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"Poor dear," Kendra'skilled But youher head, she walked away

Strange sounds were co with ?"

"Oh, I'll accompany you," Farold said "I would hate to miss any of the fun"

Chapter Twenty

After Selwyn finished the 's chores in the tavern, he told Kendra's parents that the nuns at Saint Hilda's had said fresh air was very ioldfinches "The two of us are going out for a walk," Selwyn told them "We'll be back before the customers come"

If Kendra's parents found this odd, they didn't say so

As he walked down the street carrying the birdcage, people waved and called greetings Pretty tavern girls, Selwyn decided, could get aithridicule to farmers' sons

The mill sat alone on the outskirts of Penryth, since it needed to be directly on the strea around day and night was enough to keep people froot there, he looked in the doorway and saw the only custo up a sack of flour for her Good, Selwyn thought Even better than he had hoped Widow Snell's hands were gnarled and crippled; she'd need Linton's help to get that flour home Selalked a little bit farther, to where the cultivated fields started - this would be Raedan and Merton's uncle's, the fare When he turned back, theand Linton were already far down the street heading in the opposite direction, Linton lugging the bag of flour over his shoulder

Selwyn returned to the mill, and only old Derian was there

Hastily, before Derian looked up, Selwyn glanced around the room Most of the homes in Penryth didn't have locks, for everybody knew everybody; but many of the businesses did - since it was foolish to tempt people beyond what they could withstand Selwyn saw a heavy board leaning against the wall by the door and knew that at night that board would be placed into the brackets on either side of the door frareat deal of noise and splintering of wood to get through that way No wonder Thorne had said the h theBut it didn't have to be Farold's bedrooh that one had been open He would check theht, if there was time In this room there was only one hich faced away fro to Raedan and Merton's uncle

Now, in his Kendra voice, he said, "Hello" He had to say it twice before Derian looked up and s I needed to take bird out for a walk, and also I've been away for so long I thought I just had to see everything and everybody again" Don't chatter, Selwyn told himself Don't explain too much

But Derian didn't comment on what Selwyn had said He only answered, "Always pleased to have a pretty visitor"

Selwyn felt his face go red, even though Derian was coe down on the table, and - as he and Farold had arranged - brushed against the loosely tied binding that held the tiny door closed "Oh!" Selwyn cried helplessly as the twine fell off and Farold flew out of the cage "Oh, come back, little bird!" Selwyn felt like a perfect fool, but Derian gallantly jumped to his feet to help

Farold landed on a stack of flour sacks and waited until Derian ithin two steps before taking off again and flying around the room

Selwyn chased after Farold, but Farold hopped froe top to sill

"Oh, please," Selwyn cried, "close the door andbefore he gets out"

Farold fleay froht over Derian's head and out the still-open door He immediately landed on top of the water barrel by the side of the door

"Help ive up

Derian followed Farold outdoors

"I'll get the shutters in here," Selwyn called, "in case he comes back in" The shutters, he saere fastened by a siht be able to open it froh Selould have expected scratches on the wood if that were the case, and there weren't any

Meanwhile, he saw that outside Farold went from the water barrel to a low tree branch As Derian approached, Farold fluttered to another branch on the other side of the tree, then in a moment flew to sit on top of a nearby bush - all the while enticing Derian to follow by staying alht, Selwyn headed for the stairs Thein Penryth that had two stories, to acco to Farold, Derian's room was upstairs, in the front Farold's was the smaller room in the back beneath the stairs, where he could keep an eye - and ear - on things

Derian's room first, Selwyn decided, to check that hile he had the ive if Derian ca rooears and shafts for the mill wheel There was only one , too sain - the farm of Raedan and Merton's kinsman On the opposite as a door that opened to overlook the giant heel that turned in the streah there

In Derian's room the shutters didn't seem to have been tampered with, and, besides, an intruder would have needed a ladder to reach it, for there were no tall trees close enough Selwyn looked out and saw Derian, aloldfinch But so for the ht return Selwyn needed to hurry

Back downstairs, he opened the door to Farold's rooer there: He knew, in fact, better than most, exactly where both Farold and his body were And there was no reason to expect that after all this time he'd find blood-soaked mattress and blankets So the circumstances, he didn't knohy he was so squeamish to look upon a room where a man had died

Already, after not quite a week, the rooh Selwyn could tell where it had been, from the space beneath theNo bloodstains, no evidence that a man's life had ended in violence here Beyond that was the clothes chest Farold had told hih the things in there, feeling unsettled at handling possessions that Farold would never again use, ruh he had Farold's perth of twine, a few coins, an apple gone all soft and brown In a corner, beneath everything else, was a small stone that seemed to have no purpose except that it sparkled Had Farold ever been the kind of boy to pick up a stone just because it was pretty? Selwyn realized that after seventeen years of living in the sae with Farold, he didn't know He closed the chest

Merton - or so found the knife - ical place to keep such a thing But Merton had no reason to kill Farold

So, suppose the ht - as he had thought before - ahich to kill his intended victiht a different weapon, dropped it, and only then had to rely on as at hand? He - or she - ht not have even realized that the knife was Selwyn's until the next day