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We thanked her and folded the a package wrapped up with paper and twine "A gift fro as Grunt pressed it into ht’ve thought twice about bringing explosives along on our trip, but ere feeling vulnerable, and both the dog and es they wouldn’t go off, so we nestled them carefully between the sweaters in Bronwyn’s trunk Now at least ouldn’t have to face uns without weapons of our own

Then ere nearly ready, except for one thing: e left the animals’ loop, we’d be just as lost as e’d come in We needed directions

"I can show you the way out of the forest," said Addison "Meet me at the top of Miss Wren’s tower"

The space up top was so small that only two of us could fit at a ti its railroad ties like the rungs of a giant ladder GruntAddison to the top under one ar To the east, forested slopes stretched away to a vast, barren plain To the west, you could see all the way to the ocean, where an old-looking ship rigged with giant, colided down the coast I’d never asked what year it was here--1492? 1750?--though to the aniuess it hardly mattered This was a safe place apart from the world of people, and only in the world of people did the year make any difference

"You’ll head north," Addison said, jabbing his pipe in the direction of a road, just visible, tracing through the trees below like a faint, pencil-drawn line "Down that road is a town, and in that town--in your time, anyway--is a train station Your ht," Emma replied

Though I only vaguely understood what they were talking about, I’d never been afraid to ask duo out into this world?" I asked "Travel to London through whatever year it is here?"

"The only way is by horse and carriage," said Addison, "which takes several days … and causes considerable chafing, in my experience I’m afraid you don’t have that much time to spare" He turned and nosed open the door to the tower’s little shack "Please," he said, "there’s oneI’d like to show you"

We followed him inside The shack was rine’s queenly setup The entirety of its furniture was a small bed, a wardrobe, and a rolltop desk A telescope sat mounted on a tripod, aimed out the : Miss Wren’s lookout station, where she watched for trouble, and the coeons

Addison went to the desk "Should you have any difficulty locating the road," he said, "there’s a map of the forest in here"

Emma opened the desk and found the map, an old, yellowed roll of paper Underneath it was a creased snapshot It showed a woray-streaked hair worn in a dralance the photo looked like a discard, taken during an offaith her eyes closed, and yet there was soht about it, too--how the woman’s hair and clothes matched the black-and-white speckle of the chicken’s feathers; how she and the chicken were facing opposite directions, i so without words; drea at one another

This, clearly, was Miss Wren