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along so that she could be sooner rid of her. This had drawn even louder complaints, of fatigue, of being out of breath, and at last a stumbleonly partly contrivedwhich left Mallt weeping and rubbing an ankle. Rhiannon had sighed, partly with irritation and partly with relief, and suggested that they should return to Aber since Mallt could hardly walk further. This Mallt refused to do, weeping even louder and reminding Rhiannon that she had promised to find the herbs. |
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''I can walk, if only you will help me and not go so fast," Mallt cried. |
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Patience was not one of Rhiannon's strong points, but she was not one to break her word either. If she went back now, she would have to go out with Mallt another time. She helped her companion to her feet and assisted her onward, doing her best to close her ears to the continuing spate of talk that poured from Mallt's lips. This effort not to hear was all too successful. Rhiannon did not notice the sharp snap of a twig behind instead of beside her, nor the fact that Mallt's words flowed even faster and louder for a moment. She had withdrawn into herself so successfully that she was totally unaware of anything unusualuntil a heavy, evil-smelling cloth was flung over her head and pressed hard into her mouth. |
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The method of attack, which effectively muted and blinded Rhiannon, had been the result of considerable frightened planning on Madog's part. When he initially made the plan, he had intended to sneak up behind Rhiannon and strike her on the head. Then he realized this would not do at all. If he did not strike her quite hard enough, she would surely realize who had attacked her, and she might have time to make her curses last after death. Madog had no idea how long the formulae were; it might take only one word. On the other hand, if he hit her too hard, she might die of the blow. To kill a witch directly, Madog knew, made her curses more virulent. |
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