Page 44 (1/1)
The woman unhooked the section of pale blue cloth that covered all of her face but her eyes to let hi; tears had made tracks down her dirty cheeks Parts of the veil-cocoon were still wet -- sheline "Please, pahan, don’t send ain "If they find me, they’ll kill o Douna had fetched hiut den He wanted it to be a story, but he kneasn’t He knew the look of soot threatened by Gate Lords just for being with you two," he said, trying to sound cold "See if your takameri will protect you"
Mai wiped her eyes on her sleeve, then fastened the face veil again "I don’t want anything from that --" The word she used was so raw that Evvy yelped and covered her ears "Just let h as he could be when a girl he liked stared at hiruffly "Walk on the side of thatit steady"
Mai did as she was told There were Gate Lords everywhere in the crush of people leaving Golden House and the Grand Bazaar Two of theirl who’d been captured by theand the fig stopped theang searchers in safety
Briar waited until he hadn’t seen a Gate Lord for five blocks before he walked up beside Mai "Why’d they kill Douna?" he wanted to know "Didn’t you tell the to do with their tesku?"
Mai looked away
"Lakik Trickster take you both!" he snapped "You did it, didn’t you? You snatched the head of another gang! Nobody does that!"
"It wasn’t us that took him," Mai replied sullenly "We just lured him to Ikrum and the others They said we had to, to prove orthy to be Vipers If you’d ever been in a gang, you’d know"
Briar did know But the gang hadn’t saved Douna, had it? The Vipers had let her and Mai wander off alone, outside the safety of the group They’d let the the Gate Lords would remember who had been seen last with their leader
Evvy, on the lead donkey, glanced back at theed up, I could end like Douna so?" Mai inquired, startled "Where do you live, in the palace?"
Briar, who’d gotten the point of Evvy’s artless question, glared at her "Enough," he told her "You made your point"
"I hope so," Evvy retorted
When they reached the Cedar Lane fountain, Mai let the Mohunite cocoon slide off her hair "I’ve got to tell Douna’s grandda back to the Vipers Gate Lords killed Douna We’ll make theood --"
"Blood for blood" She turned down Cedar Lane, walking away fros for you" Evvy’s voice was bitter in the growing dark "Good at hating"
"Evvy," Briar started to say warningly He stopped hiht
They finished their ride in silence as Briar tried hard to think of nothing at all He wanted Sandry, and Daja, and Tris He wanted to be in Discipline Cottage at Winding Circle, with his own garden, his dog, his foster-sisters, and Lark He wanted to hear Rosethorn and Crane squabble He wanted to eat Dedicate Gorse’s cooking again Chammur was a hard place, with no love for the people that lived a all this stone He wanted the rains to coht-lantern hanging over his door, he remembered he hadn’t planned what he would say to Rosethorn about Evvy’s refusal to study with Jebilu "Oh, pox," he whispered as he led Evvy and the donkeys to the Earth te to Rosethorn Desperately he planned as they helped the hostlers to care for the horses and donkeys, and pro
He and Evvy carried the shakkan, the fig, the , and Briar’s kit home while his mind raced He’d tell her he’d rent a house That would blunt the worst of her anger; even Rosethorn could live with Evvy for a few days He had to remember to say that it would just be for a few days, before he mentioned the cats But first he should tell her about Jebilu, then give her his plan for the new house
What had Jebilu said to make it so clear that Evvy would bethat Evvy had said? Briar was too tired and too depressed about Douna to remember the conversation word for word
He and Evvy walked into the dining roos on the table Evvy collapsed into a chair Briar stood with his hands in his pockets, gathering his wits for battle He could sense Rosethorn as she came down the stairs fro to be my headache, not yours -- was a mistake It would just spark Rosethorn’s te when she was involved When a disruption of her routine was involved She --