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A billow of some unusual scent washed over her; expensive silk rustled Evvy uncovered her eyes The lady sat on a low chair she had drawn up She watched the girl over her veil with concerned eyes
"Ikruiven tooa cool hand on Evvy’s cheek "My dear child, welcome to my hoh to kno to act like one She grabbed the lady’s hand and kissed it, struggling to sit up "Thank you! I thought the Vipers would kill me, and Pahan Briar wouldn’t letme to you I wouldn’t have been so bad …" She kissed the lady’s hand again, and promised she would scrub every part of her that touched the lady with strong soap when she was free
The lady gave a sasp of polite surprise "Do you mean to say you wished to accept my offer?"
Evvy nodded briskly, then clutched her teed like a dru for her headache, if you please?" The warmth fled the lady’s voice as she looked at the healer, aan order to a servant The healer took a cup from the tray held by theto it from a vial on the tray She swirled the contents of the cup, then crouched beside Evvy
"How strong is her power?" the lady asked the healer
The healer shook her head "I feel only a residue, ive her to offset the ?" the healer asked Evvy "Young e could be perrumbled There was no help for it; she would have to drink whatever was in that cup, or the lady would be suspicious She prayed it wasn’t a drug that would fuzz her ain "Is that for my head?"
The healer passed the cup to Evvy, who drank its contents with a prayer The banging in her temples slowed; the headache eased
"Would you like to stay?" the lady asked again "I was told you were unwilling --"
"Pahan Briar and his teacher were reedy thukdak "TheyI want the things you offered, and to live in a nice house They couldn’t even teach ht of the look on her et as much as he could when he sold Evvy, and her eyes filled with tears It was a trick that never failed "I think they were going to sell me for a slave!"
"Well, you are safe here," the lady assured her, onceher cheek with a cool, hennaed hand "No one has the power to take you from me Now You s to you, and eat You will stay here for the night, I think, and tomorrow you may choose your own room in the house"
Evvy yawned "I’ry," the lady corrected her with a kind ser a thukdak, my dear" She rose from her chair
Evvy knehat she had to do, and she did it Rolling from her pallet, she crouched before the lady and kissed her slippered foot "Thank you, great lady! May Lailan of the Rivers and Rain bless you!"
The lady sets those medicines and food" She swept out of the roo her
The healer reirl crawled back onto the pallet "Soup, I suppose," she commented dryly, "and it will take soth Use the chamber pot in the corner for your business -- the lady doesn’t like it when people just pee on the floors You won’t be allowed to leave this rooe co for you" She walked out When she closed the door behind her, Evvy heard the jingle of keys, and the clack of a turning lock
Evvy stood and spat on the floor to get the taste of the lady’s shoe from her lips A pitcher of water and a cup sat on a table: she drank straight fro if water spilled over her face and onto the floor Then she sat cross-legged on the pallet, and began calling back the power she had hidden in the stone all around her
This ought to be easy, she thought, shtly The stone around her was fairly new, not stubborn with ages of sitting in the same place She would need much less effort to make it ht the first ripples of unpleasant scent Rotten ed after a sniff Maybe they used fish as a fertilizer after all
The walk between the outer wall and the long side of the house showed hi to pieces Chunks of stone dropped off it on either side In one spot, where a clu as the pines expanded outward Briar went over to pat them and tell theirls they would have blushed at his praise; they quivered instead, and continued to grow A large section of wall beside them collapsed into the alley beyond
Briar halted: there was a glint of light beside the deodars’ roots Their earth turned and tu out Briar picked up the pale thing that had drawn his eye, and hurriedly dropped it