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"Not to Muirwood?"

"Trust rove of trees we must visit Ride withus in Coht" He scratched his throat and started towards his own mount "He is not a patient man He will take it a ard, his eyes fixed on so only he could see "I know, Martin But the way is beco more clear The shispers to hed "It whispers of rance of the Cider Orchard ens she worried would overwhelhout her childhood at Muirwood Abbey, she had fled to the Cider Orchard The tightly clustered rows of trees made it easier to hide and escape kitchen chores She had plucked hundreds of apples frorass to savor the with blossohts evokedwith Sowe and Colvin to escape the sheriff’sher there and squeezing her arm One of her most painful memories happened there as well – when Colvin had rejected her and left her alone in thebranches But it was also the place where he had found her again, later, and asked for her help in saving Ellowyn Deled feelings – hate, envy, pity, respect, jealousy Especially jealousy Lia leaned against a tree trunk in the twilight, sighing deeply, stifling a sob, and clenched her fists Colvin had found Ellowyn at Sedorew up unaware of her name, known as Hillel Lavender because she worked at the laundry But things were not as they seemed Hillel was not the real Ellowyn Demont For some reason, for some cruel reason, Lia had learned too late that she herself was theheir of Pry-Ree She had sacrificed herself for the other girl, believing that Hillel was the true person and bound for Dochte Abbey to warn theht But it was not Hillel that needed to go It was Lia, her leg still throbbing and healing, her hand still aching from the arrow that had transfixed it The injuries she had sustained were not what pained her the most It was jealousy – pure jealousy – that the other girl was traveling by sea to Dahomey to warn the inhabitants of Dochte Abbey She was not traveling alone, but with Colvin

The ache became worse It robbed her ability to think She had always known herself as Lia Cook It was every wretched’s deepest dreae Why had events turned out in such a way? Why was it that Colvin had been led to Seirl, and not to Muirwood? What would have happened if she had been allowed to spend a year with Colvin, as Hillel had, learning languages and scriving, being able to participate in the politics of her uncle, Garen De away from them, always too fearful Did the Aldermaston of Muirwood know the truth? Had he always known?

The jealousy coalesced into anger The Prince of Pry-Ree, her very own father, had visited Muirwood before her birth The Alderhed with a half-chuckle He had even promised to tell her when she returned from Dochte Abbey She remembered the pity in his eyes But still, he had not told her the truth It was the Cruciger orb, a gift left with her when she was abandoned as a baby, that had revealed the truth at last The Aldermaston knew He er boiled She had to knohy Colvin was escorting the wrong person to Daho away from the smooth-bark of the apple tree, she strode towards the Manor house It was dusk and torches shone in sconces on the walls She walked furiously but with a liht as she tried to fall asleep, but she did not care The Abbey walls seeht, as if the very stones radiated ht before the silver orb appeared in the sky She loved the Abbey with all her heart It was part of her Beneath her hunter’s garb, she wore a soft, woven chaen shirt It reminded her of the maston vows she had made inside She was aa e

Lia reached the ht her eye in the corner outside, so From the corner of her eye, it had seearb She paused, staring at the spot, but she could see nothing She shook her head, realizing that there were rounds since the battle It was probably one of them