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The ht down to Captain Rana’s office They had to wait as the captain listened to coave theht "I caught this student practicing ic, unsupervised, without per with the ay She could have destroyed everything!"

"I am certain that she did not I ao," the captain said

"But, sir --"

"Dise stalked off, and the captain sighed "Evvy, you can’t carry on here as you did with Briar and Rosethorn to back you up"

"But you knew I didn’t do any har up!" cried Evvy "I can pack stone into the holes so tight it’ll be as if there’s new rock in place!"

"A few holes in plaster do not mean the fort will collapse," the captain said patiently "I have seen your work I was ies every tis This fort has stood for centuries"

"It shows"

Rana held up a hand "We can use so stones you made on our journey," he said kindly "Why don’t you do that? It will help us save torches, and you’ll be useful" Firmly he added, "That will be all, Evvy Try to stay out from underfoot"

Like the e, she knew she had been dismissed She stomped back to her room to sulk for the rest of the day She low, then go dark again, just to be spiteful Finally, knowing Briar and Rosethorn would both raise their eyebrows at her if they knew she was carrying on, she ain She put theeant in charge of the watch could be found

"Captain Rana wants these," she announced, and left the basket at the astonished man’s feet Without another word she cliuards saw her, but they were from Rana’s company and knew her They nodded and left her alone For the rest of the night she listened to the

A few of the tones alht as she listened One ater trickling over rock Another ater strea over it That tone was rain falling on stone She thought one ranite, but she would have to be closer to granite during a snowfall to be sure There was a click that had to be a , soft brush that she would bet was a snow leopard’s tail passing over gravel But as that ing clop like horseshoes in a cave, but not exactly?

A guard sent her to her room finally Her cats curled around and on her Monster’s cheeping hts and she petted him to comfort him Ball settled between her shoulder and ear and purred loudly as if to drown out theShe couldn’t do it; Evvy could hear them even in her room now Apricot and Raisin covered her feet, Mystery her belly, and Ria curled inside the curve of her free arm Asa settled on top of her head Their combined purrs led her into sleep She dreamed of the Sun Queen’s husbands The cats cli with the therounds to do their business in the s and a water bottle froate "Don’t go too far," the guard cautioned her "And if you hear a tru"

She nodded and aers’ goats, sheep, and yaks Everyone felt safe with the southern mountains at their backs and theSnow Serpent Pass in the east She’d heard the soldiers say that by the tiyi warriors came over the plain, everyone would be inside the fort with the gates closed and barred

Evvy e she could see from the southern ay It was home to a waterfall that fed the little river by the fort She would take her lunch there, listen to the lorious day The sun warmed all the stone surfaces around her as she walked She inhaled the air, scented with granite, li out in her ears, louder than the cries of the eagles and the singing of the smaller birds, louder even than the waterfall as she approached it

The trees at the foot of the waterfall hid a canyon on the other side of the small river Exploration would have been out of the question had a large pine not lain across the water, fore, where she had planned to have lunch, then down at the fort and the plain There was no sign of any horsemen or trouble She climbed onto the pine and across the river

The canyon led her deeper into the stone reaches at the mountain’s foot ItEvvy felt like she was inside ic She finally stopped for lunch by the creek that ran along the canyon floor, ravenous after her ’s explorations She was ready to swear that theto her as she took a nap

Then she was yanked out of pleasant drearabbed her and bound her hands tightly behind her back When she screamed, she was slapped "Are there any more of you out here?" one of them demanded "Speak up! Are any more of you out here?"