Tris's Book by Tamora Pierce

Author:Tamora Pierce
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasy, Fiction
ISBN: 0590554093
Published: 1999-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Rosethorn, Lark and Sandry were all at the big table, working. Tris went immediately to her bird in Rosethorn's workshop. She could hear his peeping. Uncovering the nest, she saw the starling was awake and alert. Seeing her, he opened his beak wide.

"In a moment," she said, and covered him up again. She helped Briar to stow the baskets' contents in the cold-box, eager to find the ground meat and egg yolks that Gorse had put in. The nestling squalled; 'in a moment' was not what he wanted.

"If we didn't have Frostpine and Daja in our own rooms - well, Rosethorn and I will be sleeping in our workshops as it is," said Lark, when Aymery made his request.

"I feel guilty, not having anyone when they're laying pallets down in all the dormitories," Rosethorn admitted.

"I don't mind a pallet, here or in the attic," Aymery told them.

"You don't need one." Sandry looked up from her weaving. In the time since Briar and Tris had left, she had managed to put nearly a foot and a half of cloth on the narrow loom that Lark was teaching her to use. If pressed to comment, she would have said it looked no worse - and not much better - than the weaving she had done the day before. "If Daja says it's all right, I'll sleep in her room, and Tris's cousin can sleep in mine." Getting up, she went to see if Daja was awake enough to ask.

She was, and gave her permission immediately. With that settled, Aymery went to get his things from the guesthouse.

"Now," Lark told Tris and Briar as Rosethorn heated fish stew, and Tris prepared meat and egg balls for her nestling. "What did Moonstream say when you found her?"

The nestling was fed, and the stew hot, when five sharp crack-booms shattered the noontime heat one after another. Outside, animals and babies cried out. One woman screamed, "What is it?" over and over, until someone hushed her up.

Tris was shaking. Lark and Rosethorn, looking grave, took the stew to their invalids.

"No one's ever seen anything like this?" Sandry whispered to the other two children.

"Not that we heard," Briar muttered.

The five of them were just finishing their own midday - not the stew, which was needed to build up Daja's and Frostpine's strength, but cold beef, cheese and vegetables from the garden - when a runner stumbled in the door.

"Moonstream asks for you the senior mages to be on the wall by South Gate when the clock strikes one," he gasped, and ran out again.

"That means us," Lark said, rubbing her face tiredly. "I don't know how much good I'll be for this." She rose with a sigh and looked out the window at the clock. "We have a few minutes to get there, at least."

"I know what Moonstream wants." Frostpine stood in Rosethorn's doorway, his dark face ashy with exhaustion, as he leaned on the frame. "If they're using those - those boom-stones, or whatever they are, down at the cove.

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