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"How are you…doing this?" Ellohispered, her eyes searching Lia’s face "How is it that you can use the Medium?"

"I will answer your questions later, Ellowyn War orb, at Lia’s hands, then into her eyes He looked relieved and grateful She could al the Medium in a way that was not normally permitted He looked bemused

"Do not complain," she told him with a half-smile

"I am not," he replied

In silence, they enjoyed the heat frohout The plunge into the river had shredded her weariness She felt rested, ready to face what lay ahead To face her death without flinching

She felt their presence, drawn to the power of the Cruciger orb in sonant hateful way Drawn to the power of the Essaios The s Lia started to treainst herto daze her Fear, despair, hopelessness

The first pink of dawn appeared in the east

"It is ti herself fully to the Medium’s power and its will Do with me as you may I will sacrifice whatever I must to see him safe fro orb, the spindles began to whirl

CHAPTER FORTY THREE:

Dieyre’s Revenge

Daoke over the valley, bright and cloudless If there could have been an ideal day for fog, it would have been then But the cool h the high grass towards the rounds Muirwood rose up in front of theht and still could not reach the higher ground before the sun exposed them There was an army nestled in the valley to the west and to the east She could see the soldiers and horses already beginning to form their lines As they crossed the lush valley, she kneas only a matter of time before they were seen It would be a race to the woods, which she suspected were already thick with knights They would have to fight to break through the line She should have been worried Instead she was thrilled The orb led her towards the Sentinel oak, threading a needle between the two ed She could see its rove There was an underground tunnel entrance there If she could get Colvin and Ellowyn inside, she could return to one of the Leerings hidden in the woods and summon the defenses So much depended on how many foes they faced

"Horses," Colvin warned just as the sound reached her ears A row of hts had detached from the columns and bore down on the the oak? That is the way in You re?"

"Yes Coirl’s hand with his other and they started at a run

Lia followed, bow in hand Her heart pounded with excite black The rew louder and louder

Colvin ran hard, the younger girl barely keeping up with hi closer, but so were the charging knights Lia’s breath cahts bore down on the to one knee and fired an arrow into the lead stallion It shrieked with pain and went down and the other riders had to veer todown another horse, then another Colvin and Elloere almost to the trees She sprinted hard and fast to catch up Crossbow bolts whirred through the air at her, but hts were so close and she could see another group closing in froed and battered Lia looked ahead and saw Colvin spinning around, cutting down a ed from the woods Ellowyn backed away froh another soldier There were more behind them and Lia shot as she ran, amazed to hit even one, who crumpled and went down Colvin and Ellowyn entered the woods and she could hear his sword clashing as it struck and parried the attacks against hihts before they reached her The oaks would ed at her fro without slowing More swordplay ahead She could see Colvin and Ellowyn through the twist of trees Dodging the trunks, she caught up at last, just as Colvin cut down anotherto their fellows for help Lia took one doith an arrow and then slung the bow around her shoulder and drew her gladius and dagger Colvin parried two separate thrusts against hih with his sword Lia did not slow, she ran up to the lastdown at Colvin’s exposed back and blocked his sith her gladius, stoer His face twisted with pain as he collapsed writhing to the ground