Free The Herald of Autumn (Echoes of the Untold Age Book 1) by JM Guillen Page B

begin with.” He held up a third finger.
“If’n yeh knew that, yeh might say I owe yeh thrice.” He shrugged. “If’n yeh
were the kind to tally.”
    “If I were.”
    He leaned back into his chair. “It’s
also true that I know the nature of this thing. And Tommy, it needs killin’.
Would yeh be willin’ to let an old man pay his debts by offering a touch of
glam? Mayhap a tool or three that could make a difference for yeh?”
    I saw through his trick.
    “You imply I said I would kill it. I
never did.” If I accepted his tools, that could be seen as an agreement.
    He grinned ruefully. “Canny one, yeh
are.”
    “I’ll scout it out. I agree to that
much.” I leaned forward. “If I decide that I’ll hunt it, perhaps I’ll take you
up.” I sipped the last of my cider.
    “If’n yeh decide to hunt it, I think
yeh’ll need all the help yeh can get, Herald.”
    I said nothing.
    He was probably right.
    “Jes’ call for it. I figger I owe yeh.
Call for my boon when yeh need it.”
    I gave him a grim smile. “By name, I
suppose? Certainly. Just give me your Name and—”
    “You know my name, Herald.”
    “Not the same as having your
Name, and you know it. Someone gave you my Name, after all.”
    “Jes’ call. That will be enough.”
    I let the silence hang between us for
a few heartbeats.
    “Just
tell me where to go.”

 
     
14
     
    I took my leave of him then. All that
mattered, he had given me.
    “At least let me get yeh a coat, boy.
Yeh can’t wander back to town nekkid.”
    “I’m not going back to town.” To be
honest, clothing was the last thing on my mind. “I’ll head north now and see
what there is to see. See if you’ve spoken straight.”
    “Yeh know I have. Yeh can feel it.”
    He was right, but I said nothing.
    “Yeh’ll be lookin’ for a crick, north
o’ here. They call it Emri’s Branch, even though tis naught more than a
spring.” Coyote emptied his mug. “It’s about four hours north of town, near the
highway. Yeh’ll want to follow it into the back hills. Its lair is there.”
    I was certain I didn’t need my
directions to be much more specific than that. I had felt the hollow creature
while it was still well away from Molly’s. Chances were that whatever had
spawned it would beckon to me as soon as I grew close.
    Coyote met my gaze. “This knowledge
is yers, without debt or lien. This ain’t how I pay yeh back for what I did.”
    I studied him. “Fair enough.”
    We simply looked into each other’s
eyes for a long moment.
    Awkwardly, Coyote held a hand to me.
    I took it and shook. “No promises.
I’ll go and see what I see. No debts incurred.”
    He smiled at me. “Fair enough, O
Herald. Fair enough. These things, the cider, all part of hospitality.” He
opened his door. “If’n yeh want more, however…”
    “Perhaps I’ll decide you owe me after
all.”
    “Agreed. And yeh’ll give a call.”
    I glared at him, briefly. “I suppose
that’s my only choice.”
    As before, he twisted the door as he
pulled. It opened not only inward, but somehow sideways . A pale,
flickering light shone into Coyote’s lodge. It took me a moment to comprehend
what I saw. I gaped at him, trying to keep my face straight.
    “It’s the closest I can get yeh, if’n
yeh ain’t going to town.” He smiled. “Put yeh right next to the highway, ’bout
a half hour from the crick.”
    I sighed but said nothing. Keeping my
eyes on him, I stepped into the bright light.
    Eyes gleaming, Coyote shut the door.
     

 
     
15
     
    Coyote’s door opened into a restroom
stall. The light in the restroom glared the antiseptic, brilliant white that
humans seemed to prefer. I blinked, trying not to breathe in the strong
cleaning chemicals.
    I couldn’t quite believe that this
wasn’t Coyote’s idea of a joke.
    Opening the door of the stall, I
caught sight of myself in a gleaming mirror. I was a mess. My hair had tangled
and twisted from my battle with the hollow darkness, and mud