“Gifts? A glint in yer eye, Ser Hugh, and a barrelful of questions on the tip of that wicked tongue of yours, I shouldn’t wonder.”
I tossed her the pouch full of Farthingham weed and waited expectantly, arms folded.
“You know what I’ve come for,” I said, mutely refusing to take a seat. “Where has Alan disappeared off to?”
“The Standing Stones.”
The answer came so quickly and quietly, I could scarcely believe it. For a moment, the words barely registered, but thenthe molly’s unspoken meaning sunk in. My mind’s eye conjured the last time I had set eyes on the ancient circle of menhirs. That would have been in the early autumn at Landis’s wedding. The wedding that never happened.
The Standing Stones of Avelee on the east side of the Rynduin River was an ancient place, a sacred site for… rituals.Gods. Alan, I thought desperately.What nonsense are you up to over there?
“And… you didn’t try to stop him?” No sooner had the words left my lips than I regretted them. Of course, Alan would not be so easily dissuaded. “Never mind. He had no doubt set his mind to… What is he thinking?”
“He knows the days are short. The moon is nearly at its fullest. It is clear that the curse has taken root, and he sees only one way to rend it now.” Aileen’s hands rose to rub her face tiredly. “I tried to talk him out of it, but he would not budge, Hugh. The lad is brilliant but as stubborn as an old cow.”
“It isn’t your fault, Aileen,” I finally said. “My apologies. I’d best go.”
“He’ll have been there for a good hour by the time you get there, I reckon.” Aileen set aside her knitting. “I have a few things you might need. If he went through with it… he’ll need bundling and some care. It is underneath the mound. I only pray that Nyria and Meryn and the rest keep watch over him. Brave soul.”
The way she spoke about Alan nearly set my heart to stone. It was as if Alan had gone to his death. I strode out of the house, shouting for the stable’s fastest horse. Behind me, Aileen trotted with a hastily packed bag.
“It’s an ancient rite, Hugh,” she said, as I hastily chose Herald, one of Landis’s powerful stallions, led out by a stable boy. “Very powerful… and dangerous.”
“Of course it is,” I grunted. “Alan rarely does anything by halves.”
“If the laddie finds the Garden, well, you will mark it, I don’t doubt.” Aileen shook her head, looking more grim than I would like. “The paths will be opened to the heart of the world through body and soul. I can only hope that he will manage to pull free. Not everyone comes back, Hugh… You must hurry. If you are there for him, if you call out his name, perhaps… there is a chance. I will have a bed ready for him. Bring him to me instantly.”
“I’ll do you one better.”
Turning, I barked a couple of orders to startled guards who gathered around. Among them, I glimpsed Rolf and Anderson. After I had arranged for a small contingent to follow at a slower pace with a carriage, I took the pack and shouted, “Huzzah!”, urging Herald into a jog. Surefooted and fleet, Herald sensed my urgency and picked up speed after we passed the city’s eastern gates.
At first, we had to slow down for the few passersby who had ventured out into the snow-laden world. Once I was past the Lower Rime, Herald picked up speed. Glad to stretch his legs, Herald was more than ready to eat up the distance as we drew closer to Rynduin River’s eastern bridge.
Clattering over the stone and noisy waters, I strained my eyes to glimpse the menhirs in the distance.Was I imagining it? Or did I see a spiral of magic in the air?Before my eyes, the magical aura flared wildly and died. In time to Herald’s hooves, my heart began to race.Alan. What are you doing? Gods. Alan!
Although my anxiety no doubt vibrated through the reins to Herald, I forced the charger to slow, allowing him a breather. The worst thing I could do to Alan and me would be to wear my mount out. I had made good time, faster time than I had thoughtpossible. The trip on a fast, fresh stallion like Herald could be completed in half an hour. I simply had to be patient.
Still, the gray edge of the far side of Shrosebury Forest could not come fast enough. Eventually, I gave in and urged Herald into a fast trot once again. Eventually, I could glimpse the faint smudge of the mound, the dark stones, the paths leading to the ritual site, and the forest that closed about them.
By now, the sun had fully risen and shone glumly through shreds of thin clouds. Shadows shifted among the trees, but my sharp eyes picked out an anomaly instantly—a young tomcat loitering at the edge of the clearing by a brown horse. As I drew close, the tom mounted. Herald, sensing my urgency, picked up speed once more.
“Holla!” I shouted. “Have you seen anyone in the vicinity? Anyone enter the Stones?”
The tension in the slight body of the rider betrayed their intent to flee.
“I care not what business brings you to the wilderness, friend,” I said.
The words died on my lips as the face turned to me—a fresh face, pale and freckled with brilliant green eyes. Beneath the dark hood, a curl of red hair tumbled down. My eyes widened, no doubt, as memories of Gareth’s reports flashed before my eyes.Surely not! Was this—It must be. The mysterious redhead who had managed to infiltrate the castle on two occasions at least. A catkin able to deceive even the wariest of the guards. A master of disguise, I realized.
“You—“ I gritted my teeth. “You didn’t do anything to him, did you?”
The redheaded stranger stared at me and then mutely shook his head.
“Meryn’s Blessing, no,” he finally said. “I wouldn’t for a pack of coin, neither, gods’ truth. The… power stirring here, no catkin ought to touch, I reckon. The further away we are, the better.”
“The further away you are from me, the better,” I snarled.
Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to draw my short sword and attack. This was the clue we were looking for, the possible final puzzle piece, the answer to the questions Gareth had. Gareth would give anything to have a talk with this tomkin. And I—I was about to let the tom walk for the sake of Alan. I could not pursue him. Not this day, at any rate.
