"Vayash moru feel different to a healer. They're not alive and they're not dead. They're-empty."
"I've had a few months to get used to it myself. Most of the time I don't think about being food."
"There was something odd last night, when I healed Eiria's hands. Even being vyrkin, her life force didn't feel right."
"Eiria doesn't have much time left. Riqua told me that Shifters eventually get stuck in their other form. When that happens, they die or go mad. Eiria's starting to lose control" over when she shifts. Yestin doesn't say anything, but you can see it in his eyes when he looks at her. They've been together a long time. The problem with the Flow makes it worse."
Carina turned to him. "I'm surprised to hear you talk about the Flow. I thought that was just the Sisterhood."
"Yeah, well I was ready to leave it to the witch biddies until I started living on top of it. I can't feel it-at least, not like you or Tris can-but from what everyone says, even the non-magic users get affected after a while. It runs right beneath Dark Haven-that's how the last lord was killed, when Arontala stole that damned Soulcatcher orb. He warped the Flow, and since then, nothing's been quite the same, not the land, nor the livestock, nor the crops."
"I felt something odd last night, but I was so tired, I figured it was the long ride."
"That's one reason why our rooms are on the top floor, in the far wing. Gabriel and I thought it was a good idea to keep both of us as far away from it as possible."
Jonmarc smiled. "Maynard Linton stopped by just before Gabriel and I headed for Mar-golan. I told him about what we're trying to do, and I took him down to the village to see the crafts people. Potters, glass blowers, and some of the best weavers outside of Noor. Not to mention the vayash moru goldsmiths and sword smiths. I haven't seen Linton that excited in a long time. Seems he's been itching to get back on the caravan trail now that Jared's gone. Plans to keep his ties to the river as well. So he put in a big order and he'll be back at the thaw to pick it up. Wants to trade it on the main caravan route plus down the Nu to Jolie's Place. That alone will go a long way toward putting some gold in the townspeople's pockets. Enough for them to rebuild their herds and make some improvements." "I knew you weren't the average mercenary." "I used to watch my father do his accounts every month. He ran a very successful forge, and mother's weaving brought customers from all over the Borderlands. If accounts were good at month's end, we roasted a goat or a lamb. If things were tight, all we got was chicken. We had four boys in the family-we did everything we could to make it a goat month." He looked out over the windswept hills. Snow glistened in the air; the winds dusted it up until it shone in the cold winter sun.