To The King A Daughter by Andre Norton & Sasha Miller

Author:Andre Norton & Sasha Miller [Norton, Andre & Miller, Sasha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Monarchy, Fiction, Fantasy, General, Science Fiction, Witches, Inheritance and Succession, Prophecies, Princesses, Inheritence and Succession
ISBN: 9780312873363
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2000-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Ashen awoke, startled out of sleep by a soft patting against her face. She opened her eyes to see not only Weyse crouched close by, but also the flyer, who was urging her out of slumber by reaching out a forepaw and tugging at the edge of her jerkin.

"Hungry, little ones? Let me get myself into good order and we shall break our fast." Ashen laid aside her reed covering and went to the water source she had found the night before. She took a handful of wild moss from her pack. It served as a sponge, and also provided a slight lather that left her face and hands clean. With a horn comb, she untangled her hair enough to braid it quickly and fasten it with thorn pins to the top of her head.

As she inserted the last of these, she heard an insistent trilling from behind, along with the soft purring notes of the flyer, and hastened back to bring out her supplies to feed the two hungry little creatures. Whatever Weyse had been accustomed to eating before her arrival, it was plain to see that the furred one greatly preferred what Ashen had brought. Taking the last of the boiled lupper's eggs from her bag, she noted wryly that if she would be here for any length of time, she must do some energetic hunting. Neither of her charges would understand the meaning of an empty bowl.

Whether any of the edible roots and plants she was familiar with could be found here, she did not know, but the night before, she had heard the peeping of luppers, and she was well acquainted with the snares one set for them. In the meantime, she must fully explore this chamber and make sure of just what she now had to hand.

Weyse and the creature she had begun to think of as "Little Flit" remained by the fire she had coaxed to a higher flame. The black stones Zazar had set there burned much longer and stronger than the squares of peat and dried reeds that never fully warmed any Bog dwelling, but filled it with smoke instead. There seemed to be a goodly supply of that fuel in a small bin at the back of the chamber.

Today she did not pause by the marked plates, but rather, picked and probed into all the containers resting on various shelves. Some of the contents she knew by their scent—the familiar materials used for healing. Others she was wary enough not to dig fingers into.

Having made the survey of her new quarters as best she could, Ashen determined to see at least part of the broken buildings around it. As she moved toward the entrance, Weyse flashed ahead, and Little Flit leaped with a flutter of wings to settle on her shoulder, where it nuzzled her cheek and made its purring sound.

Ashen discovered, as she reached the outside, that the morning was well advanced. The clouds, which had blanketed the path yesterday, were gone and the sun had an unusual warmth for this time of year.

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