Before Winter. Nancy Wallace K.

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СКАЧАТЬ come across them.”

      “The smoke is from Martigues,” Lavender volunteered. “It is off the road, a mile or so to the north. There are only a handful of houses there. Hunters and trappers, mostly. They sell their meat and furs in Calais until the winter snows make the roads impassable. They are rough men. I stay away from Martigues.”

      Devin glanced at Marcus and saw a shadow of worry cross his face before they started off again. The smell of wood smoke faded as they moved farther away from the road. Devin didn’t believe he had ever traveled so far into the wilderness before. The pines here were as tall as cathedral spires and even in August there were telltale glimpses of autumn color among the maples and aspens. In a heartbeat autumn would be over and winter would be upon them. They had to reach Coreé before roads were impassable and the icy storms on the Dantzig had effectively halted travel for the season. He hoped that Lavender’s promise of a way into the tunnels was a legitimate one and not a figment of her irrational mind.

      By late afternoon, they reached the deepest part of the ravine. On either side crumbled stone foundations rose up, still attached to the cliff walls. In the center, the stream threaded its way through part of a broken wall in a series of small waterfalls. The streambed below lay scattered with huge stones, as though giants had tossed them in some mythical battle.

      Marcus turned to look behind them. “That valley behind us must have been carved out by the lake and these stones are what remain of a dam. There must have been a very powerful storm that overfilled it and then burst through and flooded the land below.”

      “The dam was burst intentionally,” Lavender said. “My father told me. He said the people of the town refused to pay their taxes and the government sent soldiers who sabotaged the dam. They drowned every man, woman and child in the village.”

      “My God,” Devin muttered. “When was this?”

      Lavender shrugged. “I don’t know. The area has been deserted for many, many years. No one else wanted to rebuild in such a vulnerable spot. Legend says that this was the oldest town in Llisé.”

      “Really?” Devin asked, yearning to pull Tirolien’s Chronicle from his jacket and read it but he dared not risk letting Lavender know that he had it.

      “It’s said to be haunted,” Lavender continued darkly. “But I’m not afraid of a few ghosts.” She turned to look at Devin, her eyes glinting. “Are you?”

      Devin thought she looked like a wraith herself as she wound through the heavy undergrowth, always keeping the stream to her right. He lost his footing more than once on the rocky edges of the streambed, his vision still taunting him with blurred images of where he needed to put his foot next. One misstep filled his left boot with icy water and he had to stop, hopping on one foot to empty it.

      They were so deep in the ravine that the sun had already effectively set for them when they reached the site of the ruined village. Their footing, which had been unsure before, now became precarious. The deep shadows did lend a ghostly quality to the scene before them and mist rose from the water as a chill drifted down the ravine behind them. Tumbled stone lay everywhere; a few buildings were marked by what remained of their foundations. Although, on the left side of the stream what must have been a church nestled into the hillside. Its nave had been ripped apart by the flood waters but its ragged steeple remained. There was something incredibly forlorn about it and Devin found his eyes drawn to it again and again. Moss and ivy softened the harsh lines of the ruins but there was a tremendous sensation of loss that permeated the scene.

      “That’s it,” Marcus said as he called a halt to further exploration for the night. “We’ll have no broken ankles or legs to complicate matters.” He slung the sack of wooden heads down with a smack which made Lavender jump and murmur something uncomplimentary under her breath. “There’s an L-shaped wall over there which will offer some protection for the night.”

      Devin was grateful to stop. His headache had returned by mid-afternoon and he was tired of straining his eyes to see what lay ahead of them. He slid down the wall that Marcus indicated and rested his shoulders against the stone.

      “If you would gather some sticks, Lavender,” Marcus said, “I think we could chance having a fire.”

      Lavender gave Marcus’ sack a loving pat and hobbled off to collect wood. Devin glanced at Marcus. “She promised us a way into the tunnels. It seems the church is the only possibility.”

      “I agree,” Marcus responded, watching her slow progress at gathering kindling.

      “But where are the ‘mossy steps’?” Devin asked.

      Marcus pointed up the hill. “Maybe they come down toward the church from the other side, which is odd because she claimed the entrance was ‘down the mossy steps.’”

      “She must have discovered them from above then,” Devin speculated.

      “Perhaps,” Marcus said.

      “You don’t trust her?”

      Marcus pursed his lips. “I don’t trust anyone but the Chancellor and you, Devin.”

      “Which Chancellor?” Devin asked.

      Marcus stopped, a wounded expression on his face. “Do you really need to ask?”

      “Yes,” Devin replied. “I do. Because I am determined to do everything I can to keep my father in power. I just want to make certain that you feel the same way, too.”

      “You have my word,” Marcus replied, holding out his hand.

      Devin avoided his eyes because there was still a part of him that didn’t trust Marcus. He wondered if the mistrust would ever be gone, but they seemed to be bound whether he wanted it so or not. He didn’t shake Marcus’ hand and Marcus was quick to withdraw it when it wasn’t accepted.

       CHAPTER 6

       Spirits

      The snap and crackle of flame created a small haven of warmth and safety as the rosy glow of the fire dappled the stone walls that sheltered them. For the first time Devin realized just how silent this valley was. Except for the constant flow of water over stone, there were no calls from night birds or the scramble of small animals searching for food. But most disturbing, there were no wolves here, at all.

      An autumnal chill settled into the ravine long before dark and Devin was grateful for the blankets that Marcus had brought with him. Unfortunately, there were only two and Devin found himself sharing one with Lavender who cooed and patted it as though she had never seen a blanket before in her life. Her skin was covered with months of filth, her clothes so dirty that their original color had vanished forever and yet sitting in such close proximity to her, Devin was aware only of a pleasantly earthy, woodsy smell. It was as though Lavender herself had become part of her environment.

      After they had roasted and eaten the two small rabbits Marcus had caught for dinner, she excused herself from the group and wandered off into the ruins of the town. Devin watched her until she blended into the earth and shadow around them. When she returned half an hour later she brought a square chunk of wood that had been cut from a larger piece. She laid the piece down, slid her legs and knees under the blanket СКАЧАТЬ