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"Slow as snails!" grumbled one of the h heaven, as if co with their master’s odor "You wait and see, by the tiain" Idiots in armor

They still hadn’t realized that the Bluejay had ridden to Ombra Castle with a plan in mind, and that plan had not yet been put into practice

Ah, they were stopping at last What a relief to his poor bones! The sky was still black as pitch, but Thu at the approach of dawn in spite of the cold

Thuuard could teach anyone theof fear He was as thin as if Death had taken him once already, and the scaly snake from his master’s crest was tattooed across his larynx, so that when he spoke it writhed on his skin as if it were alive A very unsettling sight, but luckily Thu didn’t talk much He did not owe his na was rather taller than Orpheus, not that it was likely anyone in this world knew the fairy tale of the sa apparently got his nas he could do with his thu about hilio’s book, so presulio himself was to be believed had been hatched out by the story itself, likedressed like a peasant, but his sas better than the Piper’s, and it was said that, like Silvernose, he had no sense of smell, which hy the two of the overcome by nausea, unlike everyone else

Lucky for the with relief

"Rub it down!" he ordered Oss testily "And then pitch ht his bodyguard extre

Orpheus’s tent was not particularly large He could hardly stand up in it, and it was so cramped that he almost knocked it dohen he turned around, but he hadn’t been able to read hih he had searched all his books for a rather grander version His bookswell, they were his now, anyway

Formerly the property of the library of Ombra Castle, but no one had stopped Orpheus when he’d helped himself to them

Books

How excited he had been, standing in the Laughing Prince’s library He had been so sure that he’d find at least one book there containing words by Fenoglio And he had, indeed, cos on the very first lectern His fingers had been shaking as he freed the book from its chain (the locks were easily picked; he kne to do these things) Got you now, Mortih You won’t knoho and where you are once I get ue around your robber’s name! He had been all the more painfully disappointed when he read the first words Oh, those leaden sounds, those badly rhylio couldn’t have written any of the songs in that book Where were the old s? Violante took them with her, you fool, he told himself Why didn’t you think of that before?

The disappointlio’s words could come alive in this world? Weren’t all books ultimately related? After all, the saed in a different order Which meant that, in a certain way, every book was contained in every other!

However thatthose endless hours in the saddle was not, unfortunately, very prole storyteller in this world who understood his art, or at least not in the Laughing Prince’s library What a pitiful collection of beautifully handwritten tediu! And the characters! Not even his voice would bring theinally, Orpheus had intended to impress the Adderhead with a sample of his skill the next ti that tasted better on his tongue than dry paper Damn it all!

Of course the Adderhead’s tent was already pitched Thu always sent a few servants on ahead so that his ht into it It was a fabric palace, the dark lengths of cloth eht as if thousands of slugs had been crawling over the material

Suppose he summons you now, Orpheus said to himself Didn’t you promise him entertainment? He still heard the Milksop’s malicious words only too clearly: My brother-in-law doesn’t like to have his expectations disappointed

Orpheus shivered He sat down under a tree, feeling wretched, lit a candle, and fished another book out of the saddlebags, while Oss went on struggling with the tent

Children’s stories! Oh, for heaven’s sake! Damn it, damn it, damn itor not? Wait a minute! This sounded falio’s words, no doubt about it

"That’s ers snatched the book fro, brows drawn together above his eyes -- probably in i the tin nose Maybe it had become rather a nuisance after a while

With difficulty, Orpheus resisted the te the book out of those slender hands Not a clever move Be nice to the little devil, Orpheus!