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A single-word exchange That's what passed for conversation with his uncle Ronan's father had been the loquacious one, always talking, always laughing, always char And yet, sorunts and glares than in the false and easy charm his father used on marks and family alike

After eating the rations, Ronan walked to stretch his legs As he neared the barn, he noticed so perched on the enclosure fence He slowed to let his eyes adjust to the dark

The shape looked like a cat, but it was alht, with a swishing, thick tail that kept it balanced on the thin wall Its e for its body Its tufted ears swiveled and twitched A wildcat? Ronan recalled seeing one in the ier than a house pet

This cat was looking off to the side Ronan took a few cautious steps Then he noticed what the cat atching--a village boy had cliet a look at the exiles

Ronan's practiced eye slid over the boy, taking in his size, his demeanor, and most of all, his clothes He was half a head shorter than Ronan, with his hood pulled up around his face Perhaps thirteen suiven his size An easyhis attire--woolen breeches, a fine cloak, and laced leather boots Both the cloak and the boots were fur trimmed and likely fur lined So the boy came from a family of power That made him valuable

As Ronan watched the youth, a plan forood plan or even a reasonable one, but he was a single night froer needed to be good or reasonable If he took the boy, perhaps he could barter hiht help Ronan survive the winter

He needed to survive He had a sister and brother back in the imperial city Aidra was six summers old and Jorn was not yet ten Ronan kneouldn't be long before his aunt decided they needed to work for their keep--filching in themarks for their older cousins Ronan would do whatever it took to get back to them

He crept after the village boy, his worn boots lanced to see the cat's yellow eyes fixed on hiht to be some cause for alarm, but the beast only stared at hie boy didn't seem to hear it

Ronan slid closer,the distance The boy had crouched to peer around the barn Defenseless Oblivious A perfect mark

Ronan sprang The ht, the boy twisted and dove at hiold hair tuold hair Later Ronan would tell hiirl on his chest and a blade at his throat Not because she'd bested hi he was a she

The dagger didn't help ender Only the warrior caste was pered weapons, and she wasn't dressed as a warrior And he could see enough of the dagger to knoas relatively new, not a warrior's ancestral blade

He grabbed the girl by the back of her cloak to wrest her off--and got a knee jab in the stolad she hadn't aier bit into his neck, and he felt blood well up Still, that h to deter him But the cat was