Free Chasers of the Wind by Alexey Pehov Page B

gingerbread, and then go out there and tell her that this was his glade. So go away!
    While Pork was chewing the gingerbread, he got another idea in his head. What if Ann suddenly stopped drilling holes into that silly tree with her eyes, and decided to take a swim in the river? Why not? It’s hot right now, she might want to. And he’d sit here all quiet and he’d watch. He’d see her naked. Pork had seen naked girls once before; they were bathing in the Black Pool on the night of the summer solstice. Of course, the village lads had noticed the half-wit skulking in the bushes and had beat him up. They nearly broke all his bones.
    Then Pork nearly choked on his gingerbread. The trunk of the oak split in two as if it had been struck by the axes of a hundred spiteful loggers. All the cowherd’s attention was fixed upon the tree, which is why he didn’t notice right away that there were men exiting the forest on the opposite side of the glade.
    *   *   *
    Old Morgen the blacksmith greeted me affably. He invited me into his house and sat me at his table. I did not want to offend him so we calmly discussed the weather, the future of the crops, and our neighbors. Finally it was time to get down to business.
    “That’s what I owe you for my tools.” I put six sols on the table.
    “There’s no hurry. I can wait,” said the blacksmith in his booming voice.
    “There’s no such thing as too much money,” I disagreed. “Anyway, I heard that you sent the matchmaker to your son. You’re going to have to count every penny now.”
    “You speak the truth,” Morgen said, grinning expansively. “Why have you begun to pay off your debts? You aren’t planning to leave us, are you?”
    “I must. On business.”
    “It’s good to have business.” The blacksmith grunted. “It’s far better than wearing out your trousers. When do you return?”
    I smiled wryly.
    “That’s why I came to you. We won’t be returning. I don’t want to sell my home. And anyway, I don’t have enough time to do it. They say that your boy Ren has nowhere to take a wife. You only started building a month ago. It’s too long to wait. Take our house. Have them live there. Either permanently or until you finish your own cottage.”
    Such a generous offer bewildered him. He grunted, settled back in his chair, and thoughtfully contracted his brows.
    “This is unexpected. Melot as my witness, this is quite unexpected. You really are a strange man, Pars. To give your property away just like that.”
    “I’m generous.” For all my efforts to the contrary, my smile still came out slightly bitter. “If it’s got to be given away anyway, it should at least go into good hands. So, will you take it or not?”
    “Of course I’ll take it. I’d be a fool if I didn’t. It’s just awkward to take it for nothing. People will talk.”
    “People always talk. Let them.”
    “Let me at least pay you a part of the money. So you won’t be living in poverty.”
    I did not have time to reply. A burning summons exploded in my mind.
    Help me!
    The mental picture that Layen sent me showed me the glade where we’d hidden the money received for the assassination of the Walker. Without so much as a good-bye, I tore out of the home of the rather startled blacksmith and set off to help her. As I ran I kept trying to call out to her. To no avail. For the first time I could remember, Layen was silent. In light of what she had shown me, it was safe to assume the worst. I’d already cursed myself five times that I had allowed her to do this by herself.
    The only weapon I had was a throwing axe. It was useful on a hunt, and perhaps even for assassination, but it would not work against a bunch of well-armed opponents.
    I flew through the brush growing alongside the river and immediately saw what was happening in the glade. About twenty steps away from me a short lance was stuck in the ground. Next to it was the body of a man. There was another corpse not far from