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"I was surprised," she said quietly "I’ll be quicker next time"

"We’d better h I had hoped to have a bit of a rest It’s too hot to walk"

"Where are we going?" asked Lirael "Is there a wood or anything nearby that will hide us from the Gore Crows?"

"I’round rose up to a low hill, the thorn trees giving way to a field that once h it was now hos "We can take a look frohly northwest anyway"

They did not look back as they left what had becoround Lirael tried to look everywhere else, her sight and sense of Death alert for any slight indication of the Dead The Dog loped along next to her, and Sam walked to her left, a few steps behind

They followed the remnants of a low stone wall up the hill Once it would have separated two fields, and there her pasture and crops below But that was long ago, and the wall had not been ue or so away, there would be a ruined farns that people had once lived there and had not fared well

Fro out to the east and west, and the undulating hills of the plateau They could see the Ratterlin stretching from north to south, and the plume of the waterfall Abhorsen’s House was hidden by the hills, but the tops of the fog banks that still surrounded it were eerily visible

Several hundred years ago, before Kerrigor’s rise, they would also have seen fares and cultivated fields Now, even twenty years after King Touchstone’s Restoration, this part of the Kingdoely deserted Sle trees had become small forests, and drained es out there somewhere, Lirael knew, but none she could see They were few and far between, because just a handful of Charter Stones had been replaced or restored Only Charter Mages of the royal line could h the blood of any Charter Mage could break a normal stone Too many Charter Stones had been broken in the two hundred years of the Interregnum for even twenty years of hard work to fix

"It’s at least two,nor-norwest "The Red Lake is behind those lad to say"

Lirael shielded her eyes against the sun with her hand and squinted She could just e

"Weher eyes, she gradually turned a full circle, looking up into the sky It was a beautiful, clear blue, but Lirael knew that all too soon she would see telltale black blots--distant flocks of Gore Crows

"We could head for Roble’s Town first," suggested Sa to knohere we are anyway soon, and we et some help in Roble’s Town There’ll be a Guard post there"

"No," said Lirael thoughtfully She could see a line of puffy, black-streaked clouds far to the north, and it had given her an idea "We’d just be getting other people into trouble Besides, I think I kno to get rid of the Gore Crows, or hide froh it won’t be pleasant We’ll try it a bit later on Closer to nightfall"

"What do you plan, Mistress?" asked the Dog She had collapsed near Lirael’s feet, her tongue lolling out as she panted to cool down after the climb This was a difficult task, since the sky was clear and the day was getting hotter and hotter as the sun climbed

"We’ll whistle down those rain clouds," replied Lirael, pointing at the distant cushion of dark cloud "Good heavy rain and ill bloay the Gore Crows, make us hard to find, and cover our tracks as well What do you think?"

"An excellent plan!" exclai that rain down here?" asked Sah Bridge"

"We can try," said Lirael "Though there is more cloud to the west"

Her voice trailed off as she really focused on the blacker cloud beyond the hills, close to the western ness in it, and as she stared, she saw the sheen of lightning within the cloud

"I guess not that cloud"

"No," growled the Dog, her voice very deep, ruging I fear that they may have already uncovered what they seek"

"I’ bad," said Sa that would hurt anyone intentionally"

"I hope so," said Lirael She ondering once again what they would do when they got there Why did Hedge need Nicholas? What was being dug up? What was their Ene, anyway," she said, tearing her gaze away fros to look at the rolling land to the west "What if we follow that valley? It goes in the right direction, and there’s quite a lot of tree cover and a stream"

"That should be practically a small river," said Sa rains down here"

"Weather can be worked tays," said the Dog absently She was still looking towards thethe north It would be good to bring them south for several reasons I would like it even uess we could try," said Sa shook her head

"That storic," she said "There is too , and that confirht they would find it so quickly, or that it could be so easily untohtly tread the earth, and a Ferenk released already"