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His jaw set stubbornly “I’ood”

I straightened up and squared off with hih the shed My animal turned over within me and stirred

His muscles flared He swayed a little, his eyes hard I pulledit out for me

“Now,” I said in a firm voice

He took a step back that he clearly didn’t want to, judging by the jerkiness of his movements Humor filled the bond

“As you co for the door “And Finley?” He stopped and glanced back “Please joinbefore I leave I’d like to show you the library You’ve been reading, and I have not I miss it”

I pushed the hair out of my face “Okay”

“And get those clothes sorted out We need to get the villages up to speed so you can do…other things”

I frowned at him, but he left

What other things?

By late afternoon, I’dit, that I could with the leaves we’d dried and harvested We’d need to harvestthe effects of the elixir, I had no idea if the one harvested at daorked any better than the usual Though I supposed it didn’t matter It was the crowded plant that would provide the cure, if there was one The slight difference in potency of the drying tih difference to matter

I walked to the wall around the queen’s garden and hopped up I kne to get there through the castle, and Nyfain had given me a key to access the rooh the trouble of traipsing through the castle when it was faster to reach it from outside

At the top of the wall, I paused before walking around the side A crew of three orking diligently, Hadriel the only one I recognized The blackberry bushes were long gone, the vines and bra and tilling the ground

“Wow, you guys” I jureat!”

Hadriel looked up fro down his temples “I haven’t worked this hard in…” He puckered his lips in thought

“That’s the reason you’re still alive,” a grizzled olderdown the sides of his brorinkled face He wore a faded denim shirt and dirt-stained trousers

“This co, Jawson?” Hadriel drawled “I wonder hoe can possibly explain that? Mediocrity, ht