Canyon wasn’t looking at the stars. He was looking at a tree. Several branches had been sawed off and stacked neatly next to a small trail. Timber came back and looked with him.
“Someone maintains trails in the sinkhole,” Timber said quietly. “Wonder who.”
Abigail White, and her cadre of numbered mouse-men,Canyon said.
Timber shone the light in his face. “Why do you sound salty?”
Canyon stomped his feet, squishing water out of his boots.I want to know what kind of operation she’s running. Is it husbands all the way down? Are they trying to kill us?
Timber looked back at the way they had come and shone his light on the water falling from the hole in the rock ceiling. “Nah, they just timbered us good. No worries, we’ll get them back.”
But are they all her husbands?
“Sure,” Timber said amicably.
The records say different.
“Which records?”
Marriage records.
“What do they say?”
Above their heads, the gentle sound of wind through leaves caught their attention. Their lights showed nothing but darkness and trees.
Timber shook his head and pointed light at his face. “There’s no fucking wind,” he whispered.
Be quiet for a sec, Canyon said inruhi,clicking his flashlight off, the feeling of being watched strong again.
Predator’s screen flared in the dark, and it spoke, intoning the words that flashed on the screen.
:Abigail White marriage records—
Canyon interrupted, cutting Predator off with an irritated whisper. “Shut the fuck up,Wulf.We’re on silent mode, and you can’t speakruhi,so you’re the fucking silent one.”
:I CAN SPEAK RUHI—
Holy fucking shit.Canyon clapped his hands to his head and staggered under the blast of thought in his mind.
Timber groaned and dropped to the ground theatrically.Uhhh, my brain,he moaned inruhi. Tone it down Wulf, please.
:Yes, sorry—
Canyon knelt, his hands still on his head. Theruhiwas still too strong, cutting into his head like a knife. “More,” he said. “Tone it down more…Wulf.”
:More—
That was better—normal. Canyon stood and shook his head, unscrambling his brains. Timber got up slowly, wiping himself off.
Damn, Wulf. What are you?Timber said.
:I am Wulf—
Timber elbowed Canyon.
Canyon elbowed him back.Yeah, yeah,I guess you didn’t do it.
To Wulf, Timber said,Where did you come from?
