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Tavi slipped out of his rooh the silence of the last shreds of night before dawn He entered the cavernous shadows of the great hall, noting a faint glow of light in the kitchens beside the great hall Old Bitte rarely sleptthrough the kitchen, preparing it for the co breakfast reat hall for Bernardholt&039;s courtyard One of the steadholt&039;s dogs lifted his head from the empty barrel he used as a kennel, and Tavi stooped to scratch the old hound&039;s ears The dog thuainst the barrel&039;s interior and laid his head back down to sleep Tavi drew his cloak over his shoulders against the chill of the dying autuht and opened the postern door to leave the safety of Bernardholt

The door opened to reveal his uncle Bernard, leaning casually against the doorway, dressed in leathers and a heavy green cloak for a day in the wilderness beyond the steadholt&039;s fields He lifted an apple to his e man with broad shoulders and the heavy ion cut, showed a fleck or two of grey, though none such appeared in his close-tri arrows at his side, riding beside his Legion-issued sword, and he carried the stave to the lightest of his bows unstrung in his hand

Tavi drew up short, with a flutter of apprehension Then he spread his hands, silently conceding the victory to Bernard, and then offered his uncle a faint smile "How did you know?"

Bernard returned the sh there was a wary cast to it "Fade saw you drinking a lot of extra water last night, after you came in so late, and pointed it out to et up early"

"Oh," Tavi said "Yes, sir"

"I counted the flocks," Bernard said "Looks like we ht be a few heads short"

"Yes, sir," Tavi said He licked his lips nervously "I&039; them in now"

"I was under the iht Since you marked down a full count on the tally slate"

Tavi&039;s cheeks grearer led his ewes and their la the south flock in I didn&039;t want you to worry"

Bernard shook his head "Tavi, you know that today is i for the truthfind, and I don&039;t need any distractions"

"I&039;m sorry, Uncle Why don&039;t you stay here, then? I can find Dodger and bring hi around the valley alone, Tavi"

"I&039; to have to eventually, uncle Unless you planned on following hed "Your aunt would ritted his teeth "I can do it by myself I&039;ll be careful and be back before noon"

"That&039;s not really the point You were supposed to bring theht," Bernard said "What kept you from it?"

Tavi sed "Um I&039;d proet thehed "Crows, Tavi I really thought you had done a lot of growing up this season That you were learning to handle responsibility"

Tavi felt suddenly sick to his stoift me the sheep, are you?"

Bernard said, "I don&039;t begrudge you getting your fair dues I was glad-I aet started with your own flock But I&039; to throw them away If you can&039;t show ive them to you"

"It isn&039;t like I&039;d be keeping the"

"Perhaps not It&039;s the principle of the thing, lad Nothing comes free"

"But Uncle," Tavi protested "It&039;sof runted "Then you probably shouldn&039;t have chosen to" He frowned "Tavi, what did you need to do that was more irearmer yet "Um"

Bernard arched an eyebrow and said, "Oh, I see"

"See what?"

"There&039;s a girl"

Tavi knelt and tightened the straps on his boots to hide his scowl and said, "Why would you say that?"

"You&039;re a fifteen-year-old boy, Tavi There&039;s always a girl"

"No, there isn&039;t," Tavi insisted

Bernard ed "When you want to talk about it, let me know" He pushed hi his boith one leg and the pressure of an ar later Where do you think we should pick up Dodger&039;s trail?"

Tavi drew his leather sling from his pouch and put a couple of smooth stones into the pocket of his tunic "Won&039;t Brutus be able to find hiht you said you could do this on your own"

Tavi frowned at his uncle and scrunched up his nose, thinking "Cold&039;s coreens for shelter and for food But the gargants were turned out to forage on the southern slope of the valley, and they won&039;t go anywhere near gargants if they can help it" Tavi nodded "North Dodger has taken them into the pine hollows over the causeway"

Bernard nodded in approval "Good Reence, Tavi"

"And intelligence is no substitute for a fury," Taviup a srasses

Bernard laid a heavy hand on Tavi&039;s shoulder, squeezed, and then started walking north, down the old lane worn by the passage of carts and draft animals and feet "It&039;s not as bad as you think, Tavi Furies aren&039;t everything"

"Says thehie for full Citizenship if you wanted to"

Bernard shrugged "If I wanted to, perhaps But I didn&039;t coe"

"But you were a slow bloomer," Tavi said "I&039;e and furyless"

Bernard sighed "You don&039;t know that, Tavi Relax, boy It will come to you in time"

"That&039;s what you&039;ve told me since I was ten If I&039;d had furies of er and still" He choked down his anger before he could blurt out the words

Uncle Bernard glanced back at Tavi, s with only his eyes "Come on, lad Let&039;s pick up the pace I need to be back before the other Stead-holders arrive"

Tavi nodded, and they broke into a hten as they passed the apple orchards, the beehives, and then the northern fields laid fallow for a season The lane wound through a forest of mostly oak and maple, where rass and brush could grow beneath theiven way to the first tints of orange and yellow, they had reached the last stretch of woods before leaving the lands of Bernardholt There the forest was not so old, and s despite the lateness of the season, stood thick and heavy Golden and scarlet leaves covered the dried skeletons of the s trees swayed in a chorus of gentle creaking

And then soht an odd kind of pressure to Tavi&039;s senses He stopped and let out a short, warning hiss of breath Fro, Bernard abruptly dropped to a crouch, and Tavi instinctively followed suit

Bernard looked silently back at Tavi, cocking an eyebrow in a silent question

Tavi stayed on all fours and crawled up beside his uncle He kept his voice to a whisper between panting breaths and said, "Up ahead, in that last

stand of trees by the brook There&039;s usually a covey of quail there, but I saw the spooked them out," Bernard said He ht hand toward the trees beside hinal to the lesser of his two furies Tavi looked up and saw a shape glide down froer than a child It turned pale green eyes toward Bernard for a s seeether to cover whatever shape lay beneath the on Bernard, and then h the leaves and vanished into the brush

Tavi inded fro "What is it&039;" he whispered

Bernard&039;s eyes slipped out of focus for a ht Well done, boy There&039;s so fury with them "

"Bandits&039;?" Tavi whispered

His uncle&039;s eyes narrowed "It&039;s Kord "

Tavi frowned "I thought the other Steadholders were supposed to be arriving later today And ould they be hiding in the trees&039;"

Bernard grunted, rising "Let&039;s go find out "

Tavi followed his uncle on down the road Bernard walked with quiet purpose toward the causeway, as if he had every intention of traveling past the hidden , he spun to his left, arrow in hand, drew back the bow and loosed a grey-feathered shaft at a clump of bushes and detritus a few paces froe that crossed abrook

Tavi heard a scream, and the leaves and bushes thrashed wildly A ed from the bushes, one hand clenched upon the seat of his breeches He had a broad, strong build and a face that would be handsome if it had been less petulant Bittan, of Kord-holt, Kord&039;s youngest son "Bloody crows&039;" the boy howled "Are you insane&039;"

"Bittan&039;" called Bernard in obviously feigned surprise "Oh dear I had no idea that was you back there "

Fro - Kord&039;s eldest son, Aric He was leaner than his brother, taller, and several years older He wore his hair pulled back into a tail, and pensive frown lines

had already established themselves between his eyebrows He watched Bernard warily and called, "Bittan? You all right?"

The boy screaht! I&039;m shot!"

Tavi peered at the other boy and razed hirinned "Maybe you hit him in the brain"

Bernard s

From still further back in the brush, leaves crackled and dead wood snapped A ed from the bracken He wasn&039;t terribly tall, but his shoulders seee for hi Kord wore a patched and faded grey tunic, badly in need of a thorough washing, and heavy gargant-hide leggings He wore his symbol of office, the heavy chain of a Steadholder around his neck The chain was sreasy, but Tavi supposed that ithair and patchy beard

Kord ressive tension, and his eyes were cold with anger "What the crows do you think you&039;re doing, Bernard?"

Bernard waved a friendly hand at Kord, but Tavi noted that he held an arrow along with the bow in his other "Little accident," he said "Iby the road to attack travelers"

Kord&039;s eyes narrowed "Are you accusing ?"

"Of course not," Bernard drawled, his s Thank the great furies no one got hurt" He paused for abefore he said, quietly, "I&039;d hate to have soet hurt on my land"