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Briar squinted A new rider watched theh that Briar couldn’t see what the observer wore or if he carried weapons He sent his power into the grass roots, reaching for the watcher, but the ot to hilanced at Rosethorn, who shook her head She hadn’t touched the watcher, either

Souda whistled sharply This tier They soon returned They had lost him

One of the tribesmen spotted the next watcher; Parahan’s scouts reported a third By nightfall a total of six watchers had been seen None had been caught

"Theirs or ours, do you think?" Briar heard Parahan ask Captain Lango

The Gyongxin yi spies"

All the co a broad ditch around their caht Rosethorn sprinkled a few seeds at the bottom of the ditch, just in case They would take the place of abatises if the enemy attacked A word from Rosethorn or Briar and the seeds would send thorny branches shooting up to surprise anyone who tried to cross the ditch The only side of their cahter camp seemed to make the soldiers feel uard duty, he found hi with tribesmen, temple warriors, and Realms soldiers who had the same duty One tribesh Briar politely turned hiirls at ho at the stars, he realized that the constellation called the Herds to rise over the horizon He picked out the ancient hero’s head and earring, his shoulders, his belt, and the one visible arht between the eyes of the Lion of Shaihun It was one of Evvy’s favorite stories On their road east, she had insisted on pointing out the Herdsht she could see it

Briar’s eyes filled as he looked at it He wiped theet all weepy every ti, he told himself That’s not fair to Evvy And this country has herders with slings everywhere I look

Then he frowned It was hard to shoot a seed ball fro until the head of the bolt al scant rooo far on its own, but a sling could throw a seed ball if the ball eighted somehow

Briar looked at the earth under his feet There were stones in it He picked one up and tossed it in his hand

Rosethorn took his place when the guard changed, sending him off to bed Once he pulled his blankets up around hi to a norruht tea for Briar and Rosethorn, Briar was just as happy He prized his sleep

He helped Rosethorn to do up the laces on her cuirass and greaves; she returned the favor Both of thes full of seed balls over their chests

Briar nearly collided with Ji the dus called ood with a sling?" Briar asked hiet"