Part 7 (2/2)

”He's lying,” said the Fir-Noy. ”Take him and press the truth out.”

The Bailiff turned to the Fir-Noy. ”This is Shoka land, not Fir-Noy. Your news has caused trouble enough. I won't let it bring murder to my fields.”

”Killing a Koramite isn't murder.”

”It is here,” the Bailiff spat.

The Fir-Noy licked his fat lips and shook his head in disgust, but he made no reply.

Talen addressed the Bailiff. ”You know my family. Surely, you can't think I am one of them.”

”I can think anything I want,” said the Bailiff. ”I stake my reputation vouching for you and yours. But your actions have begun to stain me.”

”No, Zu. Not mine. We carry no stain.” The Bailiff knew him. Da had given his boy a foundling wildcat. He'd taught the Bailiff himself a better way of drawing his bow. And, in return, the Bailiff had invited Da on many a hunt. Surely, the Bailiff's vision would not be clouded with Fir-Noy rubbish.

The Bailiff looked at Talen as if he were weighing him.

”I find no cause to accuse this boy,” the Bailiff finally said. ”Not today.”

Talen bowed himself in grat.i.tude. ”Zu, you are clear-sighted and wise.”

”Then prove me right. Packs of bounty hunters will begin to stalk these woods. But if a Koramite were to bring the hatchlings in, that would say something, wouldn't it?”

”Yes,” said the Fir-Noy. ”It will say that Koramites, like crows, feed on the carrion of their own kind. It proves nothing.”

Anger flashed up in Talen. Fir-Noy did nothing but pick and feed on the work of others. He knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't help himself. The words were leaping out before he knew what he was saying.

”Well, Zu,” said Talen. ”At least we're willing to make something useful of our carrion; it appears the Fir-Noy simply lets theirs parade about full of maggots and stink.”

Anger flushed the Fir-Noy's face, and he kicked his horse forward to get at Talen.

Talen cringed, but the Bailiff grabbed the Fir-Noy's reins and pulled the horse up short.

”He'll take that back!” said the Fir-Noy. ”I won't stand for this, Shoka land or no.”

The Bailiff turned to Talen. ”This is the last time you can expect protection from your own stupidity. Apologize!”

”Yes,” said Talen. ”Of course.” He faced the Fir-Noy and stood as tall as he could muster. ”Zu, I've been knocked half out of my mind. I apologize. Such untruths are only given voice by fools.”

”Rot,” said the Fir-Noy. Then he wrenched the reins away from the Bailiff. ”Your territory Lord will hear about this.”

”I have no doubt,” said the Bailiff.

The Bailiff turned to Talen, his pale eyes sending a trembling up Talen's back. ”There's going to come a time, Talen, when there will be no one to hold such men back. And the Koramites will be purged. It might be already too late. Now, you to tell your da I expect him to order the Koramites in my district. I expect a.s.surances. And know this: we'll be picking over every rock and stone. And by the Goat King's hairy a.r.s.e, we'll make no distinction between those who harbor hatchlings and those who practice the abominable arts. Now go.”

Talen nodded. ”Thank you, Zu,” he said and began to push past two of the men to go back to the bridge to fetch his cart.

”Where are you going?” the Bailiff demanded.

”My cart,” said Talen.

”I just gave you an order.”

Talen paused. He could see no sympathy on the faces of the men. Nor was he stupid. The Bailiff had just stood up for him, and Talen wasn't going to throw that back in his face. He'd simply have to come back for the cart and baskets later and hope n.o.body had stolen them.

”Directly home,” said Talen, changing his course. ”That's where I'm going.”

The Bailiff only looked at him with those pale eyes.

Talen walked across the field toward the trail. He hurt all over, but he could walk. He could breathe. And that was something to be thankful for. He remembered the peppercorns and felt to make sure bag was still hanging from his neck. They were still there, and that too was something to be thankful for.

As he departed he heard the Bailiff lecturing his men, but he was so rattled he couldn't focus on what the man was saying.

Talen crossed the fence and walked out onto the trail that led back to his home. The wood rose up in front of him. That rotted Fir-Noy said the hatchlings had been seen in this district. If Talen were running, the woods is where he would go. But he couldn't imagine they would be here. Not right here. Of all the miles upon miles of woodland available, why would the sleth hatchlings choose this little section of the district right here in front of him? The chances were so remote that it wasn't worth thinking about. But his heart wasn't listening to his mind. It was said sleth needed to feed often on the Fire of other men. And a lone stripling walking in the cover of a thick wood was a perfect target.

Furthermore, sleth never came alone. There was always a big nest of them. So it was likely there were more than this one family, which meant there were probably adults, full of the dark art, looking for those hatchlings as well.

And even if the sleth didn't find him, then there were the bounty hunters the Bailiff had mentioned. Only the fiercest of men took it upon themselves to hunt sleth. And because these sleth had been found among Koramites, the hunters would suspect every Koramite they came across, and he did not want to fall into their hands for questioning.

He glanced at the Bailiff and the men making their way back towards the village and shook his head. Mobs and monsters! Being chased about by Ke and River now seemed a pretty thing.

He faced the woods again. He didn't have much choice. Besides, even if someone were waiting behind a bend in ambush, standing here like a coward wasn't going to improve his odds.

He searched the ground for a st.u.r.dy stick and a few good throwing stones, and then Talen entered the wood.

He made a firm resolve not to run, but the farther he got into the dark, old wood, the more he felt like a fat worm sinking on a hook into the water.

A fat worm that had already been worked over. He catalogued his pains. There were two spots on his head that hurt to touch them. There was his eye that was now almost swollen shut. His ribs smarted. His kidneys, he was sure, had been abused. Lords, even his toes protested. He looked down, saw a smart bruise on his left foot and realized someone must have stomped it.

But these were physical pains. They would heal. At least, he hoped they would, especially the blows to his brain. The sleth, on the other hand, were different. And he couldn't tell what would be worse: to be taken by the Bone Faces and forced into a nine-fingered enslavement or to be kept in storage like a living carca.s.s, to be feasted upon or twisted into something unnatural. At least with the Bone Faces he'd die a man.

And how could he follow the Baliff's suggestion and bring in the hatchlings, the children of these sleth? A proper sleth hunt required one hundred men. It required a Divine. What could one runt do?

If he had his bow, he might be able to do something. That is if the sleth didn't know the arrow was coming. He'd heard once at an ale house that sleth could whisper to arrows, but Talen didn't believe that. It didn't matter anyway because he didn't have his bow. He was defenseless but for the stick and cl.u.s.ter of stones he held in his hands. The thing to do now was get back to Da and the others as quickly as he could and alert them.

The distinct thock of a branch breaking sounded off to his right followed by a squirrel chittering a warning. Talen took another step and heard footfalls.

His heart leapt up into his throat. Something was in these woods, but he told himself the sound was from nothing more than a falling branch. He told himself to stand upright and walk like a man. He tried to act calm-the last thing prey should do is act like prey.

Then came a grunt and high keening, something moving toward him, scuffling through the leaves on the forest floor.

You are not prey, he told himself, you are not prey, but he quickened his step nevertheless. Something dark flashed in the corner of his eye. He began to jog and swore something immediately moved toward him. He turned and it hid behind the trunk of a tree. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and the only thing he could think was run!

<script>