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“Before we didn’t need anything but the spell-net,” Rosethorn coht it—”

“Because once invaders touch the net, they have no idea of where they are, or what they do,” said Frostpine “The net is still protecting the rest of the wall on the west, north, and east But the cove … I think Moonstreaes who can walk to find ways to defend the south gate, and the beach”

Rosethorn slowly grinned, showing her teeth “I can be of use, then” She strode into her workshop, crooking a finger at Briar “Come on—you’ll help me” The boy obeyed

Lark dru Abruptly she co while I’one”

“But Lark—” protested the girl

Lark raised a hand to quiet her “I knoe’d thought to go back toit alone”

“I’ll be careful”

Lark smoothed a lock of hair away from Sandry’s face “So spell, the spell Niko used with Tris to see what happened at Bit, the one Frostpine and Daja used on the harbor chain—those are called great-spells Without a senior es have been known to get so caught up in one that they die They feed their ic and their lives into the pattern of the spell, without ever realizing what they were doing”

“My best friend died that way, twenty years ago,” Frostpine co a lead pattern—it was to be ain the shape of a thousand-petaled flower, one that would hold and give off sunlight on the gloomiest days He wanted to iht in front of my eyes”

Sandry gulped and nodded “I’ll stick to this, I pro lacked the feeling of power she’d had the day before, as she watched the novices stagger aith baskets full of new bandages On the other hand, she was enjoying life tooit so foolishly

Rosethorn and Briar returned Briar carried a cloth bag, Rosethorn a bottle and a cup just big enough to hold an egg To the eyes of all three children present, the bottle glea the cup next to Frostpine, Rosethorn poured it half full of green liquid “Drink,” she ordered “You and Daja must be able to move, just in case”

Frostpinethe cup, he duhh!” he yelled, his voice stronger than it had been since his return fro to kill me, woman?”

“If I mean to kill someone, I do it,” Rosethorn told hireen liquid into the cup “Give this to Daja, and put the bottle back in , while you can” To Lark and Briar she said, “Let’s go”

Frostpine whistled the dog back when Little Bear would have followed the three of the fro to his feet, he took the cup in to Daja

“I hope they’ll be all right,” Sandry whispered to Tris

“Maybe bring our cord out here, just in case,” the other girl said quietly

Sandry nodded, and went to get the circle of lumpy thread

When they reached the top of the south gate, Briar decided it had been a bad idea to invite all the senior eese, he thought, and the noise made about as much sense There was Crane, First Dedicate of the Air Teued with Niko and Moonstreaht Surely anyone who could blow people out of the kitchens without touching thee, but perhaps his cookery spared him from follies like this He also didn’t see Skyfire near the Dedicate Superior That was because Skyfire was in position further down the wall, beside a pair offleet

Lark waded into the crowd She put a hand on one yelling dedicate-initiate’s shoulder, spoke in another’s ear Both looked shamefaced, tucked their hands into their habit sleeves, and stood back to let her through Touching, sh the noisy gathering, leaving calm in her wake

“There’s more to Lark than meets the eye, isn’t there?” Briar asked Rosethorn

“We’ll make an initiate of you yet, boy, if your perception keeps i with this lot, we’ll lose time” She headed for Skyfire with Briar in tow

He looked out to sea The illusion-spells were off the fleet: He guessed there were ten dro between the ships were long boats laden with -force In the prow of each boat stood a uessed, to protect the raiders froic, either, he realized, seeing that all along the southern stretch of the wall, dedicates and novices readied catapults of their own Beside each stood an open barrel filled with globes: ani liquid

“Battlefire?” he asked one of theThe woman looked and nodded

Briar shivered Once in Hajra, three ships, survivors of a pirate attack, had li on the docks Each had been hit by the jelly called battlefire One ship burned as it came and sank inside the harbor’s mouth The other two had docked to off-load their dead and wounded The sight and shtmares for months

Rosethorn waited until Skyfire was done speaking with a runner, then told hi that and blending this, that you forget it doesn’t have to be ic alone”

Skyfire glared down at the stocky wo “Only shields will protect us from those catapults and the boom-stones,” he snapped

“And the cove?” she asked With a wave she indicated the stretch of open dirt below them It was pocked with deep craters and reeked of boom-stone smoke

“That’s e have archers, not toat the crowd around Moonstream “They just haven’t been used yet”

Rosethorn poked Briar so he would show the redheaded dedicate the bag he carried “Bra the seeds that she’d ordered Briar to put into it “Rosevines Sea buckthorn Briars” She grinned at the boy “Sea holly Milk thistle, Nas here and there to help it all along”

Briar tried not to smile Before he’d tied each fistful of seed into a square of cloth, Rosethorn had drenched them in a liquid that did for plants what her other tonic did for weak birds and worn-out es

Skyfire lifted one of the sh of a barrier to hold off that landing force?” he asked, skeptical

“Get that seed all over the ground, and Briar and I will see e can do,” she told him firmly “All your warriors need do is launch the bundles—Lark will make sure they open to scatter the seed”

Skyfire rubbed his chestnut beard, then took the bundle fro nearby One of thee of Little Bear that ; she winked at Briar and stood at attention for Skyfire’s orders “Get two of these little balls to each of the catapults along this quarter of the wall,” he said “Load them immediately Get them into the air Cover all the area not shielded by the spell-nets”

“Get Lark,” Rosethorn whispered to Briar

Lark was corumbled to Rosethorn quietly “Why is it no one wants to ith anyone else?”

“I don’t want to ith those idiots,” said Rosethorn One of the war-h to hear snort

ed

They heard a snap The catapult nearest to theh in the air Froes unsewn and fraying Her eyes on the cloth bundles as they soared over the ground, she tugged two edges of the bit of cloth, yanking out threads three and four at a ti clouds of seed into the air

Rosethorn made room for herself and Briar by a notch, so they could lean on the raised stone beside it Briar was pressed against it, with Rosethorn close behind him He breathed in her funny scent: pine, dark soil, hints of basil and aloe With her at his back, he felt almost as if he rested in the arh he quickly assured the goddess there was no blasphemy meant

“Are you ready?” inquired Rosethorn

His eyes were on the seeds as they drifted to the ground “I think so”