After that, all she had to do was pick up the necromancer's trail. She frowned as she built a campfire. How WAS she going to find that wretched woman? It felt strange not to have Tam on hand to talk to. He would have ideas, too. The boy was remarkably clear-headed.
It felt strange to be alone. She'd been on the road for over two months with only Daisy for company by the time she'd ridden into Raven Crossing for the first time, but Tam had grown on her quickly. Her little campsite was unexpectedly lonely.
A sound at the edge of hearing made her look up. The horse was staring at the road, ears pricked forward, and Tira's fingers twitched, looking for the bow she no longer had. She really needed to replace it.
Instead, she dropped a hand to the hilt of her sword and stepped to the edge of the trees. There could be all sorts of innocent, harmless travellers on this lonely stretch of road. But the goblins who'd been driven from Aronia had to be somewhere, and the necromancer she was hunting might be hunting her in turn.
She slipped behind a tree, watched the clearing, and waited.
Somewhere out of sight a horse nickered, and Tira's horse nickered in reply. Tira heard the clop of hooves on the road. It wasn't goblins, then.
A horse appeared. The horseman stopped, surveyed the clearing, and said, "You can come out. I promise not to hurt you."
Tira stepped out from behind her tree. "Hello, Tam."
"Hello," he said solemnly, then broke into a grin. "I was afraid I wouldn't find you."
"It took you long enough," she said. "I was expecting you by lunch."
"Really?"
"No," she admitted, "but I'm glad you came to your senses."
He blushed a little bit, and tried to hide it by turning away and swinging down from the saddle. Tira fought an urge to run over and throw an arm across his shoulders. She was delighted to see him, happier than she ever would have expected, but she made herself say, "Tam? Are you sure you're making the right decision? You'll live a lot longer if you stay in Raven Crossing."
Tam turned to face her, grinning self-consciously. "Yes, I'm sure." His eyes widened in mock astonishment. "You wouldn't believe how much work they expect me to do!" He chuckled, then looked at his feet for a moment. At last he met her eyes. "It really is a village, isn't it?" he said softly. "Raven Crossing. I thought it was so big." He shook his head. "I'd swear it shrank while we were away."
Tira laughed.
"I don't belong there," he said. "Not any more. The things that need to be done, back home? Anyone can do it. Harvest. Rebuilding the temple." He leaned over, reaching under his horse to undo the cinch straps. "But the things you're doing. Hunting a necromancer. Not everyone can do that."
He straightened, pulled the saddle from the horse's back, and lugged it over to set it beside hers on the log. "I'm all right as a farmer," he said. "No better than anyone else. But the other things? The things we've been doing since we met? Maybe I'm good at that."
The look he gave her was a bit uncertain. She nodded. "Yes, Tam. You're good at it."
He smiled, turning a bit pink again. "That's settled, then," he said. "What's the plan?"
"Tonight we camp," she said. "You cook." She gestured at her half-built fire.
"Tomorrow, we hunt."
Author Notes
Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear your comments. Go to SteamPunch.com to leave me a note or to learn about other stories, or sign up for my newsletter to hear about new releases. I can be reached by email at [email protected].
Tira and Tam's adventures continue in Girl in the Shadows, available now.
Bone Magic Page 14