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“The trenches are over there,” Salova said, pointing in a direction away fro and eating things at the end of the creek, where it e nearby I don’t have to tell you where the horses are” She smiled then “I went to look at the horses yesterday with Rusheentle, and content The rin and then to a worried frown “I hope that was all right Rushemar said Jondalar told him it would be”
“Of course it’s all right It et to know the people around them,” Ayla said
She’s not so strange, Salova thought as she watched Ayla go She talks a little funny, but she’s really nice I wonder what ever made her think that she could make those aniined that one day I would feed a horse sorass out of my own hand
After cleaning up the bowls and stacking theht be nice to clean herself up and go for a swie, smiled at Salova and the baby, and slipped inside She took the soft drying hide out of her traveling pack and then looked over her clothing She didn’t have h she had cleaned them, she did not want to wear the worn and stained clothes she had worn on her long Journey except as working clothes
The clothes she had worn on the recent trek to the Su were the ones she had saved to hen
she met Jondalar’s people, but even they orn and had their share of stains She also had the boys’ winter underwear that Marona and her friends had given her, but she knew that wouldn’t be appropriate Of course, she had her Matrimonial outfit, but that would be saved, as would the beautiful outfit that Marthona had given to her, for special occasions What was left were a few things of theirs that Marthona and Folara had given her They were unfaht be suitable
Before she left the lodge, she noticed her riding blanket folded up near her sleeping roll and decided to take it as well Then she went to see the horses Whinney and Racer were both glad to see her and crowded close to get her attention Both wore halters with a long lead attached to a sturdy tree; she re blanket on Whinney, mounted her, and started upstream
The horses were in high spirits and broke out at a fast run, happy for the freedo was communicated to Ayla, who let them set their own pace She was particularly pleased when she reached thetoward them That had to mean Jondalar was nearby
Sometime after Ayla left, Joharran came to the camp and asked Salova if she had seen Ayla
“Yes, ere ether,” she said “The last ti toward the horses She said she needed to check on them”
“I’ll go look for her, but if you see her, will you tell her Zelandoni wants to talk to her?”
Of course,” Salova said, wondering what the donier wanted Then she shrugged No one was likely to tell her what the First wanted
Ayla saw Jondalar step out frorin on his face She pulled to a stop, slid down, and raced into his arms
“What are you doing here?” he asked after their war here I was just walking upstreaot this far, I reht I’d check to see if there was any flint”
“Is there?”