Hunt.Cenric pointed to the sealed doors.
Snapper stepped closer, sniffing at the ground.Sheep.Snapper knew he wasn’t supposed to hunt sheep, and his thoughts dripped with disapproval.
Nettles?
Snapper snorted.Sheep.
Cenric grimaced, glancing over his shoulder to Aegifu.No Nettles?
Meat.Snapper paused, his tail stiffening as he paced carefully back and forth. He perked up his ears.Friend?Snapper could smell another dog, but he just wasn’t sure if it was Nettles.
“Snapper, back.” Cenric made a shooing motion.
Friend?Snapper looked up in question.
Back,Cenric repeated, this time sending the thought.
Making that grumbling sound, Snapper backed up as Cenric reached for the barred door.
“Be careful!” Aegifu shouted. “Don’t need her mauling you or that plump little boy you brought with you.”
Kalen made an indignant sound.
Cenric ignored his aunt. “Kalen, my sword. Get your spear.” Morgi forbade him harming dyrehunds, but it might not be Nettles inside the barn. It might be some other feral dog.
The younger man jogged to Bada and pulled Cenric’s sword from the horse’s saddle. Kalen handed over the weapon, bringing his own spear.
Cenric held his gaze. “If it charges, stab it. If you miss, I’ll get it.”
Kalen nodded solemnly. “Yes, lord.”
Cenric stepped up to the door and lifted the bar. He pressed his ear to the door, listening.Nettles?He sent the thought toward the barn.
Nothing.
Cenric glanced to Kalen. “Ready?”
“Yes, lord.”
Cenric ripped the door open and stepped to the left. Kalen stepped up beside him, spear at the ready.
Inside was dark, especially with the waning sun. The smell of dung, sheep, and the stench of death burst out. Aegifu must have told the truth about two dead lambs, at least.
“Get us a torch!” Cenric called to Aegifu.
The old woman swatted at one of her many charges, yelling for the girl to get them a torch. “You’d best not burn my barn down with only weeks to the first snows!” Aegifu shouted.
The girl returned carrying a lit torch, her head down. She tried to give it to Kalen, but Cenric snatched it out of her hand. With a spear, Kalen would need both hands.
Cenric and Kalen searched the dark, waiting for their eyes to adjust. There were several stalls made up from wooden slats, but they all appeared open.
“Stay back, girl,” Aegifu said, probably speaking to the girl who’d brought them the torch. “Let the men handle this one.”
Nettles?Cenric squinted into the darkness of the barn. He might have wanted to close the door after them, but he’d rather not be trapped inside.
Something stirred from the shadows. It fled from the torchlight, shrinking back.
Kalen glanced that way. Spear out. “Did you see it?”
