With every mile, her sense of unease grew, so much so that she felt as if she were pushing her way up an invisible stream.
Shortly before midday, she was skirting her way around a clearing-she didn't want to be out in the open-when she saw it. A wolf, watching her from the shadows of the deeper wood. She might not have seen it had it not been for its pale fur. A silver so pale to be just shy of white, like starlight on new snow. Nothing unusual about that. Narfell was thick with wolves-especially near the hills, where the swiftstag herds came to forage and take advantage of the mountain streams in summer.
But less than a mile later, she saw it again. The same wolf. With that pale fur, there was no mistaking it.
She kept going.
The last time she saw it, it was standing on a treeless slope above her, looking down. Very strange behavior, especially for a lone wolf. Giving its position away like that for anyone to see. It let out a short yip that melted into a whining howl, then turned tail and disappeared over the hill.
She smelled them before she saw anything. Wood smoke. A campfire, most likely.
Hweilan crouched low, kept to the deep brush, and chose each step with the utmost care.
There, in a small valley next to a frozen pool, she found Scith.
Hweilan counted five men with him-all Creel as near as she could tell. They had picketed their horses under the nearest trees and built their fire in a basin formed by the crater left behind from an old treefall. The tree still lay next to it, its large root system gnarled and probably hard as iron. The Creel had tied Scith to the upended roots of an old tree, his arms spread, the coat and clothes covering his upper torso cut away. His skin was bloody with fresh cuts. The men were laughing as they knelt over the fire.
One of them stood. In his hand he held a long stick, the far end glowing hot and smoking. His laughter stopped, and he stepped toward Scith.
CHAPTER NINE
How is the eye?"
Jatara's jaw tightened and she breathed heavily through her nose. Guric saw the fury in her remaining eye, and it warmed his heart. A strip of gray cloth around her forehead bound a linen bandage over her right eye. Lord Guric, two guards behind him, faced Jatara, who stood guard outside the door of Argalath's chamber.
Jatara bared her teeth. Perhaps it was supposed to be a smile, but it seemed more snarl to Guric. "Which eye, my lord?"
"Why the only one you have left, of course. I was told you lost the other in failing at the one task given you yesterday."
No mistaking it. He could definitely hear her teeth grinding.
"It won't happen again, my lord."
"I should hope not. Only one eye left. Tell your master I wish to speak with him. Now."
Jatara bowed and stepped inside the room.
Guric suppressed a shudder. He didn't care for any of Argalath's bodyguards, but Jatara in particular made his skin crawl. It wasn't the too-pale skin of her people, nor the odd way she shaved off the front half of her hair. She had never shown Guric anything but the utmost deference and obedience, but he sensed no genuine respect in her. She honored Guric because Argalath wished it, and no more. What hold his chief counselor held over the woman and her twin brother, Guric neither knew nor cared. As long as they did as they were told.
He could hear whispered voices beyond the door. Jatara and one other. Probably Vazhad, Argalath's Nar bodyguard.
His patience gone, Guric told his guards, "Wait here," pushed the door open with his fist, and stepped inside. A low fire burned in the hearth, more for heat than light, since bright light pained Argalath. Jatara stood a few paces away. Vazhad was beyond the bed, helping his master into his robes. Both were scowling at Guric for barging in.
"Out," Guric ordered them. "I wish to speak to your master alone."
Both waited for Argalath's nod before obeying, which only fueled Guric's fury. He slammed the door behind them.
"How may I serve you, my lord?" said Argalath.
"I want to see her. Now."
"My lord?"
"You know who I mean, Argalath. Don't vacillate with me. I haven't the patience for it."
"My lord, I… I don't think that wise."
"Your wisdom brought this upon me, counselor. After last night, you'll forgive me if your counsel holds less weight with me."
Argalath looked at the floor. "You wound me. I did my best. If you will remember, my lord, I did warn you that in… these matters, nothing is certain."
"Damn you! What have you done with my wife?"
Argalath started at Guric's shout, then bowed low and did not rise again. "She is being well cared for, I swear. I beg you, my lord, heed my counsel."
Guric ground his teeth together and took a deep breath. "Stand straight and look at me."
Argalath straightened but still did not look him in the eye. "My lord, please. Listen to me. Your wife's body is being given the utmost care, under the watch of the best guards. But you must understand: The body moves, speaks, sees, hears… but whatever is inside the body, that is not Valia."
"You think I don't know?" Guric could feel his fury rising again, but he kept his voice low. "I was there, Argalath. I saw what she… it did. I looked into its eyes. But-"
"It is not too late. Do not despair, my lord. The rite did not fail."
"Did not fail? Are you mad? I-"
"The rite worked perfectly. It was our knowledge that failed. The Nar sent after Hweilan were mistaken. They swore that the body we saw was hers, that the House of Highwatch was gone from the world. They were wrong. Once that error is rectified, your wife will be restored to you. I swear it."
Guric winced and turned away. "She's just a girl, Argalath."
"You regret our actions?"
"No! What was done two days ago, that was justice. That was battle, and innocent lives are sometimes lost in battle. But this… this feels like murder."
"And murder it is." Guric felt Argalath's hand on his shoulder. He hadn't even heard his counselor cross the room. "But it is the only way to return your beloved Valia to you."
They stood in silence a moment, the only sounds Guric's heavy breathing and a slight crackling from the low fire in the hearth.
"It is not too late," said Argalath. "Kadrigul leads the hunters. If you find this whole business too distasteful, we can call them off, exorcise the… thing from Valia's body, and set her to rest. But if we do that, there is no going back. She will be beyond my powers to restore."
Guric swiped Argalath's hand off his shoulder and said, "Where is my wife?"
Argalath sighed. "My lord, nothing has changed. I fear seeing her will only bring you further pain."
Guric looked down on Argalath with the full weight of his authority. "Pain is part of the price of leadership. Take me to her. Now."
After crossing several courtyards and many stairs to one of the upper sections of the fortress, they had climbed well over two hundred steps to the top of one of the northern towers. At Guric's insistence, they had left their guards behind. Guric cursed the time it had taken. Argalath leaning on him was no burden, but the man was damnably slow.
Guric looked down at Argalath. His chief counselor's cheeks were even more sunken than usual, and lines of fatigue creased the corners of his eyes. Still… Guric's anger and frustration at Argalath's failure-no matter how the man painted it or placed blame elsewhere, the rite had failed; spectacularly so-were strong enough that they drowned out any feelings of remorse or pity. After last night, Argalath deserved to feel a little pain.
A door stood along the right wall and two more guards, both Nar, stood before it. The men showed no emotion whatsoever. No deference at the sign of the two most powerful men of Highwatch suddenly appearing at their post.