Page 6 (1/2)

still functioned, they brought in the best healer-es in Dancruan The happiestwhen he returned to his uncles factory, ready to work once more

By noon that day his happiness was dust His old ease was gone Even as a first-yea r apprentice his hands were never clumsy with the tools, sands, salts, ashes and woods that were the basis of glasswork The first tilass, his breath had hitched, he d jerked the pipe up, and a fleck of red-hot glass rolled on to his t ongue When he tried to pour glass into aone side of a bowl far thinner than the other For weeks every piece he lass barrel, to be remelted

j or used in other projects

Now the other apprentices and journeyathers dropped in the furnace or on to the floor They grinned as the masters rejected piece after piece Once Kethlun had never ent to add to a crucible of lass: he just knew Whe n he

He did not dare say that he thought the glass itself had turned on his It wanted him to shape it in ways that differed frohts to any of his family, they would turn him over to healers who specialized in es in his fa day he cauildmasters seated with his father and uncles All of them, men and women, looked decidedly uncomfortable when they saw hiue or hands, told hiuildmasters meant to strip hi the apprentices until he regained his old skill, if he ever did

He could not bear it ve been th-thinking, he said, trying to keep fro-roo they would not sense his fear change of scene, th-thats what I need Fresh inspiration Im a j-journeyman I ll journey South, I th-think Visit the cousins Learn new techniques

Guildht be for the best,she said I aht black eyes uilds protection Bring fresh knowledge back to us, along with your old skill

And so he had worked his way down the coast of the Endless Ocean, going around the Pebbled Sea and continuing south and east At last he reached the shop of his fourth cousin once removed, Antonou Tinas, in Tharios By then he d recovered solass Antonou was getting old He preferred to do engraving and polishing in the main shop as he waited on customers Keth could lassblowing in private, with no one to see how badly he did it

Just when he felt safe, along ca, Keth forced himself outside, to the well, and drank some water Then he returned to the workshop It was a shalass, thrown his blowpipe, knoc ked over jars of colouring agents He had to clean up before Antonou saw the htning in her hand as casually as if it were a bracelet she had just taken off It glinted in that free lock of hair by her face like the bits of mica the

yaskedasi, or entertainers, used to irl had thrown lightning as a soldier would a spear, shocking his hand and arm into numbness And she d done it to save the aboather of ain Please, he prayed to any gods that ain

DEMA

Earlier that day: