this way on her own, only to be murdered or kidnapped by bully ruffins?
“But you didn’t find Lady Brianna’s body?” without meaning to, Han tightened his grip on the boy’s arm.
Simon shook his head, his lip quivering. “n-no, but—there was blood everywhere. And she wouldn’t just leave , would she?
not without a good-bye. not without her belongings.”
“where are they now? Her belongings, i mean.” Simon pressed his lips together and hung his head.
“Tell me,” Han said, beginning to lose patience.
“They’re in my room, but i didn’t steal them, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Simon added defensively. “i put them away for safekeeping. in case she came back.”
only, Simon didn’t expect her to come back. Han could see it in his eyes.
“Show me,” Han growled, knowing Simon wasn’t at fault, but somehow unable to apologize.
Simon led Han back to a cubbyhole-size room behind the fireplace that might once have been the woodbin. The furnishings consisted of a pallet on the floor, a wooden trunk, and a small, sad 86
S i M o n S Ay S
shrine in the corner consisting of candles, flowers, and the missing girl’s belongings.
Simon pointed to the shrine. “There. That’s them.” Han knelt next to it and sorted through the muddle. There wasn’t much—a few articles of clothing that seemed too big for rebecca, and fancier than anything he’d ever seen her wear.
nothing looked familiar. But then, she’d left her belongings behind when she disappeared from oden’s Ford.
Her horse was gone, Simon had said. So maybe she was still alive. it was the best clue he’d had so far. The only clue. if it was really her.
“what kind of horse did she ride?” Han asked.
“A flatland stallion,” Simon said. “A gray.”
A stallion. Traders rode ponies, as a rule. Someone else had seen a girlie matching rebecca’s description riding a gray. But rebecca had kept an upland pony cross in oden’s Ford. A mare that had disappeared along with her.
if she’d been carried off alive by someone other than the Bayars, there was no telling where they’d gone.
nothing fit together. Frustration boiled inside him, but there was nothing to do but press on.
Han finally arrived in Delphi in early afternoon. The city was, if anything, more crowded than he remembered. now there were refugees from Tamron as well as Arden.
At least these were problems he didn’t have to solve. There was little news from the Fells, save the old story that the princess heir was still missing and that her younger sister might be made heir in her place. of greatest interest to Delphi were the threats 87
T H e G r Ay wo L F T H ro n e
from the “copperhead savages” that they would close the border and interrupt trade between Delphi and Fellsmarch if the princess were set aside.
Han bypassed the Mug and Mutton, where he’d met up with Cat and outsharped the needle point. Had it been less than a year ago? He hoped Cat and Dancer were still walking out, immersed in their summer studies, far from the turmoil of his life.
He paid top-shelf prices for room and board at another inn, and replenished his supplies, enough to get him to Marisa pines Camp, anyway. He wondered if the matriarch willo watersong would be there.
He regretted their strained parting when he left for oden’s Ford. yes, she had lied to him, she’d conspired with those who meant to use him. in a way it was a relief to learn that she wasn’t perfect. Maybe the hardest lesson Han had learned was that nobody is purely bad or good. everybody seemed to be a mixture of both.
Han meant to set out for Marisa pines pass the next morning, but a spring storm came howling down from the north. A foot of snow fell in Delphi, and the livery man said that meant three or four feet would have fallen in the pass, and only an idiot would try to make it through before the weather settled.
Han knew about spring storms in the mountains, so he delayed
“But you didn’t find Lady Brianna’s body?” without meaning to, Han tightened his grip on the boy’s arm.
Simon shook his head, his lip quivering. “n-no, but—there was blood everywhere. And she wouldn’t just leave , would she?
not without a good-bye. not without her belongings.”
“where are they now? Her belongings, i mean.” Simon pressed his lips together and hung his head.
“Tell me,” Han said, beginning to lose patience.
“They’re in my room, but i didn’t steal them, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Simon added defensively. “i put them away for safekeeping. in case she came back.”
only, Simon didn’t expect her to come back. Han could see it in his eyes.
“Show me,” Han growled, knowing Simon wasn’t at fault, but somehow unable to apologize.
Simon led Han back to a cubbyhole-size room behind the fireplace that might once have been the woodbin. The furnishings consisted of a pallet on the floor, a wooden trunk, and a small, sad 86
S i M o n S Ay S
shrine in the corner consisting of candles, flowers, and the missing girl’s belongings.
Simon pointed to the shrine. “There. That’s them.” Han knelt next to it and sorted through the muddle. There wasn’t much—a few articles of clothing that seemed too big for rebecca, and fancier than anything he’d ever seen her wear.
nothing looked familiar. But then, she’d left her belongings behind when she disappeared from oden’s Ford.
Her horse was gone, Simon had said. So maybe she was still alive. it was the best clue he’d had so far. The only clue. if it was really her.
“what kind of horse did she ride?” Han asked.
“A flatland stallion,” Simon said. “A gray.”
A stallion. Traders rode ponies, as a rule. Someone else had seen a girlie matching rebecca’s description riding a gray. But rebecca had kept an upland pony cross in oden’s Ford. A mare that had disappeared along with her.
if she’d been carried off alive by someone other than the Bayars, there was no telling where they’d gone.
nothing fit together. Frustration boiled inside him, but there was nothing to do but press on.
Han finally arrived in Delphi in early afternoon. The city was, if anything, more crowded than he remembered. now there were refugees from Tamron as well as Arden.
At least these were problems he didn’t have to solve. There was little news from the Fells, save the old story that the princess heir was still missing and that her younger sister might be made heir in her place. of greatest interest to Delphi were the threats 87
T H e G r Ay wo L F T H ro n e
from the “copperhead savages” that they would close the border and interrupt trade between Delphi and Fellsmarch if the princess were set aside.
Han bypassed the Mug and Mutton, where he’d met up with Cat and outsharped the needle point. Had it been less than a year ago? He hoped Cat and Dancer were still walking out, immersed in their summer studies, far from the turmoil of his life.
He paid top-shelf prices for room and board at another inn, and replenished his supplies, enough to get him to Marisa pines Camp, anyway. He wondered if the matriarch willo watersong would be there.
He regretted their strained parting when he left for oden’s Ford. yes, she had lied to him, she’d conspired with those who meant to use him. in a way it was a relief to learn that she wasn’t perfect. Maybe the hardest lesson Han had learned was that nobody is purely bad or good. everybody seemed to be a mixture of both.
Han meant to set out for Marisa pines pass the next morning, but a spring storm came howling down from the north. A foot of snow fell in Delphi, and the livery man said that meant three or four feet would have fallen in the pass, and only an idiot would try to make it through before the weather settled.
Han knew about spring storms in the mountains, so he delayed
Similar Books
