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She drea madly on a slate with a piece of chalk Or was it a dream? She shook her muzzy head and the dream, or vision, or whatever it was, continued In it, Estral held the slate up for soan could not read the writing, as if it was for eye forbade her to understand, but she concentrated, and the words blurred and came into focus: Have they found my father yet?

After a pause, Estral lowered her slate to the table, gazing as if listening to a speaker Karigan could not see or hear Then Estral wiped the slate clean with a rag and started writing ain, worry creased across her forehead When she raised the slate oncethe words, and it was then she realized she was no longer drea out on the mirror shard

Yes, he wanders, Estral had written, but he always returns to Seliu convocation Estral seemed to listen to so her face in her hands The scene vanished, leaving Karigan staring slack-jawed at her own reflection

She shook herself to make sure she ake What was that scene about? Why was Estral writing on a slate to coan’s benefit, because Estral seeths to protect their voices, but Estral wasn’t like that Perhaps she siitis And why did she seeently? She had looked so worried And she was right, he neverconvocation when journeyold knots

Karigan was happy the looking mask shard had finally revealed one of her friends to her, but the scene had not been at all reassuring

In the present: Alton D’Yer

Alton slipped out of his tent, fists clenched and ready to batter so hard, like the D’Yer Wall, but he didn’t do that any while But hoas he to vent his frustration on Estral’s behalf? For the loss of her voice, the voice that had begun to uardians of the wall along with song, but his voice lacked the rown dispirited without her The cracks stopped ods the established repairs hadn’t reversed themselves

The worst part was hoerless he felt in the face of Estral’s despair Voice, song,in her veins He did his best to soothe her, hold her, love her Estral had once written out on her slate for him, that without music, she’d rather die The spell that had stolen her voice had taken er kne to play her lute, and reading e

If he ever found the caster of that spell, he’d crush the life out of him with his bare hands He balled his fists co but the air in front of him The other tents, the trees, were all a blur, the sounds of the enca hands, a stoneworker’s hands He s what he’d do to that spellcaster

It did not help that Estral’s father, Lord Aaron Fiori, the Golden Guardian, see He was known for his penchant for traveling anonymously, as an ordinary , that it was not like hi to call him down to the wall so he could help Estral, and perhaps his voice would revive the interest of the guardians and thecould continue, but the only word they’d received was that no one knew the whereabouts of the Golden Guardian Last that was heard of him was that he’d been soerous, ith all the Second Eeneral direction

"I pro," AltonZachary to investigate the Golden Guardian’s disappearance Fros, Lord Fiori, along with some of his capable master minstrels, oftenin the real as necessary It did not take otten into trouble Alton would also request that Captain Mapstone alert her Riders for any sign of the Golden Guardian

The tent flap rustled open behind him, and he stepped aside so Leese, the encaiven Estral a draught to help her sleep," Leese said "But we can’t just keep dosing her"

"I don’t knohat to do," Alton replied, gazing at his feet

"Keep doing what you’ve been doing Be with her, coht now But, for all that love is a , you need to persuade her to eat when she wakes up, even if it’s a weak broth I don’t like seeing her grow so thin so fast"

"I know, I know"

Leese placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it beforeover her shoulder

Alton took a deep breath and plunged back into the dim interior of the tent Estral lay on the cot on her side, the peace of sleep erasing the torment and worry from her features He sat on the stool next to the cot and caressed her hair back from her face, the hands that had been so ready to kill just le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">