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Master High-and-Mighty Viper rong about her , like the pahan said she could, she

She was on bare, pounded earth No help there The nearest stone was in the wall, two feet behind her It was old stone It had been here for a very long time after it was cut from its bed It had lasted for three houses built on its foundation, each new building setting itthat stone to move, hundreds of years after it had been cut and placed here, would take work, hard work

It was fizzy, herwhen she reached for soone to sleep Evvy sent a streah her spread fingers Now she had six cords of her power She thrust the each one around a stone She hoped she didn’t pull the house down on herself, but she had to do so a breath, gripping her power, Evvy pulled on her stones Within h she hardly noticed it She pulled again, and again, dragging on her pohile the stones in the wall gru years was hard to break She felt as if she tried to walk down Triu this house and its old, mulish foundation

"Yoru, look at her" It was the feht water to Evvy "I think the sleep-stuff ain?" The male voice drew closer Evvy felt airWhat’s the rip on hershe had failed Pretty please? she thought, hating that bit of childish silliness

In the stone she felt an answer that seerated; Evvy smelled dust People yelled A handful of stones exploded from the wall, just over Evvy’s body One struck the boy in front of her; he grunted and hit the ground with a thu him away from her

So a prayer to Mohun for quiet and peace A boy cried, "Get "

"Ikrum?" someone further away cried "Ikru ain, Evvy could tell he wasn’t far from her "Shaihun eat it, what did she do?"

A babble of voices answered hiht savagely Too bad

"We thought she couldn’t do iven her water "She’ll pull the house down if we keep her here!"

"Yoru?" The young man’s voice sounded now close to Evvy, as if he crouched about three feet away

"Brained me," said the cruel boy’s voice, slurred and filled with pain "Li’l belbun threw stone at … me"

"Well, your skull’s in one piece" There was no sympathy in the crisp voice

Please? Evvy asked the rocks in the wall near those she’d pulled out Please help?

They thought about it

Hard fingers grabbed her ear and twisted She lost her hold on the ic between her and the rocks in a wash of pain "I think we’d better take you to the lady, Yoru’s belbun," the crisp voice said "She’ll knohat to do with you, or her e will And if I were you," he added in a whisper, "I’d think of ways to keep the lady happy If you don’t, you’ll never see daylight again" To soht to concentrate on the stones, tried to grip her h the pain in her ear, but she couldn’t do it She tried to thrash out of crisp-voice’s hold, but that just , smelly cloth covered her mouth and nose She fell into shadoithout even drea Mai to the Water temple, Briar had dealt himself a bit of luck The street on which the Vipers laired was close to the te onto the Vipers’ street, Oleander Way, was clearly one far down that twisted road when he saw that other visitors had come to call Ten Gate Lords clustered around a blank doorway over which a snake was painted The gang ers

Briar looked at the Gate Lords coldly If they attacked the den, Evvy et hurt That was unacceptable He had to deal with the Gate Lords first

As soon as he had made the seed balls he and Rosethorn used for protection on the road, Briar had stowed his share in hisinto an outer pocket, he slid out trapped in yellow cloth He sprinkled them with a few drops fro around noticed he was there He pointed a club a Briar "Stop gawping and take off, if you knohat’s good for you!"

Briar glanced at the club: it sprouted leafy twigs and sent roots searching for the ground As the Gate Lord yelped and dropped it, Briar hurled a ball into theseeds Briar followed it with a surge of power The seeds he had so carefully prepared exploded in frantic growth

Vines shot froround in all directions, as if theyin an afternoon They were a h, flexible and strong, spelled to twine rope-like around the target Briar chose He directed the s, and weapons Three went sprawling, to be bound where they lay The rereen captors, away from the Vipers’ door So ste four Gate Lords to it So three captives into one green bundle