare"

I did not like to think on the iht you had given that annoying thing to Spink"

She gave another long, lohistle through it and then spat it out She smiled at me oddly and then leaned closer to my bed "And why did you think that?" she whispered toit," I replied in annoyance at her sudden air of mystery, and then suddenly recalled where I had seen hi it

"I wondered how htfully

I don’t knohat you are talking aboutThat hat I wanted to say, and yet I could not bring my lips to shape the words That denial, I suddenly kneas a legacy of the division Tree Woman had inflicted onabout I was still reconciling the pieces ofthat I had killed my lover and mentor At other times, I almost wished I could believe it was all fever dream and hallucination

Epiny smiled sorrowfully at my silence "Is it still so hard for you to admit it, Nevare?" she asked me "Then I will not force it from you I will only say that you saved not only yourself, but also Spink and me It hen you acted that I suddenly perceived that some items were links between this world and that one For you, it was your hair and your saber When you cut the bridge, you cut her off from our world, didn’t you? My task was different Spink and I were already bound I had to seize and hold fast to the link that bound us to this world In our case, it was the iinary whistle he wore in his mind He held fast to it in that world, and when I ca the chain around my own neck But Spink had coreat delight, that both of you were breathing, though not well The nurses were shocked It was the second time they had declared you dead, you know I think you had reer in the land of the dead than either of you could have survived in ordinary circumstances" She leaned closer to add, "I think you did more than you intended Prior to our return, several cadets in your ward also gasped in breath at ale sent the souls on it back to their bodies"

"I find that story preposterous" And I truly did But I smiled at her as I said so

She did not reply for a moave the hair on top of"Not as preposterous as this!" she told one, Nevare, when you awoke I noticed it immediately What she took from you, you took back And nohen I look at you, I see no trace of her aura Only that your own has grown er" She leaned back and looked at ly that I alrown "Definitely a strange aura But then, you are a strange person and you definitely had a strange experience Or we did"

I gave in and asked her "Does Spink remember any of that?"

She pursed her lips "Not that he admits I wonder about it I wonder what any of the others on that bridge remember-oh!" She thrust her hand back into her pocket "I nearly forgot this It is froo I think perhaps he had a very strange dream that he wishes to discuss with you" She smiled cattily as she handed it tothat the seal on it was broken "You already read it, didn’t you?"

"Of course As it was from Caulder, I doubted that it could be extree whether or not to pass it on to you But I think you are as ready for it as you will ever be"

The note inside was on rich and heavy paper,"Please co for you"

I tossed it down uponthat I could possibly want froet it"

"I should have thought you would have said you wished him to tell his father the truth If only Caulder would tell the truth, his father e"