Page 55 (2/2)

"What happened to the skin of those men?" Vivenna asked

"It’s that sword of his," Denth growled "We have to find a way to deal with it, Tonks We’re going to end up crossing him, eventually I can feel it"

"But what is the sword?" Vivenna asked "And how did it drain the color fro, Denth," Tonk Fah said, rubbing his chin as Jewels and Clod filled in around the a protective pattern as they moved out into the human river of the street

"Steal the sword?" Denth asked "I’! No, we have to make hi After that, we’ll be able to take him easily I’ll kill him myself"

"He beat Arsteel," Jewels said quietly

Denth froze "He did not beat Arsteel! Not in a duel, at least"

"Vasher didn’t use the sword," Jewels said "There was no blackness to Arsteel’s wounds"

"Then Vasher used a trick!" Denth said "A Vasher is no duelist"

Vivenna let herself get pulled along, thinking of those bodies Denth and the others had spoken of the deaths this Vasher was causing She’d wanted to see the disturbed Unsettled And

She frowned, itching slightly

So her

HEY! NIGHTBLOOD SAID It’s VaraTreledees! We should go talk to him He’ll be happy to seeHe didn’t really care who saw him He rarely did An endless flow of people passed on the colorful street VaraTreledees--Denth, as he called hi them with his team The woman, Jewels Tonk Fah, as always The clueless princess And the abohtblood asked, exciteo see her! She’ll be worried about what happened to htblood," Vasher said "Just like we killed Arsteel" Just like we’ll eventually kill Denth

As usual, Nightblood refused to acknowledge Shashara’s death She s that were evil I’o talk to her Show her hoell I do ood at it," Vasher whispered "Too good"

Nightblood began to hum quietly, pleased at the perceived praise Vasher, however, focused on the princess, walking in her obviously exotic dress, standing out like a flake of snow in the tropical heat He would need to do so apart Plans toppling like badly stacked boxes, creating a racket with their collapse He didn’t knohere Denth had found her or how he kept control of her However, Vasher was sorely tehtblood take her

The deaths the night before had already drawn too ood at sneaking about Ru hiood and bad

Later, he thought, turning froe Later

30

Lightsong!" Blushweaver said, hands on hips "What in the nahtsong ignored her, instead applying his hands to the clump of muddy clay in front of hi nearly as confused as Blushweaver--who had arrived at his pavilion just a few moments before

The pottery wheel spun He held the clay, trying to get it to stay in place Sunlight shone in through the sides of the pavilion, and the neatly rass under his table was flecked with clay As the wheel sped up, the clay twirled round, flipping out clods and cluri for the entire round

"Hu it

"Have you taken leave of your senses?" Blushweaver asked She wore one of her custo on the sides, very little at the top, and only slightly h the front and back She had her hair up in an intricately twisting woven pattern of braids and ribbon Likely the work of a master stylist, who had been invited into the court to perfor hopped to his feet, holding his hands out to either side as servants rushed to wash them off Others came and wiped the bits of clay frohtfully as other servants removed the pottery wheel

"Well?" Blushweaver asked "What was that?"

"I just discovered that I a said "Actually, I aood’ I aet the blasted clay to stay on the wheel"

"Well what did you expect?"

"I’ across the pavilion toward a long table Blushweaver--obviously annoyed at being led along--followed Lightsong suddenly grabbed five lemons off of the table and threw thele them

Blushweaver watched And, for just a ?" she asked "Dear Iseverything all right?"

"I have never practiced juggling," he said, watching the leuava fruit"

She hesitated, then carefully picked up the guava

"Throw it," Lightsong said

She tossed it at him He deftly plucked it from the air, then threw it into the pattern with the lemons "I didn’t know I could do this," he said "Not before today What do you make of it?"

"I" she cocked her head

He laughed "I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at a loss for words, my dear"

"I don’t know that I’ve ever seen another god throwing fruit into the air"

"It’sdown as he nearly lost one of the le nu terms, that I aood eye for sketching On the other hand, I know nothing about the dyeing industry, horses, or gardening I have no talent for sculpting, I can’t speak any foreign languages, and--as you’ve seen--I’m terrible at pottery"