“You watch Azaze.” Jayat had caught his breath. “She won’t let people impose on your Rosethorn.”

It was true: Two men approached the table, only to leave when Azaze glared at them. I was impressed, but how long could it last? There had to be people about who weren’t afraid of Azaze, headwoman or no. And I’d seen plenty of headwomen and headmen who would do what they were told, if enough rich people told them to do it.

At least they were feeding Rosethorn. Girls in aprons were putting bowls and plates before Rosethorn and Myrrhtide. They already had bread, hummus, and olives in front of them. Fusspot smiled and nodded to everyone, as if he was king of the Battle Islands. Rosethorn listened to Azaze and ate with a serious appetite. That was good. She wasn’t too tired to pick at her food.

Oswin gave us bowls of chicken stew and pulled spoons wrapped in napkins from his sash. The stew smelled of ginger and cinnamon. My belly growled. Behind Oswin, a maid brought us a tray of plates: hot bread, olives, chickpea and yogurt dips, lentils cooked with noodles, and pastries stuffed with eggplant. I swallowed my saliva and dug into my stew. It was delicious.

“Is the death of your plants and trees so unusual, Oswin?” Luvo had settled on the table where he could watch the room. He never got tired of looking at things, human or natural.

“I haven’t seen anything like this, Master Luvo.” Oswin scooped up hummus and olives with his bread. “Trees, strong, healthy ones, gone dead overnight—actually overnight. And I’ve never seen something that killed plants and animals in the same spot. It’s happened all around Mount Grace. The same thing with water sources. A pond that was good one day is acid the next, the fish, the plants all dead. It’s like the place has been cursed, but it’s a random curse. It doesn’t strike any one family or village. I’ll tell you, it’s the saddest thing in the world, to go to a place that was living a month ago, and find it…dead.” His mouth made a hard line. “If it’s a person who’s doing this, I’d like to dump him in one of the acid ponds. There’s an old pine in the grove by my place—it was there in my grandfather’s day. I’m going to have to cut it down, before it drops on one of the children.”

Jayat looked up and swallowed hard. “Speaking of your household.”

I turned around. A beautiful girl about Jayat’s age had come in. She walked over to lean on Oswin’s shoulder and steal a piece of bread. She moved like a dancer, swaying and graceful, as she whispered to Oswin. Her hair was the color of dark honey. She had a tiny, delicate nose. I tugged at the end of mine, trying to give it a little point. It stayed flat.

Oswin swore. “I told Treak if he started one more fight he was out on his ear.”

“I think that was the ear he wasn’t listening with,” the girl replied. Even her voice was pretty.

“All right, I’m coming. Nory, this is Evvy. Evvy, this is Nory.” Oswin got up. “It was very nice meeting you, Evvy.” He looked at Luvo. “And amazing to meet you. I actually wanted to ask—”

Nory dragged on his arm. “Treak is breaking furniture and you’re talking to a rock?”

“Furniture?” Oswin was red again. This time, from the way his eyes were bulging, I think he was red from anger. He hurried out, the girl trotting beside him.

“Remember I said he always needs food at his house?” Jayat asked. “A lot of kids were orphaned or left behind when the pirates were cleaned out. Oswin found homes for plenty of them all around this island, but not all of them. The rest live with him. They can be a handful.”

I wasn’t listening very closely. I was looking at my tea instead. I hadn’t touched the cup or jostled the table, yet the tea rippled, as if a stone had fallen into its center. On and on the ripples went. I looked at what was left of my stew. There, too, the liquid shivered. I closed my eyes. Grimly I concentrated on what I could feel. Under my feet and my behind I felt the ghost of a vibration in the floor and in the bench.

I rested my hand on Luvo. More earth-pulses? I asked him.

The earth can be as restless in its sleep as you, Evumeimei. I didn’t like his tone. It was troubled. Luvo had faced armies in Gyongxe without even grinding his crystal jaws. I hoped that whatever troubled him would go away soon, before it started to trouble me as well.

5
Dead Water

Even after two years in this aboveground world, I still love to watch the sun rise.” Luvo was speaking quietly to Rosethorn as I woke up. “This is a gift you and Evumeimei and Briar have given to me. When I was safe in my mountain body, I did not understand the glory of the dawn.”

Rosethorn explained, “Having to do midnight temple services for worship of the Earth gods puts a dent in my admiration for sunrise.” When I cracked my eyelids I could see Rosethorn pour her morning wash water into the basin. She went on, “I’m too tired to appreciate it, most of the time. On the road it’s different.”

I looked out of the window. Ever since Luvo had first told me about his love of daybreak, I remembered all the sunrises I had missed, living in my burrow deep inside the stone cliffs of Chammur. Usually I watched for dawn with him. I could see it from my cot now. The sky was the pink of rose quartz.

As I tossed aside my blanket, I noticed that Rosethorn was staring at the water in the basin.

“Rosethorn?” I asked. “The water’s shivering, isn’t it? Making ripple circles?”

“Yes. Last night, my tea did the same. Myrrhtide didn’t mention it, but I saw him try to make his stop moving. He failed.” She looked at me. “A water mage of his degree couldn’t get a cup of water to stop quivering, Evvy. That’s…interesting.”