She ran her hands along the smooth, handcarved edge. It was simple but finely made. The feel against herfingers wasn’t right. She rubbed them together, noticing the slightgrainy texture that lingered.
There wasn’t enough light to tell what she’dtouched so she stepped closer to the door. The grayish film on herfingers was easily identifiable as dust.
Her forehead wrinkled. That couldn’t beright. Even a Lowlander wouldn’t lay their child down withoutdusting the crib.
Could their child already be grown? There wasno other bed.
“Shane, you ready? I don’t think there’sanybody in here,” Eamon said.
She rubbed her fingers together slowly as shepondered this riddle.
“Just a minute,” she said in a distractedtone of voice.
“What’s he doing?” Buck asked Eamon as shestrode to the crib and lifted the small baby’s blanket from it.“There’s nothing here.”
She examined the material carefully and heldit up to her nose, inhaling deeply. She promptly sneezed. And thensneezed again.
She walked back to the door way. Steppinginto the light, she gave the blanket a vigorous shake. Dust flew.Enough to illuminate the small rays of sunlight.
“Okay, what’s the deal with the blanket?”Buck asked, folding his arms over his chest. Eamon leaned againstthe door, watching Shea as she thought.
“Did either of you see any children?” sheasked.
Buck shook his head. “I don’t think so, no.What about you, Eamon?”
Eamon looked deep in thought before he shookhis head. “You think they might be hiding them?”
Hiding them? Possibly.
“How many people were supposed to live inthis village?”
Both shook their heads. “The party who firstcame through here probably got a head count. It’s necessary todetermine how big a tithe they can afford to give, but we don’tknow what that number is. We’re scouts. We don’t need to know.”
“Right.”
So she’d have to do this the hard way.
“Either of you got a guess as to how manypeople were gathered when we arrived?”
Shea paced in a circle counting the huts. Itdidn’t take her long. The village wasn’t that big.
Buck shrugged. “Twenty maybetwenty-five.”
Eamon nodded. “I agree.”
“I doubt your men recovered more than fivepeople hiding.”
“You’d be correct.”
“There’s, what, thirty huts I’d say. Unlessevery person in this village has their own home, there are a lot ofpeople missing,” Shea said.
Eamon’s eyes shot to the huts, counting asshe had. He straightened as realization dawned.
“Buck, head back to the village center andget them to do a headcount.”
Buck’s face was grim as he moved, withoutanother word, to follow Eamon’s orders.
“What’re you thinking? That they’ve got theirpeople stashed somewhere?” he asked, following her as she movedthrough the village.
