Sister of the Dead - By Barb Hendee & J. C. Hendee Page 0,57
voices had roused Wynn, as well, and she rolled out her blanket, rubbing her eyes.
"You're the hunter, " Elena whispered. "The one who kills the dead?"
Magiere felt heat drain from her flesh. No one they'd met on this journey had mentioned such things or connected her to the old backwoods rumors. She wanted nothing more of peasant superstitions.
"Help us, " Elena said. "Please. "
"Why do you think you need my help?" Magiere snapped at the girl.
Elena shrank back. "My lord sent me... to bring you to the manor to speak with him. Please help him. He'll pay whatever you ask. "
"We're taking the barge to Keonsk tomorrow, " Magiere said. "We don't have time. "
Two tears slipped down Elena's face. "Just talk to him. That's all I ask. "
"Now?" Leesil asked.
"He's waiting. He wants this kept a secret, so as not to give our people false hope. "
Chap barked once. He trotted to the door and glared back at all of them with a low rumble.
"Oh, he actually wants to do something, " Leesil grumbled. "He's been dragging his tail since we left Bela, and now he wants us to go with this girl. "
"He thinks there's something to hunt, " Magiere whispered.
She looked at Leesil, and though he was wide awake, he appeared haggard and exhausted. They'd shared a bed for nearly a moon, and only a few times had she awoken in the night to hear him mumbling in his sleep or feel him clench and twitch under an old nightmare. She would gently shake him and pull him close until he settled again into quiet slumber. But not this night, yet he looked as if he hadn't slept at all. Wynn swayed as she stood up.
"Are you all right?" Magiere asked.
Wynn rubbed her eyes again. "I am... just tired. "
Magiere grabbed her boots and sword lying at the head of the bedroll. "Elena, what is going on here?"
The girl shook her head. "I don't understand it all. You must speak with my lord. "
Magiere wished she'd listened to the bargemen and stayed out of this town.
"All right, " Leesil said. "Give us a moment. "
He pulled on his own boots and strapped on his punching blades. As he fastened his cloak, Magiere saw him pull out the topaz amulet she'd given him so it hung in plain sight.
"Wynn, bring the talking hide for Chap, " he said.
Moments later, they hurried out into the night. Magiere took the lead, falchion unsheathed, and Chap trotted beside her. Elena and Wynn followed, with the wolfhound between them. Leesil fell back to the rear.
"How far is this lord's manor?" Magiere asked.
"Only a little ways, " Elena answered. "It's not too far to walk. "
When they reached the town's midway with the tripod lamps, Elena directed them inland. The dock path extended past its meeting with the main road and widened a bit as it headed through the trees and away from the river. Magiere glanced back every so often to see Leesil watching the side ways between the buildings. Once beyond the town, he looked through the trees to either side, all the while fingering the topaz amulet.
The land rolled slightly, but it wasn't as sharply hilled as around Magiere's home village. They came to a wooden bridge with railings that spanned a stream running over a rocky bed. The bridge was sturdy and wide enough for two horses to cross abreast. At the far side, a branch hung low in the way. Magiere pushed it aside to pass, and the limb snapped off. A cascade of pale needles fell loose to litter the bridge flooring.
The branch seemed dead, but it had withered and rotted so quickly that its needles had no time to wilt off.
"Something's out there, " Leesil whispered.
Magiere looked back to see him watching the forest upstream.
"Wait here, " he added.
As he slipped over the bridge's side, Magiere tightened her grip on the falchion. She glimpsed Leesil's cloak in the dark before he vanished from sight around a tree. When he didn't reappear on its other side, she stepped closer to the railing, trying to spot him again.
Leesil reappeared upslope from the stream and nearer the road beyond the bridge. As he stepped out into the open path, he waved them forward. Magiere urged Wynn and Elena on, and Chap ran ahead. When they caught up, Leesil gestured for Magiere to follow him.
"Chap, stay and keep watch over Wynn and Elena, " he said.