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Marick seee in deet over how you run the Hollo What happened to the soft girl who turned the head of every er even the corelings are scared of you now"

Hag Bruna? Was that how folk saw her? The lonesome crone who bullied and intimidated everyone in town? Was that what she’d become when her virtue was stripped froe, too Time it was done somehow, Elona had said, and I expect you’re the better for it

Leesha shook her head to clear it, sensing theaway "What are your plans now?" she asked "Will you help us hunt for roup of refugees directly on to Angiers?"

Marick looked at her in surprise "Neither"

"What do you mean?" Leesha asked

"Now that the Rizonans are safe, it’s time I moved on," Marick said "The duke needs word of the Krasian attack, and I’ve let theh"

"Slow you?" Leesha asked "Their lives depended on you!"

Marick nodded "I couldn’t leave people out on the road without succor, but they have succor now I’m not Rizonan I have no further responsibility to them"

"But Deliverer’s Hollow can’t possibly absorb so ed "I’ll tell the duke Let it be his problem"

"They’re not a problem, Marick, they’re people!" Leesha said

"What do you expect me to do?" Marick asked "Devote the rest of er’s way"

"Well, I’ether, then," Leesha snapped "Enjoy your bed, Messenger" She took the tray and left, sla to do?" S of the town council to discuss Marick’s revelation that he was leaving the refugees in Deliverer’s Hollow and pressing on alone in the

"Take the them build their own We can’t just leave these folk without food or shelter"

"The greatward can’t accommodate so many new houses," Smitt said

"So we’ll build another," Leesha said "We have near two thousand hands to do the work, and miles of forest for material"

"Not to scuff the wards," Darsy said, "but just hoe supposed to feed so , we’ll all be eating snow before long"

Leesha had been considering the sa woman in the Hollow can shoot a bo We’ll put theo so far," Vika said

Leesha nodded "Corkweed rows on just about everything, and survives year-round Put the younger children to work gathering it, and I’ll think of a way to cook and season it in bulk If that’s not enough, there are edible barks and even insects that can fill a starving belly"

"Weeds and insects?" Elona asked "You’re going to ask folk to eat bugs?"