Melting Stones - By Tamora Pierce Page 0,63

themselves to my little bits of things." Dubyine gave Myrrhtide a small, mean smile. "Though I'll turn a blind eye for half of the proceeds."

"You dare?" Myrrhtide's eyes bulged from his head. "To say such a thing to me—me—" His mouth opened and closed.

Yep, I told myself. Heart attack for sure.

"I have spent this entire day immersed in that lake." Myrrhtide's voice shook. "I have sent calls to every quarter of the compass, requesting ships to save the people of this island. This is how you thank me? Threats? Bribes? The council of Winding Circle will hear of this! They will remember, and you can whistle for it when you need our help again!"

"We don't believe you're from Winding Circle, mate." Several men closed in behind Dubyine. The one who spoke gave me goose bumps. When I saw him I started to send heat into the rocks around the courtyard. I called them, wriggling them from the ground. I might need them for weapons. If ever someone's looks screamed "pirate," it was this man's. There were tattoos on his arms—he didn't have sleeves—and a big scar on his face. "And now you've rid us of our richer folk and their fighting servants," he said to Azaze, "we see no reason why we should let you take any of the profit."

"Karove, you've always been a greedy fool." Azaze nodded to someone behind the man Karove and his friends.

The master miner and some other people walked out of the shadows. They looked just as hard as Dubyine, Karove, and the others. In their hands they carried staffs or clubs. What they might have done next I don't know. They didn't get the chance to do it. The ground under Dubyine and Karove sprouted vines. Rosethorn was nearby. From the thorns on the vines, I guessed she wasn't in a good mood. Little springs of water spurted from the ground under the feet of the pirate-looking men. In a blink of an eye they were up to their ankles in mud. That was Myrrhtide's work. The men sloshed and slipped, falling. The miner and his friends stepped in to take their weapons away.

I drew the heat from my stones and let them settle into the ground again. I didn't wait to hear Azaze and Oswin apologize to Myrrhtide. I went inside. When I found the maids, I asked them to fix some hot food and tea for Myrrhtide and Rosethorn. Then I climbed upstairs. The maids wouldn't go near Myrrhtide's bags. I took out a clean robe and some underclothes, and spread them on his cot. I fetched clean towels for him, too. Then I went to my room.

I heard a boy's voice as I approached: Treak's. "So have you seen these volcano kids Oswin was talking about?"

"I have seen them as small pieces only. I cannot see them as whole beings, any more than I can visit the chamber where they and their kindred live." Poor Luvo. After visiting the lake he must have gone to my room for some more quiet. "They are part of the force that gave birth to me. Their power is the same as mine. If I draw too close to them, my existence will end. I will melt."

I walked in. Not only was Treak there with Luvo, so was Meryem. Worse, they had my chunks of granite out, the ones I kept for an emergency supply of strength.

"What are you doing with those?" I demanded. "They're magic. Luvo, why did you let them meddle with my magic things?"

"To keep them from meddling with things which might do them harm, Evumeimei," said Luvo. "They cannot release the power from these, as you know quite well."

"We're not deaf," said Treak, "we can answer for ourselves. We're hiding from Nory. She wants to make a drag sled from blankets and branches. I told her wait till Oswin comes back. He'll pull together some way to cart the rest of our things."

"She says that's lazy." Meryem was putting my granite cubes in their wooden box. I was impressed that she remembered the right spot for each cube. "She says that if more people did for themselves Oswin wouldn't work so hard."

"Well, Oswin's the only one of us who can get the grown-ups to help." Treak was trying to juggle two of my crystal spheres.

I snatched them from the air before he dropped them. "Leave my things alone!"

"You're as touchy as Nory," Treak said. "Who cares about stupid old rocks anyway?"

I