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‘Not even a little bit,’ Veltan agreed ‘You’re very, very good at this sort of thing, aren’t you?’

‘It’s a gift,’ she replied And then she laughed for no reason that Oressed, Yaltar spent more and more of his time with Veltan in the house on the hill, and Ara took to carrying the little boy’s meals up the hill to Veltan’s house

‘You o asked her

‘Sort of He’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing, though, so I won’t interfere What would you like for supper this evening, Oo replied ‘Surprise o,’ she said tartly

It was not long after Yaltar’s sixth birthday when Veltan stopped by one one for several weeks on a o said ‘We’ll take care of Yaltar while you’re gone’

‘I knew that I could depend on you two,’ Veltan said And then he left rather hurriedly

Ara frowned, but she didn’t say anything

Nanton was a tall, bearded shepherd who had a large flock that grazed in the meadow above the Falls of Vash Nanton seldom came down to the farmlands, since the voracious appetite of his sheepa lot of questions that don’t see to do hat they’re supposed to be interested in, Oo,’ Nanton reported in his quiet voice ‘They claim to be traders from Aracia’s Do with the around up in the hills?’ Oo asked with a puzzled frown

‘Exactly The only people up there are shepherds like me, and we certainly don’t need any of those trinkets the traders fro to foist off on silly far else, too’

‘Oh?’

‘They don’t really look like real people They’re very short, and they all wear grey clothes - with hoods that cover most of their faces - and they mumble’

‘Mumble?’

‘They don’t speak clearly, and they all seem to have so questions What sort of questions?’

‘They wanted to kno many people live in the vicinity of the Falls of Vash I didn’t really think that was any of their business, so I lied to theo exclaimed