Tavi frowned at his uncle and scrunched up his nose, thinking. "Cold's coming on, and they know it. They'll want evergreens for shelter and for food. But the gargants were turned out to forage on the southern slope of the valley, and they won't go anywhere near gargants if they can help it." Tavi nodded. "North. Dodger has taken them into the pine hollows over the causeway."
Bernard nodded in approval. "Good. Remember that furycrafting is no substitute for intelligence, Tavi."
"And intelligence is no substitute for a fury," Tavi muttered sourly. He kicked at the ground, scuffing up a small cloud of dust and dried, dead grasses.
Bernard laid a heavy hand on Tavi's shoulder, squeezed, and then started walking north, down the old lane worn by the passage of carts and draft animals and feet. "It's not as bad as you think, Tavi. Furies aren't everything."
"Says the man with two of them," Tavi said, following him. "Aunt Isana says you could challenge for full Citizenship if you wanted to."
Bernard shrugged. "If I wanted to, perhaps. But I didn't come into my furies until I was almost your age."
"But you were a slow bloomer," Tavi said. "I'm way past that. No one's ever been my age and furyless."
Bernard sighed. "You don't know that, Tavi. Relax, boy. It will come to you in time."
"That's what you've told me since I was ten. If I'd had furies of my own, I could have stopped Dodger and still..." He choked down his anger before he could blurt out the words.
Uncle Bernard glanced back at Tavi, smiling with only his eyes. "Come on, lad. Let's pick up the pace. I need to be back before the other Stead-holders arrive."
Tavi nodded, and they broke into a mile-eating lope down the winding lane. The sky began to lighten as they passed the apple orchards, the beehives, and then the northern fields laid fallow for a season. The lane wound through a forest of mostly oak and maple, where most of the trees were so ancient that only the most meager grass and brush could grow beneath them. By the time the predawn pale blue had given way to the first tints of orange and yellow, they had reached the last stretch of woods before leaving the lands of Bernardholt. There the forest was not so old, and smaller trees and brush, some of it still living despite the lateness of the season, stood thick and heavy. Golden and scarlet leaves covered the dried skeletons of the smaller brush, and the naked, sleeping trees swayed in a chorus of gentle creaking.
And then something in his surroundings brought an odd kind of pressure to Tavi's senses. He stopped and let out a short, warning hiss of breath. From a full jog, Bernard abruptly dropped to a crouch, and Tavi instinctively followed suit.
Bernard looked silently back at Tavi, cocking an eyebrow in a silent question.
Tavi stayed on all fours and crawled up beside his uncle. He kept his voice to a whisper between panting breaths and said, "Up ahead, in that last
stand of trees by the brook There's usually a covey of quail there, but I saw them heading along the lane "
"You think something spooked them out," Bernard said He murmured, "Cyprus," and flicked his right hand toward the trees beside him in a signal to the lesser of his two furies Tavi looked up and saw a shape glide down from one of the trees-vaguely humanoid and no larger than a child It turned pale green eyes toward Bernard for a moment, crouching down like an animal Leaves and twigs seemed to writhe together to cover whatever shape lay beneath them Cyprus tilted its head to one side, focusing on Bernard, and then made a sound like wind rustling through the leaves and vanished into the brush
Tavi was winded from the run and struggled to slow his breathing "What is it'" he whispered
Bernard's eyes slipped out of focus for a moment before he answered "You were right Well done, boy There's someone hiding near the footbridge They've got a strong fury with them "
"Bandits'?" Tavi whispered
His uncle's eyes narrowed "It's Kord "
Tavi frowned "I thought the other Steadholders were supposed to be arriving later today And why would they be hiding in the trees'"
Bernard grunted, rising "Let's go find out "
Tavi followed his uncle on down the road Bernard walked with quiet purpose toward the causeway, as if he had every intention of traveling