Page 74 (1/2)

The barn had only one exit Good Scrawny pine trees surrounded the area There were no other buildings or lights visible Lantern light glowed through the two dirty s Valek peeked inside The Storarbled their words, but their tone suggested a relaxed, easy banter Interesting

Valek found a hidden vantage point and waited Nothing happened They reain They slept in a circle around one of the lanterns It still glowed The faint light illue from fifteen to nineteen

A heaviness pressed on his shoulders These kids had ruined their futures by being a part of the Storm Thieves No spouse or children for theive second chances

He mulled over the reason they hid in the barn That second storht, and these five would already be there to lead the cattle to the ship, saving time And with the noise of the wind and waves, no one would hear the anie over the dock Shrewd Very shrewd And perfect for him He knew just what to do

Valek returned to the apartment His cloak, uniform and hair were stiff with dried salt and sand The cold air had soaked into his bones He stirred the coals in the hearth to life and added logs Then he washed up and changed into his adviser’s uniform

An hour after dawn, Endre and Annika arrived They reported a quiet night

"The owner’s not too concerned about a theft," Endre said "Except the house, none of his barns, sheds or gates are locked up I guess he’s relying on the brands on his livestock"

"Brands don’t help when the cattle disappear," Annika said

"Speaking of disappearing," Valek said "I’ve a job for your security force, Endre How many soldiers are there?"

"Five others besideforces?"

He shook his head "My captain can, but she’s not going to do it because I ask her to"

"Then I’ll ask her Let’s go"

"Now?"

"Yes, I’ll explain on the way"

"What about me?" Annika asked

"Find a seaallons of sculpting clay Bring them to the station as soon as you can" Valek didn’t wait to see her reaction He strode fro his discoveries and his plan to Endre, Valek hurried through the e had to be in place by the time the storm arrived

Captain Tahnee scowled at Endre--the newly revealed spy in her doers to Krillow and Coral Caye with Valek’s orders