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his head.
    “Oh, you must’ve been hit on the head,”
Emerald insisted. She leaned over to look at the back of his head.
He recoiled a little and insisted he was fine.
    Andreli slapped his palms against his thighs.
“So, Thal, you’ve been wandering naked in the Sumava your whole
life,” he concluded sarcastically.
    “Not my whole life,” Thal admitted. His gaze
drew inward as he absorbed the onrush of memories released by his
use of human words.
    “Where are you from?” Andreli pressed, hoping
he was getting somewhere.
    His hosts were patient until finally he
answered, “The word Prague is in my mind. Is Prague a place?”
    “Ho ho, it is!” Andreli said. “It’s a great
big city and a lovely fancy place. Puts the Bohemia in Bohemia so
they say. It seems fitting that one as strange as you is from
there.”
    Thal was not sure what Andreli meant by
that.
    “How long have you been away from Prague?”
Andreli asked.
    Thal struggled to answer. “What year is it?”
he said, remembering how people measured time.
    “1561,” Andreli said.
    The answer did not help Thal. He had no other
date in his head to compare it too. “I’ll try to remember more and
tell you, Lord Andreli. You’ve been kind and I understand you want
to know more about me,” he said.
    “I can’t help wanting to know, and it’s my
business to know things, but if you must have your secrets so be
it. I’ll not put you on an Inquisitor’s rack just because you’re a
wild man,” Andreli said.
    “A wild man?” Thal said, intrigued.
    Emerald explained, “Sometimes there’s stories
of a boy or even girl that ended up in the woods and survives
without people. When they’re found, they walk on all fours and
can’t talk.”
    “Have you seen such a one?” Thal said.
    “No, just stories. Gypsies hear lots of
stories. Sometimes people drop a few coins to listen to me tell
them,” she said. She caught sight of the skinny girl slinking
behind the wagon and hollered for her to come clean the pots. The
girl glanced at Thal as she obeyed her mistress. She had dark hair
and a gentle face and a string of glass beads around her neck. His
gaze held her for a moment. Her attractiveness pleased him.
    Forcing his attention back to Andreli, he
said, “What can I do to help?”
    “What are you good at?” his host
rejoined.
    For a moment Thal felt useless. He had no
idea if he had ever possessed any skills, but then he knew his
answer. “Hunting,” he said.
    Mildly impressed, Andreli said, “Only a few
of the men have bows or spears, but it would be nice to get a deer
or boar.”
    “You have many to feed,” Thal commented while
scanning the camp. Having enjoyed the kindness of these people, he
very much wanted to contribute in some way. It was only
natural.
    “Best not let any locals notice,” Emerald
warned.
    Andreli frowned at the unnecessary
comment.
    Addressing Thal, she continued, “We’ve not
been given leave to hunt these lands, but we can fish.”
    “Someone can tell you not to hunt?” Thal
said, disturbed by the notion.
    “Rosenbergs, or any baron for that matter,
can say how their lands are used or not used,” Andreli said.
    “But how can that be?” Thal wondered,
confused. Hunting was so basic to life, and he could not conceive
of denying anyone the right.
    “The common lands aren’t as common as they
once were. And even less so for interlopers such as we, but worry
not, friend Thal. If you’re a good hunter, as you say, then you
must be good at not being noticed.”
    “When need be,” Thal murmured. Of course he
knew how to be stealthy, but there were also times when revealing
his predatory presence gave the advantage of unnerving a target,
but this was not one of these times. He did not want to bring
trouble to the Gypsies, but obviously Andreli was not against
sidestepping rules.
    “I’ll look around for game and come back.
Have your men and dogs ready,” Thal said.
    “Very good. We’ll be waiting for