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"A clever verse," Lia said

"It is a clever verse It talks about three of the things that keep us fro the Medium master us Jealousy, fear, and pride You do not seeirl"

"I am," Lia said "Sometimes"

"No," he said "I have not seen even a spark of that in you Trust irls They speak with venom They claw each other over trifles You are ambitious, to be sure, but not proud As a wretched, how could you be proud? You are in a forced state of humility But even so, your attitude rises above it Your demeanor is confident, not sullen So it is fear That is what is holding you back from the Medium It is your fear"

At such a moment, she wished she had a sturdy pan she could clench and crack his head with Rather than screech at him, she kept her voice calm "Colvin, I am away from my ho after us Yes…I am afraid I am terrified! I am cold Above even those, I a water fro but apples This is by far theyou taught ht," Colvin said "As I told you…"

"You do not understand!" she said, cutting hiht hts create feelings Why can you not understand that all I have arecold re fed Being lonely…"

As soon as the words were out of herShe hated crying, especially in front of him He crouched near her, helpless as a dolt He looked pole axed, irier The tears were hot on her lashes Why could he never see that she needed soawk at her? Sobs shook her for several ain She would not look at hiainst her ar he would curl up against the saddle and just go to sleep

His voice was soft, almost a whisper "When I left Forshee for the first tie I left to be a learner My pride would never admit it, but I did miss home very much I missed my sister I missed my father and his wisdom I even missed my mother, who I scarcely remember now, since she died when my sister was born I was five, I think Billerbeck Hundred is lonely country I felt it keenly"

Still, she did not look at his ever left me, but they did diminish over time That, I can promise you Muirwood is a beautiful abbey I went there once withI think ent to the Whitsun Fair I was only a boy, but I re the maypole dance"

The Whitsun Fair – the event every wretched in the abbey longed for out of the year The tiled Visitors fros of cider, to trade leather for silk, or to taste the famous dishes that could only be found there And then when the sun had set, the torches and lanterns would bring a second dawn as the young athered around thecolorful sashes down the length of it

Lia lifted her head, her heart nearly breaking with sorrow "Colvin, this Whitsunday was to becircle My very first There was a learner…a first-year…I promised…" She blinked away fresh tears "I promised him I would dance with hiet that chance again to dance around theafter that, but his eyes were downcast with sy he could say

The crunch of a toke her, woke them both The moon was beyond the horizon It was dark, and Lia shivered, her body huddled up as tight as a walnut The horse nickered fro sound had come much closer

Colvin’s voice was a pale whisper "Did you hear that?"

"Yes," she answered, her heart bulging in her throat

"Lay still" In the darkness, she heard the faint sound of Colvin’s sword dragging clear its scabbard

Her heart beat frantically The sherrif’s uer alone, as in her dream? Was the dream a shadoould happen? Was it a vision? The helplessness of not being able to awakenup on them