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"It’s a start," he said, and drew her into the house He pointed to the dining roo only four hours’ sleep after his late return frout lair -- two more victims had come as he’d been about to leave -- Briar rose an hour after dawn He’d gone to the local souk for secondhand clothes They lay neatly folded on the table, beside a pair of sandals he’d guessed would fit her "Go try that stuff on" He indicated the little pantry "If you hurry, you can eat when you co teapot as well as figs, dates, bread, cheese, and honey on the sideboard She snatched up the clothes and dashed into the pantry, closing the door behind her
"Don’t eat anything in there!" Briar called Perhaps he should have asked her to change in a rooetables, onions, loaves of bread, and cheeses on the shelves
"I’m not!" she yelled back
She was back shortly, dressed in a clean, faded, pink cotton tunic that fit her perfectly, and beige leggings that were a bit too large Briar blessed Sandry, Daja, and Tris, who had taught hi whether he wanted the lessons or not When he saw that Evvy struggled to tie the pink and lavender headscarf properly, Briar took over,sure her dreadful haircut was covered before he twisted the sides and tied the scarf in a proper Janaal knot in back The scarf, being cotton, understood what he wanted It settled easily into a snug grip on the girl’s head
The rabbed sos in one hand, a piece of cheese in the other, and a slice of bread half in herone in front of her "And cups, and knives"
He filled her cup with tea He set out a knife for the bread and a spoon for the honey, thenfood to the table When she put the fruit, cheese, and the remainder of her bread on the plate, Briar looked at that neat layer of pink cloth over her bony chest and realized he’d forgotten so important Before she could protest, he had a linen napkin tucked firmly into the tunic
"You’ll spill," he said firmly when she squeaked "I’d as soon you didn’t do it on clean clothes, if it’s all the same"
A stifled noise fro for her next farainst the door’s frame Her face was crimson from the effort it took to hold in sounds; she had stuffed her arlared at her, she uncorked her htened her sleeve
"What’s so funny?" Briar de table asped and said, "Please -- don’t let , she left the house
"Who was that?" Evvy asked through a bite of fig
"Don’t talk with your mouth full," Briar ordered as he picked up a sandal "Left foot"
She thrust out the required bare foot, already coated with grime fro her giggle He then slid the sandal on and tightened the laces to see if it fit It was large, but he’d chosen ones that would stay on if tightly laced He did that briskly, then coht foot"
Evvy dropped her newly shod foot and let Briar take the bare one "Where are we going?" she asked as he dusted the worst of the street dirt away "Why I have to be shopkeeper-neat when I’lanced at his own clothes Knowing servants and nobles judged people by their looks, he’d worn a clean white cotton shirt, full-legged brown linen trousers tied with a golden brown sash, and a green silk overrobe with an en of colorful autus Sandry had made him He’d even polished his boots "Because the only other stone e in the city lives in the aht sandal "They won’t let us through the gates if we look like we did yesterday" They would have adood clothes for the trip that had ended at the Market of the Lost -- but he included hiht of this elegantly clad youngon the likes of her al into her face Now she jerked her foot out of his hold "Palace?"
Briar sighed "The e who is to teach you is Jebilu Stoneslicer He lives in the amir’s palace We’d never see him if we dressed like street people"
Had he been bitten by a foaht, to come up with such a skewy idea? She folded her arms over her chest This had to be stepped on fast "No"
Briar frowned up at her "What do you o there and you can’t ht," he told her "Even you know that now"
Evvy shook her head, her chin thrust forward stubbornly She ht not know much, but she knew this: palaces and the people in theht, she had to be schooled, but not by some palace takamer "Why can’t you teach me?" she demanded "You’re a pahan"