Page 18 (1/2)

Myrrhtide went dead white He kicked his horse into a trot on up the trail, away from us

Rosethorn caood side It was very well done, though" She mounted her horse and looked at Jayat "I hope Myrrhtide went in the right direction"

Jayat wiped sweat from his face and nodded His dark cheeks were scarlet He took a drink of water "I don’t think I orthy of that, Master Luvo"

"I am thousands of years older than you, Jayatin I knohat you deserve"

6

I Fuss with Fusspot

We caught up to Myrrhtide Nobody said anything for a long ti that wouldn’t sound like fake jewels after Luvo’s thunder

The trail followed those earth lines es It often caone bad Not all the water places--ponds or streams--had turned acid, but there were plenty of dead patches of land Rosethorn got quieter and quieter Her eyebrows caether more often in her puzzled look, until they just stayed that way Myrrhtide fussed over each bit of dead water as if it was his child

We crawled up the mountain’s shoulder except for halts at dead spots I kept searching the ground for the fizzing rocks, for soth in those ones I touched was fading, without their source of power to renew the bored to death

"The whole world is hurrying by while we poke along," I muttered e stopped for the thousandth tied "We can only ride so fast Here’s where the earth’s poamped Tahar" He pointed to the farmhouse that sat back from the road "The farmer’s mother looks after him now" He and Rosethorn went to the house to talk to the faation takes ti notes"

I smiled at him "I’m not Rosethorn’s student"

"You think you don’t have to obey temple rules because you have her and Briar Moss and that rock for friends?" he asked me softly He kept an eye on Rosethorn "In two years you’ll be sixteen It won’t matter then who your friends are You’ll be out on your ear, Evu" He smiled cruelly "Unless you take your vows to the te you can lie about"

Soecraft, Dedicate Fusspot" I said it with asI didn’t care "I won’t need your precious teuttersnipe" He sounded pleased "Take, take, take Never give anything back Why the te the likes of you in--"