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let her hands fall. Normally, she would have been confident of her ability to outrun them. But now, wounded, and already exhausted in body and spirit, she was not so sure.

    Amara turned and bade Cirrus to bear her north and east—and prayed that the sun would set before her foes caught up to her.

Chapter 3

     

    Tavi slipped out of his room, down the stairs, and through the silence of the last shreds of night before dawn. He entered the cavernous shadows of the great hall, noting a faint glow of light in the kitchens beside the great hall. Old Bitte rarely slept more than a few hours a night, and Tavi heard her moving through the kitchen, preparing it for the coming breakfast meal.

    He unbolted the door and left the great hall for Bernard-holt’s courtyard. One of the stead-holt’s dogs lifted his head from the empty barrel he used as a kennel, and Tavi stooped to scratch the old hound’s ears. The dog thumped his tail against the barrel’s interior and laid his head back down to sleep. Tavi drew his cloak over his shoulders against the chill of the dying autumn night and opened the postern door to leave the safety of Bernard-holt.

    The door opened to reveal his uncle Bernard, leaning casually against the doorway, dressed in leathers and a heavy green cloak for a day in the wilderness beyond the stead-holt’s fields. He lifted an apple to his mouth and crunched into it. Bernard was a large man with broad shoulders and the heavy muscles of hard labor. His dark hair, cropped close in a Legion cut, showed a fleck or two of grey, though none such appeared in his close-trimmed beard. He wore a quiver of hunting arrows at his side, riding beside his Legion-issued sword, and he carried the stave to the lightest of his bows unstrung in his hand.

    Tavi drew up short, with a flutter of apprehension. Then he spread his hands, silently conceding the victory to Bernard, and then offered his uncle a faint smile. “How did you know?”

    Bernard returned the smile, though there was a wary cast to it. “Fade saw you drinking a lot of extra water last night, after you came in so late, and pointed it out to me. It’s an old soldier’s trick to get up early.”

    “Oh,” Tavi said. “Yes, sir.”

    “I counted the flocks,” Bernard said. “Looks like we might be a few heads short.”

    “Yes, sir,” Tavi said. He licked his lips nervously. “I’m going to bring them in now.”

    “I was under the impression that you had done so last night. Since you marked down a full count on the tally slate.”

    Tavi’s cheeks grew warm, and he felt glad for the dimness. “Dodger led his ewes and their lambs out last night, when I was trying to bring the south flock in. I didn’t want you to worry.”

    Bernard shook his head. “Tavi, you know that today is important. The other Stead-holders will be arriving for the truth-find, and I don’t need any distractions.”

    “I’m sorry, Uncle. Why don’t you stay here, then? I can find Dodger and bring him back in.”

    “I don’t like you wandering around the valley alone, Tavi.”

    “I’m going to have to eventually, uncle. Unless you planned on following me around for the rest of my life.”

    Bernard sighed. “Your aunt would murder me.”

    Tavi gritted his teeth. “I can do it by myself. I’ll be careful and be back before noon.”

    “That’s not really the point. You were supposed to bring them in last night,” Bernard said. “What kept you from it?”

    Tavi swallowed. “Um. I’d promised to do someone a favor. I didn’t have time to get them both done before dark.”

    Bernard sighed. “Crows, Tavi. I really thought you had done a lot of growing up this season. That you were learning to handle responsibility.”

    Tavi felt suddenly sick to his stomach. “You’re not going to gift me the sheep, are you?”

    Bernard said, “I don’t begrudge you getting your fair dues. I was glad—I am glad to help you get started with your own flock. But I’m not