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She had followed hireen-and-yellow ribbon drop onto him from a second-story : it landed across his shoulders and curled around his neck Evvy sed a gasp, thinking a serpent had dropped onto the boy froratedHe stopped and wrapped both hands carefully around the thing, lifting it over his head

Then Evvy got a better look and al was a vine, the kind Chammurans called "Traveler’s Joy"; the yellow spots were its whiskered flower petals It hung frorew Unlike any plant Evvy had seen in her life, this onearound the jade-eyed boy’s head and arry cats who knohen a human has a treat for them

She couldn’t hear what he said, but his lips moved Finally he raised his ar leaves and blossorate once more

Evvy rocked back on her heels It reached for hi Like it was alive Like it had feelings!

She peered down at the street again, just as the boy turned the corner In a flash she was up and running, following in earnest As she did she saw rosebushes in pots lean toward him Grapes, vines, and bean plants threw runners down froress slowed; if he could not reach a plant to touch it, he stood beneath it for a moment, until it returned to its proper horass sprouted from cracks in the street in his wake

Always he made his way north, until he turned west on the Street of Hares He stopped briefly to talk to a cluster of boys and girls wearing the Careen sash Whatever they said, it had to be funny, because everyone laughed Eventually the boy walked into the house she had seen him enter the day before Just before he went in he turned and inspected first the street, then the roofs Evvy jerked back and dohen she looked again, he was closing the door behind him

Evvy perched on the roof of a warehouse across the street from the eknub temple and wrapped her are It was the only explanation for what she had seen, though she had never heard of ic that made plants act like animals Where had he come from, this jade-plant boy? What could he possibly want froued Orlana, on a rooftop a street away The Vipers who had followed Evvy in the street had joined her there when it beca From their position they could see Evvy clearly She sat withoutbelow "This quarter is full of Cauts," Orlana continued "If we make a noise they’ll be on us, probably worse than they were on Sajiv yesterday"

"We need to teach the his nose The lady’s healer had fixed the da, but it would be a et another, and his nose still hurt

The third roup, the black-skinned boy who had spoken first to Briar the day before, laughed conteo ere just a bunch of ers in the Grand Bazaar, and all Chairl Orlana told hiet us respect"

"What a good little lapdog you are, Orlana," replied Yoru with a sneer "So we go fro on our own hind legs!"

Sajiv punched his shoulder "If it’s so bad, why did you co your time here, too"

"I ain’t a fool, Sajiv," retorted Yoru "If it’s stones, if that kid can make the stones talk? You kno the takamers hide money stuff to keep it safe" He pointed to Evvy, who’d removed her scarf to scratch her head "She’ll knohere they’re hid That’s real power for Vipers"

Orlana and Sajiv traded looks of dawning wonder Without further debate they settled down to wait Evvy out

Briar had sensed that he had coh to drop on hius infection Briar sent his power through every vein the Joy plant had, scorching through every hair on its roots, cooking the fungus to a fine white dust Nori, but when they preyed on other plants, he always sided with the victims

The sense that he was followed continued after he left the vine Peeks back down the street as he walked north showed hi, until he remembered the roads over the city’s roofs He couldn’t look up without giving himself away, so he waited until he was at his own door before checking the skyline There: quick e, a head scarf the naic vine he’d attached to her, he found it was short and fairly thick It was Evvy

Well, well, Briar thought, opening his door I made kitty curious He considered ways to deal with her that wouldn’t scare her into running away

A door across the street opened One of his young neighbors knelt to place a saucer heaped with chopped ray-and-black spotted cat separated itself from the shadows at the base of the wall and trotted over to devour the food Srinned