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Lady Zenadia stepped forward, the hard-eyedat the placard over the stall she read it aloud: "Trees by Briar Moss, Green Mage" Her beautiful voice gave his naain, his hand on his heart to show continued respect "I am, if it pleases my lady"

He could see that she smiled under her semi-sheer face veil "But you are still half a lad! Are you truly a pahan?"

"I truly aue," she reraceful, unaccented I pahan?"

Briar s, but apparently not as much as he’d hoped "Summersea, my lady In Emelan, on the Pebbled Sea"

"Su way! Do you winter here in Cha with o"

"Then I had best look at your wares, hadn’t I? In case this is your only time in Golden House" She said it archly, eyebrows raised, almost as if she flirted with him

That was his cue He brought the small, cushioned chair kept in the booth for such visits and put it outside with a s on it at the eye level of the person in the chair

The lady sat, fussing with her lavender skirts, sari, and veils until they were properly arranged Her oldereunuch at hison hot days and trained him to stand where he could do double duty as a sunshade Then he put his ht appeal to her With a customer as not of the nobility Briar could ask questions to deteric was required With nobles he had to rely on instinct and tact If he asked anything of Lady Zenadia directly, the best he could hope for would be a slap for iae of huht want

He showed her a succession of pines, most spelled for protection The rich were always concerned with that Better, those pines were older ht from Summersea He wasn’t as attached to thes All were over thirty years old; they had the way of being a miniature in their roots, branches, trunks, and needles They only required the odd pinching back here and there to keep their shapes

He was describing the benefits of a Bihan fir when he saw Evvy She alking toward his stall with two of the Cairls: monkey-faced Douna and fiery Mai It took hinize Douna and Mai: their tatters and their Caone Instead they wore tunics and skirts of clean, servant-grade cloth, and silver-rabbing Mai’s ar Briar’s stall Then they trotted away, casting frequent looks over their shoulders, as if so, walked on to the stall

As Briar returned a tree to its shelf, Lady Zenadia glanced up and saw Evvy "Who is this lovely child, Pahan Briar?" she asked "A friend of yours?"