Page 40 (1/2)

Sparhawk nodded The suddenly-acquired timidity of the Zemochs made this part of the trip fairly safe He reached over and lifted his daughter onto Faran’s back in front of his saddle ‘I thought you liked politics,’ he said to her after Talen had returned to his post beside the carriage

‘Oscagne’s describing the organisation of the Tamul Empire,’ she replied ‘I already know about that He’s notto shrink the distance fro, tedious journeys through boring terrain Faran and the other horses appreciateroan nickered enthusiastically

‘He’s such a nice horse,’ Danae said, leaning back against her father’s armoured chest

‘Faran? He’s a foul-tempered brute’

‘That’s because you expect hi to please you’ She rapped on his ar about this,’ she said ‘How can you stand that awful shts were all wearing full arhtly-coloured pennons snapped from their lances Sparhawk looked around to be sure no one was close enough to overhear thes so that I can see real time?’

‘Nobody can see time, Sparhawk’

‘You knohat Ion, not the illusion you create to keep what you’re doing a secret’

‘Why?’

‘I like to knohat’s going on, that’s all’

‘You won’t like it,’ she warned

‘I’s I don’t like’

‘If you insist, father’

He was not entirely certain what he had expected – some jerky, acceleratedlike the twittering of birds as they condensed long conversations into little bursts of unintelligible babble That was not what happened, however Faran’s gait beca horse seeround – or, round seemed to flow back beneath his hooves Sparhaed hard and looked around at his companions Their faces seemed blank, wooden, and their eyes half-closed

‘They’re sleeping just now,’ Aphrael explained ‘They’re all quite coood supper and that the sun’s gone down I fixed them a rather nice caet rid of the extra food’

‘Can’t you just make it vanish?’

‘And waste it?’ She sounded shocked ‘The birds and anioing to take us to reach Basne?’

‘Two days We could go faster if there was an e on just now’

Sparhawk reined in, and he followed his little daughter back to where the pack ani all of this in your head at the same time?’ he asked her

‘It’s not that difficult, Sparhawk You just have to pay attention to details, that’s all’