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made her look very young.
"Perhaps they were right." I withdrew
myself a few yards upwind from her; the
scent of her fear was just a little too
tantalizing.
"What will you do with me?"
"Nothing."
That is, if she was very, very lucky. I
hadn't fed tonight, and even across the
space between us, I could hear the call of
her blood. Another provocation from a
different kind of hunger was the fact that it
had been a long time since I'd lain with a
woman. My appetite had changed me so
that I was now finding myself as
vulnerable as a new-bearded boy, and
many times more eager than what was
considered acceptable. I had to keep
control of myself, or Dagmar would find
herself unwillingly fulfilling both needs at
the same time.
Turning from her, I dug my hands into my
pockets. My fingers closed over the piece
of quartz I'd found the other night. I
clenched it tight, grinding its rougher
edges into my palm. The pain was good.
Distracting.
It also reminded me of Tatyana and my
long search for her. I'd have to forgo it
tonight in favor of other errands.
"Tell me about the thieves," I said, my
voice somewhat harsh. "Tell me
everything you remember, where and
when, how many, their weapons&
everything."
Dagmar had a store of courage in her, else
she wouldn't have come up the mountain
alone and against my orders in the first
place. She drew upon it again and
managed to give a fairly complete account
of her misfortune.
"You were overmatched. Your brothers
must have fought very bravely."
"They were soldiers during the war."
"Their commander?"
"Lord Markous."
He'd been one of the wedding guests. "A
good man." Now a dead one.
"He trained them well."
"And it served them well." I paced up and
down, working out times and distances in
my head and concluding the trip wouldn't
require me to stay out for the day. I'd
speculated about journeys that would take
me out of the sanctuary of the keep, but
had never really planned anything. Though
this one had been thrust upon me, I was
suddenly looking forward to it. I'd shut
myself away for far too long, and whether
she knew it or not, Dagmar had caused me
to realize the fact.
Pacing finished, calculations finished, I
had but one more detail to see to.
"I shall have to insist you remain here for
the rest of the night," I said. "It is too
dangerous a journey down to the village in
the dark, and the accommodations of the
castle are, at present, limited." I was being
diplomatic, thinking she wouldn't care to
be in close quarters with the servants.
"There is plenty of moonlight. I can find
my way back."
"Can your pony outrun wolves?"
She glanced at the shivering creature, then
at the unrelieved blackness of the
surrounding forest. I recalled that even the
brightest noon sun had difficulty
penetrating some of its more dense tangles.
Though I could have commanded all the
wolves in the area not to molest either of
them, it would be better for her to stay
here. Traveling over Mount Ghakis during
the day was hazardous enough, at night she
could lose her way& fall& No. I would
not have that happening again.
"Come over here." She followed me to one
of the guardhouses. I pushed the door
open, it was dusty inside, and we disturbed
some birds nesting high above, but the
space was dry and enclosed. "There's
enough room for you both. The wolves of
Mount Ghakis are ferocious, but I've yet to
hear of one who could break through a
handspan of oak. Have you food enough
for the night?"
She nodded. "And water."
"Very well. Stay here. I may be back
before morning, or I may not. Either way,
you'll return to the village tomorrow."
Again, if she was very, very lucky.
"Yes, my lord." There were questions on
her face, but something within her may
have warned of the folly of asking them.
She got her pony, leading him into the
guardhouse, and I walked away into the
darkness before I might forget myself and
change her luck for the worse.
As soon as the road made its curve to the
north, I took on wings, climbed high, and
traveled east toward the village, leaving
behind all the great switchbacks, covering
several hours of travel in a fraction of the
time. Flying more like a bird than a bat, I
held my wings out and coasted on the air
with little effort.
Yes, I had shut myself away for far too
long. The air was clear and cold, with just
enough wind to force me to work, and the
labor felt good. It exhilarated and charged
up my imagination with the potentials
awaiting me. Tonight I would dance with
the stars; tomorrow I'd race along the
forest carpet with my brothers, the wolves,
or flow like smoke into secret places never
touched by a man. A fresh restlessness had
come upon me; it was time to give up my
constant brooding, and to explore.
*****
Once past the village and the ancient gates
of Barovia, I paid strict attention to
landmarks; just because I had mastered the
art of flying did not mean I was used to
reading the details of the ground. That
which is familiar at eye-level looks totally
different a thousand feet up. The castle
was always at my back and would serve as
my best guide for the return trip, but I
needed to keep track of landmarks so as
not to miss the spot where Dagmar and her
brothers had been attacked.
About five miles past the gates, the Old
Svalich Road and the River Ivlis made a
gradual push to the north to go around a
high spur of Mount Ghakis. It was an
outcrop of equal height to the one the
castle had been built on, and it might have
also made a fine spot for a fortress. In fact,
I had sent an architect and a party of
engineers to see if just such a project was
feasible and learned what previous
generations had learned: the rock wasn't
stable enough to support any structures.
Faults riddled the summit, constantly
breaking off boulders that littered the
narrow pass at its feet; some of the stones
even crashed down with enough force to
splash into the river itself.
It was here that half a dozen men had
burst, shouting, from the trees north of the
road to trap Dagmar's party against the
river. The fight had been vicious but short;
the thieves were interested only in
whatever money they could take that, or
Dagmar's brothers had made them think
twice about the risks of taking aught else.
They'd fled down the Svalich Road, boldly
using it as though they had as much right
to do so as any law-keeping citizen.
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