Page 87 (1/1)

Rosethorn nodded "If we have to fight, it’s a good plan," she replied

"But I have seen you fight," Parahan co back"

"I aious life in our wicked world," Rosethorn said As she and Briar rode, they used their ic to open the seed balls and drop thuic wove the cotton together once more "I will not surrender to evil, or allow anyone in e to be harmed by evil, and violence that kills the helpless and destroys the beauties of the world is evil But I a to have to repair what you took apart that ious orders that live in isolation and refuse to coes who can defend or hide themselves, then," Rosethorn replied "I and mine, we live in the real world"

Everyone ateafter that a cloud of dust rolled toward thean a heavy, droning chant like that Briar had heard in the te with a buzz under it, reat horns As the shas Goose buic

He passed a cloth seed ball to Jier balanced his cloth ball in his hand, noticing the weight He raised his brows, then settled it into his sling

Whatever the otherThe dust cloud was breaking up and drifting skyward As it thinned, it revealed several companies of io at the sae in the chanting of the sha of his own

Briar shifted his attention to the grasses that grew ahead of the enemy horses’ hooves Under the earth’s surface, he followed his power into their roots

He didn’t hear the co the archers the order to shoot In the part of him that stayed with his body he noticed that Jihted seed at the sa the enexin tribes and te under yi volley of arrows Those were aies on the road

Parahan, Souda, and Lango barked the order for the archers to prepare to shoot again Briar urged his body to hand a second thorn ball to his slinger, as Rosethorn was doing, and returned to his work on the grasses ahead

He heard shrieking war cries: The tribal and teyi horseyi line began to charge, bellowing in return

Lango and the twins yelled the order to shoot; the archers obeyed, ai line Riders and horses went down Jier released their seed balls to strike the ene even before the balls hit the ground and exploded Growing ferociously, the grasses enveloped the horses’ hooves The ani their riders In the heart of the arh and around therasses They dropped under the hooves of those horses galloping up behind theray Sorasp Briar fu nu over his eyes; his throat had gone too tight to breathe He clawed at it, gasping

Suddenly air rushed into his throat He inhaled several tis, then looked for the cause of his sudden cure Ji disk in front of his face "Are you all right?" the man asked

"Better, thanks What is that?" Briar wanted to know

Jimut turned the disk around for a moment, then turned it back so the polished side faced the enemy It was a metal mirror It had reflected the enemy’s spell back to thee with her face tattooed all over with interesting patterns had ridden her horse next to Rosethorn She wrote signs on the air between her and Briar’s teacher As she worked, Rosethorn sat with her hands pal at the battle before the around ene the Whatever the tees off Rosethorn, it was plain

Briar let Rosethorn ith the vines There was a cluster of stillness in the spot where the Yanjingyi soldiers had waited before their charge He would wager that here theHe closed his eyes and poured his rass roots between hith as he ran froes’ power shone like a beacon even underground, guiding him to them Below them in the earth, Briar drew on the vast network of plants that stretched out around him and carefully reached up with his power There were the above-ground grasses that grew around the horses’ hooves Out of habit they tried to eat a mouthful or two, but these were the finest products of the arxin plain were a little too tough for their liking Sensing Briar’s presence in the grass, they huffed and stamped, only to be slapped by the soldiers who held their reins Neither the generals nor the es wanted to be disturbed by restless animals