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“What kind of experiments?” asked Rosethorn suspiciously

Niko very carefully poured a spoonful of grainy black dust out of the bag “We got this from the prisoners,” he explained “It’s what they used to shatter the gate, and it’s what they use in the booredients and the proportions are the pirate e Enahar’s secret That’s e have to find out”

“Surely Moonstreaan

“They want all the masters to try it,” Niko said “That way, everyone will have a working knowledge of the stuff Now, dedicates, if we in?”

All five adults reached a hand out to the tiny pile, palms toward it, eyes closed; when they took deep breaths, clearing their minds, the four did the same

“Charcoal,” Rosethorn and Frostpine announced at the same time

Niko added, “Sulfur”

“Niter,” Gorse told them, and Rosethorn nodded

I couldn’t have done it so fast, Daja re

The adults argued for half an hour over the proportions of each substance At last they ree: ten parts sulfur, fifteen parts charcoal, and seventy-five parts niter

“It’s so basic!” Lark said then “So—so siet through the protections on the containers”

“Which is why the containers have been so well protected ically,” added Frostpine

“But what makes it boom?” Daja asked, worried “What if it—?”

A crash split the air outside,everyone flinch Seconds later, they heard another loud bang, from the eastern side of the temple

“They’ve started again,” whispered Daja Tris was tre

“Let’s go outside,” Niko said, brushing the spoonful into the bag “We can try to make it boom there Fire does the trick, if what Tris and I saw on Bit was right”

In front of Discipline, on a bare spot in the path, Niko duht a long, burning reed, and Niko touched the poith it from a couple of feet away As a boom-stone exploded over the south half of the temple, the tiny heap of powder flared and was consumed

“They have to leave a gap in the spells on the containers,” Rosethorn pointed out, “so their ht the stones in the air”

“Will our battle-aps in tiet too close to us?” Frostpine wanted to know

Niko poured half a cupful of powder onto the path, then wiped his forehead with one hand, leaving a dark streak “Everybody stand back when I light this” He held the reed out to Gorse, who touched it with a finger Flaht on the tip of the reed

“But the little sample just burned,” Lark said “How do they make it boom?”

“Perhaps you need ested Rosethorn as everyone backed away froer pile “Or it has to be confined, in a sphere or—”

The loudest explosion of all tore the air, er The adults looked at each other, horrified, then turned their eyes on the horizon A column of smoke boiled into the air south of the Water Temple

“One of them hit,” Lark whispered

Rosethorn raced into the cottage Briar followed her

“The carpenters’ shops,” said Gorse, his deep voice hushed “All that wood—the glue, the varnishes—”

“It’ll burn fast and hot” Frostpine ods-circle on his chest

Tris was shaking so hard that her teeth were clicking Where would the next stone fall? The i of the fate of anything struck by these ugly neeapons

Lark turned to the four “You are to stay right here” They had never heard her this stern “Don’t stir outside our fence We’re going down there to help I don’t want to have to worry about what you’re up to”

“Can’t we help?” begged Sandry

“No No There are plenty of adults trained to handle things like this I won’t have you exposed unless it can’t be avoided”

Rosethorn ca a heavy basket Briar followed her with another “Can’t I please go?” he asked as Frostpine took his burden

“No, you may not,” snapped Rosethorn “You’ll stay here—all of you!”

Without another word, the adults ran through the gate and down the spiral road Little Bear sat on his ruan to howl

Three more boom-stones exploded overhead Tris flinched at each one; her hair began to rise and crackle She tucked her hand into her pocket and rubbed Ay

They had to distract Tris before soht Daja “What if you tried your lightning on that?” She pointed to the heap of black powder that lay forgotten in the path

Tris stared at it “I—I don’t know,” she said, her voice tre

“Well?” Sandry nudged

“What lightning?” Briar de’s Fire I’ve ever seen, is all”

Daja knew the pale fire that played on ship masts and tower roofs in stor,” she retorted “It’s not the same Show him, Tris”

Another boom-stone exploded over the Hub “I c-c-can’t,” Tris replied, shivering with fright What did they want from her? Couldn’t they see that each explosion felt like a sharp blow to her? Herthe next strike, and her neck and back were aching

“Don’t you have to learn control?” Sandry asked “No ood time to practice”

Tris glared at the other three, hating the her She only wanted to run inside and hide under a bed

“Ahhh, I knew it,” Briar re’s Fire”

Furious, Tris pointed to the heap of powder a foot away Lightning juer There was a clap: dirt and s the observing Little Bear gray The dog yipped and fled into Discipline The four looked at each other, eyes wide in soot-streaked faces There was now a hole in the path

“You see?” Briar said at last “You just have to knohat to say to her”

“You—” Tris snapped, and pointed at hiht result

Briar grabbed her ar-sparks raced over his hands “Don’t you ever do that,” he whispered, his eyes burning into hers “Don’t you ever If your pointing is a weapon, then don’t you point ‘less you’re ready to kill with it You understand, you witless bleater?” He was so frightened he didn’t knohere his shakes ended and hers began “Niko’s right” He let her go and pushed her away froot to learn control, and you most of all”

“I’ over, but she made herself look Briar in the face “I’m sorry I didn’t—I wouldn’t ever—”

Sandry put her arms around Tris’s shoulders “We can’t just act without thinking any I guess if we’re es, we can’t exactly be kids, can we?” she asked the other two They shook their heads “Briar knows you would have been sorry after”

“After I was a nice crispy roast just off the spit,” the boy said cruelly

Tris hid her face in her hands

“Enough,” Daja said “She got the point Don’t bully her”

I’ his hands into his pockets And I want to be sure she’s scared, scared enough to think next time

Tris yanked out of Sandry’s hold and ran up to her room

Briar went to exae, letting the shakkan’s years and plant-cal the dirt in its shallow basin, h

e decided it was a bit dry and went inside for water

Daja and Sandry stayed where they were, staring at the hole in the ground

“What do you suppose her reach is, with lightning?” Daja inquired “Could she hit a boom-stone?”