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The husband nodded "Days don't matterto take hiods were trying to rim

"So there must be landers left, perhaps landers that have coods wouldn't try to force you out if there were no way for you to leave"

The husband spat out theagain "They don't work That's what I hear"

"I've had some experience of that on Green" He crossed the kitchen, finding his legs stronger than he had anticipated, and picked up his stick

The wo to fry some bacon Haven't done itto fry so"

"That's very kind of you" As he spoke, he realized that he was rateful-really I am But I don't need food, and certainly don't need luxuries"

She had pushed back a curtain that had once been a sheet to search nearly empty shelves, and seemed not to have heard hih left for another pot"

He recalled the beverage of his childhood "Mate, please I'd like so while"

Her husband said, "You want that seed corn? We got to fetch it out of the barn" He held a stick of his own, a thick staff more like a club than a cane

"Yes, I do Very ainst a chair, and rued under the table

The wo iron handle up and down until the rusty water was past and she had enough clean water to fill her coffeepot

The husband pulled out a cluo now That'll take her a bit" An inclination of his head indicated the stove

The woman murmured, "Coffee, bacon, and bread" She turned to face theh And I'd preferin the ink-black dark), retrieved his staff, and raised his lantern "Coerous out here? When the sun has gone out, Iof the husband's staff

"Sometimes Horn, that's your name?"

"Yes," he said "I'm afraid I didn't catch yours"

"Didn't throw it" The husband paused, chuckling at his joke "You want that seed?"

"Verythereater than his oho could see in darkness as in daylight He pushed the thought aside, and followed the husband, walking rapidly across dry, uneven soil as hard as iron

"Kno to grow corn?"

"No" He hesitated, fearful that the admission would cost him the seed "I tried once, and learned that I didn't-I had thought I did But the seeds you give reat deal My task is to bring it to the that those denied the Aureate Pathdoes, I suppose"

"Oh, there's things But not corn" The husband opened a ooden door, evoking scandalized protests from chickens "Sun don't co upward into the pitch-black sky "There's a point of light up there One very sht Is it in the skylands? You have skylands here"

"That's right"

"On Blue the night sky is full of stars, thousands upon thousands of them I'm surprised to see even one here"

"That's a city burnin'"

He looked down, horrified

"Some city burns up there just about every ti"

He hurried into the barn

"I grow my own seed Two kinds You can't let 'em cross Or cross with any other kind, either You know about that?"

He nodded huood seed Plant it to grind and feed the stock Don't plant the next, though You got to go back to these old kinds and cross again Six, you said"

"Yes I believe that should be sufficient"

"I'h" Butter-yellow lantern light revealed dry ears hanging in bunches

"This is very, very kind of you"

"See here? This black kind?" The husband had detached an ear

"Yes I thought at first that it only looked black because it's so dark; but it really is black, isn't it?"

"You take it and pull off six Not no h, the seeds sed six free

The husband retrieved the black ear "See this?" It was a second ear, slightly bigger and ot Red and white You see that?"

He nodded

"The red ones and the white ones are both the same Don't matter what color you take"

"I understand"

"You can have three red and three white, if you want 'eh"

"I will, just to be on the safe side"

"Figured You plant 'erind it either Plant it Corn'll be yellohite Not never red nor black"

He nodded, struggling to detach the first grain

"Plant it, and next year you'll have a real good crop"

"Thank you I pray that I can get this seed you're givingis, every year you got to grow some black and some red-and-white off by themselves Got to keep 'em apart and don't let no other corn near 'erow more seed next year for the year after"

"I understand" He held his hand closer to the lantern, seeing in the reen fields, sleek horses both black and white, and fat red cattle

The husband retrieved the seed ear "We're goin' out now"

"All right" Carefully depositing the twelve grains of corn in a pocket, he helped the husband close the big door

"Wolves come in closer, darkdays," the husband said almost conversationally "Kill my sheep Not many left"

He said, "I's watchin' thes Kick up a fuss if there's wolves around, but I don't hear 'em Now this Silk"

It had come too suddenly "Yes Yes-Silk"

"He was their head ood out here Got ot it, and three shells I'm savin' He's not there no more City people run him out"