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Lugh an Too They’re in their Tonton gear, lookin smart Black knee robes, polished boots an kit Webb follows behind on a pony With hiered on travellin to Edenhoer we’d be so late to set off An cross country will be rough goin in this rain Do we dare try our luck on the roads agin?

In that silent way of hers, Auriel appears by my side A patchwork parasol keeps the rain off In such murk, she don’t need her eyeshield Her pale eyes flare like ice in the gloom I came to wish you luck, she says

I’ot every confidence in you She hesitates a moment, then she says, I don’t think you know this We wouldn’t of made it in time if it warn’t fer Emmi

Emmi, I says

The starfall told us to coes, we hurried here quick as we could

What ht, she says But they started in the earth

Speak plain, I says I ain’t got time fer this

Yer sister’s had the call, she says Emmi’s a shaman, Saba She’s an earth speaker An I’d say a powerful one if this is how she starts off, without no teacher to guide her

I stare at her, speechless Eo

Don’t worry an don’t dwell on it, says Auriel It’s a wonderful thing I’ll see her right D’you have all you need fer now?

Fer the first ti black tunic she wore yesterday I’ onI could do with, I says

So far an no further The first four checkpoints went easy Lugh shouted out the password as we drew alongside an after a second shout, souard hut He’d splash through the chill rain an mud to lift the barrier Then, wait, wetly sullen, fer us to pass through Three Tonton with our prisoner, Webb, chained at the wrists We hardly even got glanced at