Page 18 (2/2)

"Get the salt," Amara murmured to him "Just take the sack, if there&039;s one at hand, or a bucket I&039;ll keep watch here And hurry"

Tavi slipped inside, where the fading twilight held little sway, and fuh the dark, to the shelf at the back of the smoke rooing, and dropped theh crystals, filled a large horunted with effort Then he put it back down, took one of his blankets, and tore off a couple of large sections He piled heavy salt crystals into theths of leather cord kept on hand for hanging theback for the door when he

heard a squealing sound outside the smokehouse There was a hiss of breath and a pair of heavy thu in his chest

There, Amara knelt with one knee on the chest of a fallen ripped in her hand and pressed to his throat

"Stop," Tavi hissed "Get off of him!"

"He snuck up on me," Amara said She didn&039;t move the knife

"That&039;s Fade He&039;s no danger to anyone"

"He wouldn&039;t answer me"

"You scared him," Tavi said and shoved at her shoulder Amara shot him a look, but didn&039;t fall She took the knife from Fade&039;s throat and rose back and away from the fallen slave

Tavi leaned down and took Fade&039;s hand, hauling thecold, including a woolen cap with flaps that hung down to his shoulders and dangled like the ears of a gangly puppy and secondhand gloves ers The whole side of the slave&039;s face was slack with fear, and he stared at A up from her until his shoulders touched Tavi&039;s chest "Tavi," Fade said "Tavi Inside Stor"

"I know, Fade," Tavi said "But we have to go"

"There&039;s no tilance behind her "If one of them sees us-"

"Tavi stay," Fade insisted

"I can&039;t Me and Aet to Count Gra She&039;s a Cursor, and we have to go before some bad men try to stop us"

Fade turned to blink his head slowly at Tavi His face twisted in confusion, and he asked, "Tavi going? Tonight?"

"Yes I have salt"

Ao then No time"

Fade frowned, almost scowled "Fade, too"

"No, Fade," Tavi said "You have to stay here"

"Going"

"We have to travel light," Amara said "The slave stays"

Fade threw back his head and let out a howl like a wounded dog

Tavi choked and lurched toward thehis mouth with one hand "Quiet! Fade, they&039;ll hear us!"

Fade ceased howling but looked at Tavi, his expression steady

Tavi looked froestured at hio But we have to leave right now"

Fade&039;s mouth broke into a witless s He held up a hand to theed a few heartbeats later bearing a battered old rucksack on his back andexcited, nonsense phrases to himself

Amara shook her head and asked Tavi, "He&039;s an idiot?"

"He&039;s a goodand he works hard He won&039;t get in the way"

"He&039;d better not," Amara said She slipped the knife away into her belt and threw her bundle at Fade "I&039;m hurt, he&039;s not He carries mine"

Fade dropped it and scraped a bow to Aear He lifted that one to his other shoulder

Amara turned to lead them away from Bernardholt, but Tavi put his hand on her shoulder "These men Won&039;t they catch us if we&039;re on foot?"

"I&039;ood with horses You&039;re no earthcrafter Is the slave?"

Tavi glanced at Fade and grimaced "No I mean, he knows a little metal And he makes shoes for the horses, but I don&039;t think that he&039;s an earthcrafter"

"Better alk then," she said "One of the men after us is, and he can make the horses do what he wants to"

"On horseback, they&039;ll be faster"

"That&039;s e&039;d better get going Hopefully they&039;ll be here until "

"Meet me at the stable," Tavi said, and hurried off toward it in the growing dark A to the stable doors and inside

He was familiar with the animals of Bernardholt The sheep milled sleepily in their pen, and the cattle took up the rest of the rooants lay blowing lustily in their sleep in their burrow-and behind them, Tavi heard the noise of restless, nervous horses

He slipped silently down through the stable, before he heard a sound in the loft, above hie space between the rafters and the peak of the roof He froze in place, listening

A tinny voice said, from the loft, "Between all the excite after another Though I suppose it isn&039;t anything coem merchant, sir"

Tavi blinked The voice was Beritte&039;s, but it ca pipe, distant and blurred It took him a moment to realize that it sounded the sah Rill

A woe to Tavi and near to hand, uid laziness, "There you see, love? He has a drink now, and we&039;re able to pay attention SoeWhen we kill the to lock you in a room in irons for a week"

The woman purred, "You&039;re so romantic, my love"

"Quiet I want to hear what he&039;s saying"

They fell into silence while tinny voices came down to Tavi on the floor He sed and moved very quietly, forward, past the spot in the loft the voices caers&039; horses had been put

Though their gear had been removed, the horses still wore their bridles, and the saddles had been stood on end on the floor beside the on the pegs on the other side of the stables and their blankets drying on the ground

Tavi crept into the first stall and let the horse s a hand on the animal&039;s shoulder as he moved to its saddle and knelt beside it He drew the knife froh the leather of the saddle&039;s girth Though the leather was thick, his knife was sharp, and he cut through it coesture twicethe other two saddles to uselessness Then he went back, gathering up the horses&039; reins, keeping his motions as slow as possible, and led them out of their stalls and back down the stables toward the doors out

As he passed the spot in the loft where the strangers lay, Tavi&039;s throat tightened and his heart hammered in his chest People, people he had never seen and did not knoere there to kill him for reasons he could not fully understand It was all too strange, al instinctive and all too certain, was very real indeed, like a trickle of cold water gliding slowly down his spine

He had led the horses past the loft when one of the beasts snorted and tossed its head Tavi froze in place, panic nearly sending hi

"Fear," hissed the woman&039;s voice, suddenly "Below us, the horses"

Tavi jerked on the reins and let out a loud whistle The horses snorted, breaking into an uncertain trot

Tavi let go of the reins to dash ahead to the stable doors and throw theh, Tavi let out a screah-pitched shriek, and the horses burst out into a run

There was a roar frolanced over his shoulder in ti down from the loft, a naked sword held in his fist He looked around him, wildly, and Tavi turned and fled into the darkness

Someone seized his arers over his ed hilanced around behind hiht of his burdens, but no one else see them

"Good," A dark "Well done, Tavi"

Tavi shot her a grin and one to Fade as well

And that hen the scream came to them, from behind the walls of the steadholt proper, clear and desperate and terrified

"Tavi," Isana screamed "Tavi, run! Run!"