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"My lord," said Captain Taaze while his hands clenched on the reins

Sorroled, low in her throat, but Alain let the captain and these foreons with their barrels of ale and sacks of grain or flour and s chickens and a furious goose A trio of steers paced at the end of ropes Two dozen sheep followed, pursued by a pair of shepherds and their clever dog Behind the last wagon walked a half dozena flat-bedded cart on which lay the trussed carcass of a deer

"Where have these come from?" he asked one of the stewards

The wo and weary, hair covered by a pale yellow scarf She wore a glove on her right hand and her left bare, revealing a rash prickling across her three ers

"You know the way of it, ood steward ht every noble who rode with the lady "Three our hunters brought down yesterday and the day before We hung theh The others ca deer in numbers early this year The sheep we took as part of the tithe, together with the grain Out in the forest we’ll not find much provender, for few folk live in the wilderness We ain here"

He nodded, and to her evident relief he fell back to ride alongside the rear guard Farther behind ht be found the rear scouts, but he held his position the rest of that day The land changed its character, and they entered a region of precipitous hills, rugged rocky outcrops, and low spines of rock protruding from otherwise unexceptionable earth Strean of hu the lair of the guivre, who hid within a rew nervous A faint odor of rotting carcasses laced the breeze at intervals, but faded as quickly as he caught its touch

9

KANSI’S voice ca out of the darkness "What creature stalked our land? What was it?"

"Setand exhausted with rage

"Tell h Kansi-a-lari cursed her and commanded her, Liath did not speak

After that ca which she slept, drank, ate, and slept again Although she had taken no physical harht side of her face where the galla had swept closest was as tender as if she had scraped it against rock Strangely, the wound in her thigh did not hurt as e remained, but now she knew better than to curse impotently at Kansi-a-lari, who had her own schealla She hoarded her strength, and made her plans

"Li’at’dano!"