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'Are you jealous of hi water He see, she climbed into the coracle beside the boy

Weasel cast off 'Start to paddle, Sister You o back'

Alison felt a tinge of alarm 'Why?'

'Adrina has a friendthere won't be rooet back?'

'Fury will take youhe's good at things like that'

Alison was stung by the reply It wasn't so much what the boy said but the way he said it It was like he was telling her that Fury was good at running away

She tried not to think of it The tide was co up the channel in a series of waves and she needed to pay attention to what she was doing The first wave struck the coracle and it al Weasel to steer through a tangle of fallen branches

They entered clear water and her ent and probably had a good understanding of the mysterious world she had entered There was a lot she wanted to know It was no good asking Fury He'd been raised by a bunch of priests And Miralda lived the life of a hermit

'How do you know Adrina?' she asked

'We were both adopted by King Pius,' Weasel replied 'Adrina is of noble birth I'm of the third rank'

'How is that?'

'My mother died when I was born and I was left on the steps of the temple of rebirth so the sisters could look after me Today it's different The Duideth are in control and people leave babies at the shrine of the Lord Sun It doesn't make any difference They all end up with Pius unless they're boys and the Duideth want to keep theood syste Pius looks after unwanted children'

'The clan chieftains don't think so' Weasel looked ahead and continued to paddle 'They think itand powerful The chieftains want to bring Pius down to size'

Alison had thought that the politics of her new realm was simple Now she realised that it was as co to happen now that Morgon has been defeated?'

Weasel negotiated a floating log 'Adrina thinks that Ardolf will take over He'll get himself made War Master He's a friend of the Duideth and an eneht of the Blessed Ladythat's what Adrina says'