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'Something burned. Geran suggests that we should investigate and report to
you."
'Where?"
'On the north side of the midroad, probably northwest. I'd guess within a
vingt of the road, but we don't know."
'Go ahead. We'll close up after you."
Delar didn't have to add any cautions about being careful. Alucius could sense
them as he replied, "Yes, sir."
When Alucius reached Geran, the older scout had reined up beside a track that
led north, beginning between two junipers, positioned as if they were
gateposts to the barely worn trail.
'Tracks here," Geran noted. "They're not ours. Not that new, either."
Alucius followed Geran's gesture. "They're headed north. The wind's from the
north."
'We might as well check," Geran said, looking back over his shoulder.
"Squad's less than half a vingt back. They can hear a rifle shot."
Alucius tried to sense if anyone was nearby, but neither eyes nor senses
showed him anyone amid the scattered evergreens on the north side of the
midroad. Both scouts had taken out their rifles as they rode along the gentle
incline of the narrow trail as it wound between the trees. Even after several
hundred yards, Alucius could still see sections of the gray stones of the
midroad, and, occasionally, second squad as Delar neared the turnoff.
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The smell of burning gradually grew stronger, but was far from overpowering.
As they rode around a thicker clump of bushy pines, a hut appeared. It had
been little more than a two-room dwelling with a stable that had been more of
a lean-to than a good shelter for a mount. The fires in both structures had
long since burned out, except for a few lingering and smoldering embers, and
the roof had collapsed inside the charred log walls of the hut.
Both men studied the hut, and the area around it, silent except for the
faintest whisper of wind in the pines. The crude plank door lay where it had
fallen on a rough stone stoop. The leather hinges had burned through, but
there was no sign the door had been forced.
Geran eased his mount closer to the door, then shook his head. "Doesn't look
or smell like anyone was killed here."
Alucius frowned. "Why would someone burn a hut if no one happened to be here?
Matrites& just to force people out?"
'Could be. Most likely, but& " Geran paused. "More tracks. They head that way."
Alucius still could sense no one, but the two rode slowly, following the
scattered hoofprints in the hard and near-frozen soil.
They rode less than half a vingt and found the bodies just past another denser
clump of trees. They were sprawled in the open red-sandy soil between two
junipers. There were a youth and a lean bearded man. Both were fully clothed,
if in tattered rabbit-fur jackets and coarse brown trousers. Both men sprawled
forward, as though they had been running and shot from behind.
'Notice anything?" Geran did not look at Alucius but continued to scan the
area.
'Ah& there's nothing living within a vingt, Geran. Not besides rodents and
snakes and birds."
'You can sense that?"
Alucius nodded. "Rather you didn't tell anyone but Delar." He already wished
he hadn't revealed that, but seeing the bodies had momentarily left him off-
guard.
'I won't. Now& what about the bodies?"
Alucius swallowed back the bile in his throat. "They're clothed& shot from
behind."
'This was a Matrite raid," Geran said. "You see& no women. There were
footprints of more than two. Matrites captured the women, sent them west, I'd
guess." Geran gestured to the fallen figures. "They knew they'd be killed if
they couldn't get away. Locals here wouldn't run unless there was a big
Reillie raiding party, and you don't see many of those in the winter. Saw a
bunch of clear hoofprints near the hut. All the shoes look the same. Military
types, and that means either Lan-achronan or Madrien."
Alucius nodded. A lot of the shoes of the militia troopers would still be
different.
'Delar and the captain they won't like this. Not twenty vingts from Soulend.
Nothing else we can do here."
As Alucius turned his mount, he could feel the silver-green of a soarer. He
glanced back over his shoulder. Geran's eyes followed those of Alucius. For a
moment, they both looked at the hovering soarer, the green-tinged silver wings
spread and moving so quickly that they blurred.
Alucius could feel something like sadness emanating from the soarer, but
before he could feel more, the feminine-looking soarer vanished.
'What do you make of that?" Geran shook his head.
'I don't know," answered Alucius. Why would a soarer appear? And feel sadness?
He'd never sensed that before, not that he'd seen more than a handful of
soarers over his lifetime.
'Captain won't be happy with that, either. Don't need both soarers and
Matrites showing up this close to Soulend."
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'Soarers don't bother people. Not unless you bother them," Alucius said.
'That may be. Captain still won't be happy."
Alucius nodded. They still had to report to Delar, and the squad leader would
want to see the bodies himself.
in trie grayness before dawn, scarcely brightened by the oil lamps set at
too-infrequent intervals in wall sconces in the mess, Alucius had no sooner
seated himself next to Kypler and across from Akkar and Velon and set down his
platter of breakfast than he heard his name.
I
He turned to see Delar crossing the mess. "Yes, sir?"
'Captain Heald wants to see all the scouts in his room right after breakfast,
before morning muster. You've got time to eat. I'd advise seconds and whatever
you can beg from the cooks."
With that, Delar was headed to the other side of the mess, calling out,
"Geran!"
Alucius reseated himself.
'Glad I'm not a scout," Velon said. "Colder out there today."
'It's not that cold," Alucius said, cutting a strip of the tough egg toast
with his belt knife.
'Not for you," said Kypler, "but for those of us who haven't spent every
winter of their life fighting the icy winds on bitter rangeland, it's cold."
After Alucius had finished the egg toast, the overcooked pork strips, and the
chewy dried apple slices, he went back for seconds. He even wheedled some
biscuits from the cooks.
When all eight trooper scouts had gathered in the corridor outside the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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