page92 (1/2)

“But it’s not following us?” It was following us I knew it

“Did you not listen to the dream-witch, Jal?”

“He said a lot of thingsMostly about killing you—and how I could go home if I did”

“The curse, the Silent Sister’s spell? Why’s it still on us?”

That did ring a bell “Because the unborn wasn’t destroyed The enchantment is an act of will It needs to complete its purpose” I crossed my arms, pleased with myself

“That’s right And we’re heading north and the spell is giving us no problems”

“Yes” I frowned This was going somewhere bad

“The unborn isn’t chasing us, Jal We’re chasing it The thing’s gone north”

“Hell” I tried to calm myself “Butbut, come on, what are the odds? We’re headed for the same place?”

“The Silent Sister sees the future” Snorri touched a finger to his eye “Her ht out a way to reach the unborn—it followed the path that would see it carried by someone, soet”

“Hell” I hadn’t any more to say this time

“Yup”

We skirted the Gowfaugh until we found a trail, too wide for a deer path, too narrow for a woods it, leading the horses and trying to avoid getting a branch in the eye, the Gowfaugh wasn’t the kind of forest you’d hope to find deer in Or woodsmen

“Forests” Snorri rubbed at three parallel scratches on his bicep and shook his head “I’ll be glad to be free of this one”

“Woods where aand boar, that’s e have in Red March, with proper trees, not all this pine, with charcoal burners, timber cutters, the occasional bear or wolf But in the North” I waved at the close-packed trunks, branches interlaced so a man would have to cut his path every yard of the way “Dead places Just trees and trees and more trees Listen! Not even a bird”