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Natalya Shonski drew the pair of black leather trousers up over her legs and settled them on her hips where theybattles and she was certain she would be running into trouble tonight As she pulled on the soft leather calanced around the meticulously clean room she'd rented The inn was sht patterned covers decorating the bed Her weapons were laid out with great care over the beautifully woven quilt

She began to slip various weapons into the speciallystars with razor-sharp edges Several knives A belt that provided her with roouns she fit snugly into the harness under each arm She put on one of her new peasant blouses and donned the brightly colored fur vest the local wo her arsenal

The long skirt not only hid the leather pants, but also helped her to blend into the local population She'd chosen a colorful one, rather than the severe black kind the older women often wore, and tied a scarf over her tawny hair to further disguise herself

Satisfied she looked as much like a local as possible, she shoved two Amis sticks into the orn loops on her backpack and opened the doors to the balcony She had deliberately chosen a room on the second floor Her many enemies would find it difficult to approach unnoticed while she could escape easily to the ground below or go up and over the roof

Natalya rested her hands on the balcony rail and leaned out to survey the countryside The sed peaks that formed the formidable Carpathian Mountains Nu hills Stacks of hay dotted the meadows and led the way up the mountain to the tilistening with snow She felt as if she'd stepped back in time with the simple homes and the rustic way of life, yet she felt as if she'd come home And that was truly odd She had no home

Natalya sighed and closed her eyes briefly More than anything in the world, she envied these people their fa in their eyes and on their faces She longed to belong sole person Just to be able to truly be who she was, share a real conversation

Her fingers found deep grooves in the railing and she found herself rubbing the polished wood, the pads of her fingers stroking along the grooves almost in a caress Startled, she exae bird had dug talons deep into the railing, although the marks were old and the innkeepers kept the intricately carved balcony polished and free of splinters

She inhaled the night air and stared up toward the top of the oal She had no idea what drove her to come to this particular spot, but she trusted her instincts She needed to clio of her Thickthe peak in an impenetrable

cloud Whether the cloud was natural condensation or a preternatural warning made no difference She had no choice but to cli to ignore

Natalya took a last look toward the swirling white mists and headed back into her roo it off She'd spent the last weekfriendships with a few of the wo a feel for the area She found she needed huh her life was very solitary She enjoyed the tileaned quite a bit of information from them, but she was always saddened that her friendships could never go beyond the surface Itsomewhere, to let someone like the innkeeper, Slavica Ostojic, knoho and what she was just so Natalya could have the luxury of being honest with someone she truly liked

The hallway and stairs were narrow, leading to the sitting roo hall on one end and a bar on the other Many of the locals drank beer in the evening and visited together after a hard day's work She waved to two or three people she recognized, her gaze auto exits, s and above all, new faces Several ued the lined faces, the friendly slances, filed theain

One pair of eyes flicked over her face, giving her pause The perusal was quick, but it was thorough He was reading her in the sa him He certainly noticed the backpack with the double A stick Natalya turned aith a quick srateful she could , she didn't want him to know her plans

"Slavica" She took the innkeeper's hands in hers "Thank you so lish because Slavica worked hard to perfect her language skills and always practiced Deliberately she led the wo roo ears would not be able to overhear their conversation "I'one for days at a ti Don't worry about me I'll return eventually Give me a week at least before you panic"

Slavica shook her head "It is after sunset, Natalya Here in thefor the right word-"unrest It's better if you explore during the day when the sun is bright and there are people around you" She looked up and met her husband's eyes across the room and smiled

Natalya instantly felt a pang of envy She loved to watch the innkeeper with her husband, Mirko, and their daughter, Angelina, together Their love for one another was always so obvious in the sed and their many touches as they brushed by one another when they worked

"I've gone out every evening and you've never objected," Natalya reminded her "And

nearly all of those times were after sunset"

Slavica gave her a faint sht I know you will think I' and it is better you stay here with us" She patted Natalya's arm "There is ood Or I will teach you more about the local herbs and how to use them to heal" Slavica was a trained nurse and renowned for her healing skills throughout the district and for her knowledge of the local healing herbs and how to use the tie

Natalya shook her head, regret lingering in her heart Slavica was the kind of woman that made her ache to be part of a family and community "Thank you, Slavica, but I have protection" She pulled the cross hanging on the thin silver chain from where it was hidden beneath her shirt "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine"

Slavica started to protest, but stopped herself, pressing her lips together firmly She simply shook her head

"I knohat I'h the kitchen if you don't h for several days and I'll be back in the middle of next week if not sooner"

Slavica walked with her through the dining roo at the bar talking to Mirko He seemed absorbed in the conversation, but she didn't trust him He had shown interest in her and it wasn't the interest of afor a wo to take any chances She gave a small nod toward the man "Who is he? I haven't seen him in here before"

"He travels through this wayaway "He's very quiet and I don't knohat his business is"

"Is he married?"

The innkeeper looked alarmed "This man is not for you, Natalya He is welcome here as all travelers are, but he is not for you"

Natalya didn't dare risk another glance in the man's direction He was far too observant and she didn't want to draw his attention She walked through the dining room into the small kitchen There was the inevitable sheep's cheese and baskets of potatoes "Don't worry, I' for a man"

"I have seen the yearning on your face and in your eyes when you look at children When you see ently "You wish for a family of your own"

Natalya shrugged carelessly, avoiding the other wo to see the co that obvious? When had it

becos beneath her carefully cultivated "flip" personality? "I like traveling I wouldn't want to be tied down" It was a blatant lie and for the first tiiven herself away

"It is natural to want a faht one," Slavica counseled "Even when ht I was too old and would never find hiht it better to wait than to make a mistake and tie myself to someone I didn't want to spendto do We have a beautiful daughter and this place and that is enough We're happy together You understand, Natalya? Don't give yourself away to just anyout"

Natalya nodded sole desperate to find a man, far froave a cheery wave toward the frowning innkeeper and hurried out into the night

After the warmth of the inn, the air outside was cold, but she was prepared for that She walked briskly along the narrow road leading toward the mountain trail An e for a ride The farht up the hee his mind Most of the locals used the horse carts rather than cars They were sion on tires pulled by one or two horses They were used for everything froreat sheafs of hay

"Thank you, sir," she said as she tossed in her walking stick and climbed aboard She settled herself toward the back of the cart, not wanting to make the far a strange woman around

To her surprise he spoke Most of the older le woone down" He glanced nervously around him

"Yes it has," she agreed, avoiding the question "You're out late as well"

"It isn't good," he said "Not this night" He kept his voice very low The concern in his tone was unmistakable "Better you should alloife and I to put you up for the night Or I could take you to the inn" He was looking up at thethe light and it was clear he didn't want to turn back He shook the reins to speed the horse up

Natalya glanced up at the sky and the boiling clouds that had not been therethe top of theup toward the olden arcs Thunder rumbled in the distance, centered mainly over the mountain

She slid her hand inside her fur vest and touched the handle of her gun "The weather

changed fast this evening" And it wasn't natural

"It happens that way in the ency "It's best to take cover until things settle down"

Natalya didn't reply She had to get to the top of the mountain Had spies let her ene for her? She turned her attention to the countryside passing by so quickly Was there movement in the shadows? If so, she had to lead trouble away from the fare and well out into the rolling hills where farms dotted the landscape

She stayed alert, watching for signs of an iht, reaching for infors, working to unravel the stories the wind brought her The wind carried the stench of evil The whisper of movement in the forest The scent of wolves, restless beneath the hts She was, in fact, usually the first to walk away, but she was tired of being pursued, of looking over her shoulder every ht, she had co to turn away

The fanner pulled the cart onto a narrow lane The horse slowed toat the faroing, walking briskly up the hillside toward the timberline

The ht, she stripped off the brightly colored skirt and blouse, folding the them into her backpack The double Amis sticks went into loops at the back of her belt for easy retrieval Her entire de stick She strode with tre in and out of the hay sheaves until she was clear of the faroats, not humans, but she took it because it was the most direct approach

She crossed through a field of alpine flowers, the blossorasses toward the slope of ti clouds, and the closer she got to the forest, the louder the thunder booe boulders dotted the slope A few heartier flowers had ed to find their way into the crevices The trees were sh twofuller and taller

Natalya had studied the Carpathian Mountains She knew the range was one of Europe's largest homes for carnivores, rich with brown bear, wolves and lynx The mountains stretched across seven countries in Central Europe and the heavily wooded forests were one of the last refuges left to Europe's rare and nearly extinct birds and larger predators Although hoe tracts of land that reerous

She paused to exa her The area received twice the rainfall of surrounding regions and the aave evidence of the amount of water that fed the river systereen drew her into the coolness of the forest almost as a compulsion would Why did she know this place? How had she dreamt of it? How did she know that when she took the path on her left, which was no more than a deer path, it would lead her deep into the interior and she would find the faint trail that would take her to the very top of theo?

Shethat took her through the brush quickly She had to make it to the top of the mountain and find the entrance to the caves before sunup

The forest grew more dense, the plants ly i branches interlocked overhead, blockingwhere she was going In addition to excellent night vision, she'd always had a sense of radar that prevented her fro into obstacles

She h the forest swiftly but with instinctive caution, fully alert, aware of the ss, the silence of insects and the faintest of scents that would indicate she wasn't alone

Her mouth went suddenly dry and her heart rate increased The hairs on the back of her neck prickled with unease She was being stalked

Behind her shadows slipped around the trees in an effort to surround her Natalya continued jogging at the sarip on the walking stick to the faht

The first wolf sprang at her out of the cover of brush as she crossed a se with a practiced swing of the thick walking stick The crack was audible; the wolf yelped and leapt back as she swept past She whirled around, drawing the sword s the deceptive sheath aside to face the wolf

"If you wish to fightlided toward the ani into the wind so it could carry her scent to the pack

The wolf sniffed the air and backed up, suddenly wary The pack rowled low in her throat, the warning of a wild, dangerous anioing almost opaque as she bared her teeth at the pack Streaks of h her hair The wolves broke off, loping away fro her displeasure at the unfa and

the female fled after the pack

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Natalya called after the the sword back into the scabbard She waited toup the oal

She cleared a downed tree covered with moss and fern and slid to an abrupt halt as a man sauntered out from behind a tree directly in front of her He was tall with dark hair, very handso Natalya scanned the area with every sense on high alert He wasn't alone, she was certain of it

She dropped her pack on the ground and so"