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"They will not be able to accompany you I swear it No, I will not prevent theic of the Sealed Eye itself will do so Once you set foot on the path to their teht This friend of theirs, this Parahan, will keep them safe Or they !"

Rosethorn bowed her head, feeling very weary "I am really the only person who could have done this?"

"I aes," the man replied "I took precious time to try to do it myself and failed I aive me, Honored Dedicate," Rosethorn whispered Her heart twisted Briar would not understand Sadly, Evvy would understand all too well Evvy expected everyone to leave her sooner or later

All you can do is deliver this thing and hurry back to her, Rosethorn told herself Get a grip on yourself, Niva!

She looked at Dokyi

"Look," he said, understanding that she was ready to listen "This pack will keep the Treasures concealed for ten days or so Anyone who snoops will think it holds clothing Place the Treasures inside it" He held the leather pack open for Rosethorn At first she hesitated to touch them, afraid of what the coht do to her When she saw Dokyi’s glare, Rosethorn glared back, wiped her fingers on a handkerchief she kept in her sleeve, and gripped the box by the sides It felt like any other wooden container, cool and smooth Rosethorn set the box inside the pack

Briskly Dokyi did up the ties and buckles that secured it Once he was finished, he placed it on the table "Now you must take the uide If the map is behind your eyes, no one can steal it from you"

Rosethorn nodded She had done spells like this twice, though she did not care for them She closed her eyes and found the core of her power, the part that was pure h her arms and into her hands ers against Dokyi’s temples

His Earth ain she saw a landscape She knew it for southern Gyongxe in vivid detail The Snow Serpent River flowed over its rocks and hollows, plunging into the gorge The fort lay just below her, with the ar the Snow Serpent River deeper into the country There were villages on both sides and tenize Only once did she spot a Circle tenized it by the four-colored banner that flew from the bell tower

When the Snow Serpent met the Tom Sho River, the map spell drew her south, into hills that were just lower rises of theLho ic pulled her along first one gorge, then another At last she found the shadowed spot that was her destination, the Temple of the Sealed Eye

She took her hands fro," Rosethorn e "Where’s the pack?"