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She whispered in his ear "I airl I know she has resisted him Dieyre’s words…so much chaff He does not believe half of what he says Neither should we"
He nodded, but said nothing As they eed up the other side, he looked into her eyes with cold rage "I wanted to kill him But it passed"
She squeezed his neck with her free arm and whispered her thanks as he deposited her on the rabbed his hand and helped pull him out of the icy waters He was cold So very cold The thunder of hooves retreated off the bridge and into the gloom How many soldiers were between them and Muirwood?
They still had one azed into the stars with despair Many had already passed the horizon and the eastern sky was starting to blush a faint violet – the advent of dawn She knew there was a bridge somewhere to the east, but Muirwood lay directly to the south and the orb had led her to the easiest ford She was also certain that the other bridge would be guarded as well These waters werewith foam However, stones in the midst jutted out in intervals With relief, Lia crossed from rock to rock, followed by Ellowyn and then Colvin, each taking a turn Soer Lia wanted to suht from the orb, but that would attract the eyes of anyone in thean especially slippery boulder, she turned to warn Ellowyn just as the girl lost her balance and pitched into the river She knew Colvin would try and save her, but he was still shivering fro Lia tossed her bow the rest of the way to the far bank and lunged into the shocking grip of the river The current was dragging Elloiftly, but Lia caught up with her and seized the heirl spluttered and choked and grasped at Lia, her face contorted with panic, unable to screa so gled to reach the shore Each pull sapped her already fading strength The cold y Which as the bank? Had the current turned her around? Then she saw Colvin running after theled until the river slammed them both into a boulder and she could not see for several moments She heard Colvin’s hiss of breath and clutched Ellowyn tightly, feeling her body liroped her way around the water of the boulder and kicked against it
Again the current started to tug her away and she opened her eyes and saw a shaft of wood reaching out to her Colvin extended the ash bow to her and she grabbed at the end and he hauled on it with his strength Cli Ellowyn to the bank and away froed herself
"Put her down, on her sto teeth "Quickly! She’s sed too much water"
Colvin obeyed and Lia knelt beside the girl and pushed her lower back hard She repeated theto force her to breathe Ellowyn hiccupped and then started to splutter and choke After struggling for her air, she started to sob violently, curled up in a ball and treirdle, which was soaked and wrung out her shirt Her ers did not feel like her own
"Fire," she whispered "We are too cold Without war the water out"
"We cannot build a fire, Lia," he warned "They are near They will see it"
"If we do not do so to death, Colvin So a aiather soh ti out the orb She stared at its se in the river She had suht with it She had su her eyes, she stared at its face, pleading with it for warht but ar in fire as she had with the Leering at the laundry Firetalowed red hot in her hands, but it did not burn her Ellowyn rose froht, like staring into a bed of hot coals Waves of heat wafted in the air Colvin and Ellowyn both gathered around her, trying to block its light with their bodies Each held out their nu theh Lia’s body The cold was driven out of her coave off steam