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"Come, sister Up the Tor To the crest! Come!"

Lia did not kno Maderos could speak while clis were burning, and without gripping the saddle stirrup, she was sure she would have stumbled with exhaustion already Colvin’s tattered tunic was soaked with sweat, but he kept up without

"Do you want to ride?" he asked her in a low tone, seeing her face

She shook her head no, for she could not speak Holding the saddle was enough As long as the horse kept chuffing along, she would make it

"You can see the Tor from Kennot Knoll You can even see it from Haunton – on a clear day Notice the trees lower down, but not higher up It is bald A bald hill That is because this hill is new It is new, I tell you! Have you heard how the Tor came to be here? Eh? Have you heard? You cannot speak, so I will speak This was after the first abbey was built, o When all the land you can see there was flooded" He waved his free arboats cae They had their own tongue, but greed is the language common to all reed The long boats cae folk in the lake Murdered the to the Aldermaston of the abbey He heard their deaths" He looked back at the "Do you knohat the Alderuess, pethet? No?"

Maderos stopped talking, for they crested the sued to her knees, but she held herself up, gulping air Her heartbeat was thunder in her ears Even Colvin looked winded, and he stopped, bending over to struggle for breath

"Bah! You are young Young legs Young feet You have no stamina I have no horse I must here the Medium takes me Across this country Across that country Look at the horizon! Do you see it! Ah, the glory! I never tire of it"

Sweat dripped froan to return

"What did…what did the Aldermaston do?" she panted

"Eh? What do you say, little sister?"

"When the soldiers carand story The longboats caed towards the abbey Easy prey, just like the villagers" He snapped his fingers, then held one up to his lips "But they did not know of the Mediu the Aldermaston was He looked east and saw hills He looked west and saw hills" His ar the action of his words "So with the Mediuh into the air He had kept the trust to invoke its power thus A hill from away rose with his hands Yes! A hill far away rose with his hands It came And it crushed the soldiers and their boats" He slammed a fist down into his palm "Now the hill is called the Tor When you are away from here, when you look back at the Tor, you will see that I speak truth It does not belong here One day, another Aldermaston will set it back where it cao So very long ago" His gaze sharpened "Show us the Cruciger orb, child Shohere you would go"

Lia straightened She believed every word he had said The story was fantastic, but nostone ossuaries that were e bands or stones that hung suspended in the air

Reaching into her pouch, she withdrew the orb and brought it to Maderos His eyes narrowed as he looked at it

"Believe," he whispered "Believe and it will show you the way you seek Always"

In her ht the words, Show us the safe road to Winterrowd

The spindles spun, the inside of the orb whirred to life and it pointed again, away from the Tor – towards the western horizon

She looked up to where it was pointing and her heart leapt hat she saw Froues in every direction The sight was breathtaking Groves and glens,down, she saw the abbey and it filled her eyes with tears at how s of oaks She thought of Pasqua and it went straight to her heart and brought a cough and a sob together The Cider Orchard The fish pond She could even see the laundry and, staring hard, she could see people walking the grounds

"You weep, child?" he asked her gently "Why?"

"I did think I would e