The suns condescended from high above like distant certainties.  Lonely clouds floated about beneath them, and sometimes a suggestion of a skyland far away.  The murmur of the crowd in the east market was a thick, and I waded through it.


    cliff-dweller.


    sour.


    things I need to do.”  Saying that had both Hinte and Glyster peering at me.  I brushed their gazes off.  They weren’t what whittled at me.  Rubbing my hurt neck, I turned and started toward Digrif, while finding myself, in my mind, a ring in the future, meeting instead Adwyn’s sifting gaze.  Would he see right through me?


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    It was a weapons stall, and it displayed a few aluminum and bronze swords.


    plain-dweller.  They had a gnarled, rough look.  Their horns grew out of control, and some of their scales parted from their face.  They watched Digrif with what might be good-natured smile.  Or an ingratiating one.


    could we defend ourselves if we ended up in another situation like the one in the lake?


    him.


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    The weapon and armor stalls faded behind us, giving way to a new theme.  Looking around, there were outfits resembling the sifting suits I’d worn with Hinte yesterday, and some that didn’t looked nearly as good.


    bottle.  The advantages of having an alchemist friend, I guess.


    was similar, very similar, down to the handle.  Maybe the humans had the same ideas? I put the sieve back in my bag, and kept looking around.


    before entering the lake?”


    “Can’t cross the seas nor skies astarr’d,


    “Until the fires have grown cold—


    “Like the legends haven’t told,


    “We sift while life is barred.


    “We bare the heat, the drought, the lake,


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.   “The bossdrake’s unescapèd call,


    “The fiery moil which bitters all—


    “We sift for heart’s warm sake.


    “The fires are trudge and toil for what?


    “Reward so meager for the plight?


    “Potential pay that makes it right?


    “It simply doesn’t cut.


    “I do not sift for glass or gold,


    “And nor to make a life???—??that’s true,


    “But only for the love I knew.


    “I sift for something old.


    “My love escaped into the clouds


    “Beyond which scarcely could I find


    “The flames or words to change her mind


    “The flames that could have vowed.


    “Now time has past like scales that slough


    “My fangs have faltered, dessicated


    “(A sifter’s final fall, but fated).


    “It seems flames weren’t enough.


    “Across the seas and skies astarr’d,


    “Until my flames had grown too cold,


    “Like the legends haven’t told,


    “I’d sift’d till hope was marr’d.


    tongue-flap.


    I would look in a mask like that? …I glanced, with effort, at the price: ninety aris.


    ninety aris.


    Staune seem a cliff-dweller.  As I stared at the masks, the owner of the stall turned around to peer at me.  They were a deep orange???—??a canyon-dweller.  Their face was specked with dark-gray freckles.  They regarded me, cool and impassive.


    almost pity you and her.”


    was a good deal, I thought.  It was what I wanted.


    generous.”


    feel the lightness in my purse.


    of course I recognize highness Adwyn.  And that other hatchling has scales that nearly pin them down.  Who are they?  Donio?  Digrif?”


    fraud, madam. Are you implying something?”


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    “Thank you, Kinri.  This was quite thoughtful of you.”


    sifter wants a mask like these, they’ll be paying out of their own pocket.”  Adwyn popped his tongue. “Basic caution implores us to use them, Hinte.” Adwyn’s tone had become bronze, as if he would take to ordering Hinte around. It was easy to forget???—??with his irreverent, observant demeanor???—??that this schizon-clad canyon-dweller was a military veteran, a former commander.


    is the land of glass and secrets. Secret glass.” Digrif had tried putting on his gas-mask already; but he had it on backward, eye holes at the back of his head, and was looking in the wrong direction as he spoke.  I walked over to fix his mask.


    not being calm, if by some small yet significant amount.  “She has tried.”


    scared, flimsy, can’t trust her), and in that moment of hesitation, Digrif slinked right beside Hinte.


    could cover us, but we can’t count on the humans knowing that, so I held back.”  He looked over to Hinte, then me, starting to lick his eyes only to find them covered by the mask’s goggles.  “Since you two are responsible for bringing the humans to us, I thought you would want a share of the spoils.”


    * * *