She was as stubborn as a hruss refusing to leave its warm stable for the cold outside. His admiration swelled as he thought of the stories he had heard about her. He believed every word. He tried to close his mind to her. Zakri. Will you not forgive me for upsetting you? Fear made him furious. Hardly knowing he did it, he threw the shovel to the stone floor with a clang, making the hruss jump. He leapt to the door of the stables. The heavy tools on their pegs shivered with his emotion. If she came too close—it just wasn’t safe. “You have to go away!” he cried in desperation. His voice cracked, a harsh and ugly sound. “Leave me alone!” The mist swirled outside, obscuring the cliffs and the sea. He wanted to immerse himself in it, lose himself, as the trees were even now disappearing in its gray folds. She wouldn’t give up, he could tell. Three nights now she had come here, tempting him. If only he could risk it, and let her try to help him . . . but she was Cantrix Sira, and far too important to put at risk for one ruined Gift and one miserable stableman.
