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"Back to work," Rosethorn said "Not you, Evvy, not chopping, anyway" Evvy looked at her hands and had to agree They were shaking tooup a knife

Briar sent her for a bucket of water She got it, looking at the ground rather than the warriors She almost dropped it on him when she saw three soldiers enter their set of rooate stones!" She put the bucket down and ran to their quarters before Briar or Rosethorn could grab her Two of the soldiers were looking into the bedchaate stones and was scratching Ball under the chin

"I’m sorry," Evvy said It was hard to think badly of anyone who petted her cats, even if it was Ball, who liked everyone "I just wanted to warn you, the stones are icked so they stay on that side of them"

"There’s a nice trick," the soldier said with ader But … do they run alongside, or how do they keep up?"

Evvy showed him the carry-baskets and the basket the cats used as a privy He told her about his own cats, to the point where she alot to be terrified She walked out with the three of them and, once the inspection of the caravansary was done, waved good-bye as they rode away

Rosethorn and Briar walked up behind her as the other occupants of the caravansary took deep breaths and talked a little too loudly in their relief "Did they try to get into our e stuff?" Briar asked

Evvy shook her head "Not even enough to get hurt by the protecting spells," she said, "not like those yujinons yesterday, looking into our bags like we’d bundled a big ain?" Rosethorn asked Evvy nodded "Howon those creatures to keep an eye on soldiers inspecting our things?"

Briar put an arm around Evvy’s shoulders "They earn their keep, those cats"

Rosethorn gently tweaked Evvy’s ear "They do indeed"

When Evvy turned to protest an unearned ear tweak, Rosethorn tweaked her own ear, then laid her forefinger beside her nose That was a sign Briar had taught then froe work The tweak of her own ear was notice to both of her younger companions that Rosethorn suspected the soldiers had planted spy spells in the caravansary

Evvy growled

"You’re getting hungry," Briar said wisely He didn’t resent being spied on the way Rosethorn and Evvy did; he expected it He did sigh when Rosethorn shook her finger, telling him silently he wasn’t to try to find and disled despite her resent on that soup"

After the soldiers’ departure the Traders retreated to their house carts Evvy didn’t bla for soled out Traders In return, the Traders had strict rules in their dealings with outsiders If Briar’s sister Daja, and in fact Briar and all three of his sisters, had not done some notable services for Traders now and then, these eastern Traders would not be so willing to help theathered for supper Everyone had so to contribute: bread they had etables, cooked eggs, and fried fish The other diners were loud enough in their complaints about people who broke the peaceful traditions of a caravansary that the silence of Rosethorn and her co," said a merchant from Namorn as also bound for the Pebbled Sea Rosethorn had cared for a cut on his arm and he felt kindly toward her "You won’t see anyone fro Circle teistrates of the Vigilant Eyes announced back in Seed Moon that they had uncovered a fearful plot against the Living Circle faith For the protection of the teuard, by soldiers None of the dedicates or their novices, or even any of those that worship, are being allowed in or out"

Rosethorn stared at hiyi people don’t talk about the doings of the Vigilant Eyes," theCircle," another diner said She was one of the drovers who handled the Nan teuard Only ones for the Yanjingyi gods and goddesses are open to all, and too bad for us that worship other gods We can only hope they hear us so far froxe," a woroups of travelers said "They say that even if your god has no te his ear with your prayer"

"Oh?" the Naxe," the woman said, as if that roup stared at her, she chuckled and shrugged "That’s why so many build their temples there, even when their faiths have ho froet to the gods without dying Everyone knows that The Dries of them, they are the pillars that hold the heavens aloft"