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Sowe, on the other hand, needled Lia constantly about confessing their cri even ed to convince her, after ood The Alderer was being tended at the abbey It would be best to tell hione

When the afternoon ossiping about the king’s ht without a word There was no ainst Lia in the kitchen The sheriff Aluer, it was said, had commanded his men to mount up and ride, which could only mean that their hunt for the wounded soldier continued

Sowe said she did not feel well, so she stayed in the kitchen while Lia took a cloak to search for Duerden near the duck pond The day was sunny, though dah that even the crouch-backed hill known as the Tor was in full view Many of the learners and helpers had doffed their cloaks and all enjoyed the sunshine A few children chased butterflies Most of the learners and helpers used the field in front of the pond as a place tobeneath the largest oak with a toes, his finger tenderly tracing the etching as he read All the learners had to copper and gold The gleasjealously for one of her own

As she approached, he gave her a mock frown and carefully closed the record "Treasa Lavender was churlish with me yesterday For no reason I can name, she came up to me, poked me in the chest, and said that the next time I needed a shirt washed, I should ask her or one of the other lavenders and not you"

"She is right, you should," Lia said The walk from the kitchen, combined with the sun, had made her very warm, so she unfastened her cloak and used it as a blanket to sit on She had forgotten to warn him and silently cursed herself "It is Reo yours I never told her that I was"

"What affronts me is that she does not think I, or any learner for that hborn, Duerden From a Family"

"That makes no difference Aldermaston Willibald rote the Hodoeporicon planted his own crops, and served his people instead of himself, and I am quite convinced that he even did his own laundry It is laziness, pure and simple"

"You do not bake your own bread," Lia ree your own to any craft Far from it, I arise the same hour that you do Mundane tasks are equally relevant for controlling the Medium, and I enjoy fresh air before sunrise Work has a way of cleansing theunless one works at where one is weakest"

Lia yawned "What did you learn fro’s men yesterday?"

"Why do you care so much about it, Lia?"

"Because Sowe and I are always the last to hear and the ould be over before anyone decides to tell us anything"

Duerden laughed and leaned back on his elbows "Gossip Fair enough You probably are still the last to know Everyone has talked about nothing else all day Traitors to the real to join thehtered Even with Garen De them"

"Who is Garen Demont? Is that a Family name?"

"Only one of the more famous ones Garen’s father was Sevrin Demont"

"And who is that?"

"You do not knoho Sevrin De if I did" Sometimes he was feather-brained

"How can that be? Everyone knoho he is!"

Lia shrugged, trying to tame her patience "I have never heard that na in all but name Never lost a battle, except his last They say he was brilliant on can, knew no fear, yet he held true to his principles He was a true knight-h he was only an earl, he was treated like the crown prince Our last king, of course, hated hi, our cruel king, our crowned king was the man who defeated the Demonts in the battle of Maseve It has been said, at court, the battle was between equal forces But I was told it was five or six hborn of Family are imprisoned and ransomed Not the Demont Family They were brutally doeneration It is easier to serve the king, they say, if you are not a maston"