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Just like Nory, I was staring at the cart It was piled with boxes and bags I saw a crate with chickens and another with puppy noses sticking out of it A dog was tied to the cart by a length of rope From the look of her, she was the puppies’ es, stood around it, waiting for us A pair of sorry-looking cart horses sagged in the shafts They looked as if they expected nothing but bad out of life
"You aren’t taking all this with you?" Nory demanded She had told the boys to pack only ould fit a ss
"You let us worry about e take, Nory You and the little ones can ride right here" The boy giving the orders was Treak, the one whose hair went every ay Now he patted a spot on the cart where Nory and the littlest children could sit "Jesy can drive"
"Thanks, Treak" A wiry blonde girl with the thickest spectacles I had ever seen--Jesy--clambered onto the driver’s seat Nory settled Meryem and a small boy, then climbed up beside them Another boy offered me the reins to the horse I had left with Treak earlier thatIt was freshly combed and saddled The boy held out his free hand, palm up
He wanted payment? I asked, "What’s your price? I don’t have any money"
"A ride to the inn" He was a cheerful fellow, black as shadoith ribs that showed against his skin None of these kids hat I’d call plump "I’ll save myself a few blisters that way"
I slapped his open palain Then I mounted and pulled hied Luvo in his sling and rode out ahead of the cart
Traveling on horseback, I tend to forget the bue when I heard a nasty-sounding rulanced back The cart’s front wheel had gone into a deep rut There was another bu wood The little ones screa barked; the puppies replied The chickens shrieked I turned worms," the boy whispered He dismounted to help The cart leaned to one side, the rear left wheel bent in under the box The left front wheel was also bent The axle was broken The cart was going nowhere
"Hog puke, dog dung, and navy snot!" Treak jumped up and down in the road Now he looked like soe "Lakik’s curses twelve times on the scum swiller who fixed this last!"
"Oswin did" Tears rolled down Meryem’s face "Don’t you yell at Oswin, Treak! I’ll cut you!" Froer She held it like she kne to use it
Pirate kids, I thought, and sighed
Nory took the knife away like she’d had a lot of practice "Kill Treak later, Meryem Get down carefully" She and the driver, Jesy, cliet off
As some of the kids cried and others asked what they would do now, I made a mistake I let my weariness and my need for food runall these things, for what? Those ships will be packed! Surely Oswin told you that It’s why you had orders just to bring a few things, not all this" I waved my hands at the cart "When the volcano explodes, you’ll still be here with all this junk--"
"It is not junk!" Nory stared up at ray ice in the winter sun "What do you know? I bet you’ve never done without in your life! I’ll bet you never had to run fros on your back! Every one of us has left our whole lives behind more than once, so don’t you preach! We have to save e can!"
I groundit on the ships?" She had a nerve, talking that way toabout what I’d had to do
Merye that maybe was a doll once "I have to have Dolly Dolly’s ut twisted "They’ll let you take one dolly, Meryes and trunks of stuff I’ so ere touching You crossed five lands with your cats, he said so only I could hear You wouldn’t let anyone separate you
"If we can’t take it, then we’ll sort it out on the docks, not a ive up our ho "Treak, stop running around or I’ll hit you, I swear! Find a blacksmith Not the Master Blacksmith, we can’t afford him Maybe his apprentice will fix this rattletrap"
It wasn’t my job to tell her the blacksave my horse’s reins to Treak so he could ride for help Then I put Luvo beside the road I helped the kids stack their things, including the crated anirass, out of the way Meryem seemed to think she and her dreadful doll were supposed to help me Everywhere I turned, I tripped over her When we stopped for a drink of water, Nory shoved an egg turnover at each of us
"The rock says you’ll be ill if you don’t eat, Evvy I didn’t ask you to help," Nory told me
I devoured the turnover I never refuse food, even food grudgingly offered Pride is soave Merye turnover each Then we split one stuffed with chicken spiced with cardaobbled it, too The headache that squeezed my temples loosened "He’s not a rock His naet"