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He began to count, Evvy to inhale, hold, exhale For a little while nothing happened Briar continued to count as first her fingers, then her nose twitched Suddenly she relaxed, and brilliant white light flared all around her, half-blinding Briar

"Stop!" he cried "Stop it right there!"

"Nohat?" she de her eyes "I al his protective circle "I just wasn’t ready Wait here"

"I want a drink of water," she coood at this stuff, he thought as he fetched his ot her drink If I was, I’d be prepared for all these proble in and out of my circle "Now look," he said when they resuain, "I want you to do it exactly like you did it before I yelled, all right? Only first --" He drew a bottle froer The moment he dabbed it on each eyelid, the scene before hilass over each eye Even the hard silver-white flare of the protective circle and the bubble of power around thehtest of sparkles

"What’s that for?" she asked

"It helps o to that same place in your head"

Evvy closed her eyes obediently as Briar began to count For a short while the only sounds came from outside as women talked, children shouted, and an unhappy donkey brayed somewhere in the distance Briar watched Evvy

First she hitched and scratched her hip Then she sneezed He could tell she was thinking as her eyes shuttled rapidly behind closed lids Suddenly she went still Her power blazed out to fill their protective bubble

"I’ently brushed her eyelids with a sight oil to help those who could not do so to see ic "Open them Try to keep your mind clear"

Evvy slowly opened one eye, then the other The brilliance of the an to tear Slowly the blaze of her power faded as she lost the contact she had with it

"What was that?" she wanted to know, rubbing her eyes with her fist