Dirk nodded, but said nothing. Teller tilted his head slightly, regarding his cousin.
“When do we go?” he asked, a note of eagerness in his voice. “There's snow out there already, but it's still a dusting for now. We wait much longer, though, and we may have to take Caddell up on his offer of hospitality whether we wish or no.”
“What did you settle on?” Dirk asked.
“A pack mule, food for the road, two horses, and enough winter clothes to stay warm on the trail,” Teller said, shrugging a shoulder. “I saw what you paid him when you arrived. It should be easy enough to get value, and more, for those with some fortune.”
“Have you had word from Aban?” Dirk asked.
“I have,” Teller said. “As you requested, he rode down to that crumbling old barn where I first crossed his path. He says the road is still passable, unusual for this time of year, but that we had perhaps another week before we would need to ride round to the east. Not a prospect I would relish any time of year, much less in winter's first dance.”
Dirk nodded again. Teller was not a man who forgot his debts, and there had been no sight of the old, gray nag he'd taken from Banys. There had also been no sight of any other survivors of the reap night. Dirk had ridden out with Marren and Aban, but for days they'd seen nothing, and found no one.
“Three more days,” Dirk said, standing. “Then we say our goodbyes.”
“We will have three horses,” Teller said. “With that lovely red roan you were lent.”
Dirk nodded, and waited. Teller took another drink from his mug, and pursed his lips.
“The one horse is a gift for the old man... but what will happen if yon healer wants to return, riding at your hip?”
Dirk smiled, and patted his cousin on the shoulder. “If that happens, then you can ride the mule.”
About The Author
Neal Litherland is a genre-hopping tale-teller and game designer from Northwest Indiana. Though Crier’s Knife is his first novel, he’s previously released the short story collection New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam, and his work has appeared in anthologies such as From A Cat’s View and SNAFU: Survival of The Fittest.
All of these titles, and many more, are available on Neal F. Litherland’s Amazon author page!
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