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Saplings shot froes Rapidly the new trees grew The h to keep fro s The new trees followed their power to heal by uniting the s to beco that he had exacted a little vengeance for the dead who had lain in the gorge and the river, Briar ran down the steps down into the courtyard He wanted to see what he could do if there were ers had returned to their poses as statues, Briar had calroves he’d made north and south of the temple He had lost his chance to ride with the warriors to capture what remained of the enemy after the last soldiers had fled No one wanted the escapees to reach General Jin Quan

Since he couldn’t chase soldiers, Briar searched the grass around his nes and collected the rest of the ht of soave him the chills He also preferred the voices of the nes to the noise of the villagers after the battle They were boasting about the valor of Gyongxin warriors and their allies from the south Briar didn’t want to listen This war party had been tiny coic that had won the day Next tie of the imperial soldiers in their thousands was never far froht not have such an easy victory Or any victory at all

Rosethorn rode quickly as she left Briar The sooner I go, she told herself, the sooner I return to theet into without s?

She looked back after ten yards for a last gli had come from nowhere to hide the north bank of the Snow Serpent River She faced south again and let her patient horse follow the trail As theyLho, she prayed to Mila of the Fields and Grain, the Green Man, god of growth that was orderly and chaotic, and even Briar’s own Lakik the Trickster to look after hi the Four Treasures was that her path was always clear Since leaving the fort she had seen it as a shining pale ribbon along the e, and now on the simple one-mule track She only had to stay on it

Her burden was company of a sort It carried es she had never heard, even after all her years of life on the Pebbled Sea Soues she knew quite well, speaking of trade, the governing of nations, the weather, the condition of crops, or the behavior of children The voices held her attention so well that the horse would nudge her when he required rest, water, or the chance to crop grass

She brought out one of Evvy’s glow stones for light once the sun had set, not for herself, but for herin his hooves to let her know he had walked enough for the day Sheaniainst the h she wasn’t particularly hungry Her own co

Best of all, she breathed easily She xe and the separation fros again

The package wasn’t even that ht pressure on her chest, but it wasn’t heavy She slept on her side with the box still around her neck, one arhtly over the Four Treasures

She woke at dawn, fed her horse and herself, and continued her upward trek The gleaaoats and yaks politely moved aside to let thee On her side the cliff rose over a hundred feet into the air above her "I hope you’re niulped when she looked down The gorge plunged far deeper than she had expected A ribbon of blue-and-white water tumbled over rocks

The horse cale and onto wider ground again, deep into shadowed lands The her, and the path rose with the state That night it was cold enough that she built a fire

The next day the trail took them down a thin canyon It was so narrow that Rosethorn could touch both walls when she stretched out her arms She could tell her mount did not like the close quarters

"What can we do?" she asked him softly Even so her voice echoed "See the path? This is the e have to go"

"Few have the gods’ blessings to come here" The deep male voice boomed between the stone walls Rosethorn reined in, unsure of as going on "You are expected, bearer of the Living Circle’s Treasures You have coht her breath, she decided there was nothing else to do She nudged her ue between her teeth He snorted and tossed his head, but he did advance The path descended as the canyon widened Rosethorn could hear a waterfall

A clearing opened before therew around a wide pool It was supplied from a waterfall that dropped thirty feet from a cliff Three caves opened into the cliff face beside the waterfall

"Leave your horse," the voice ordered "He will be cared for Enter the temple -- if you choose the correct entry"