Assassin's Quest

"I fear my death." I admitted it. "But fearing it will not stop it. So I make what provisions I can. As I should have, long ago." I met his smoky eyes squarely. "Promise me."

He looked down at the earring in his hand. "I promise. Though why you think my chances are better than yours, I do not know. Nor do I know how I will find them, but I will."

I felt great relief. "I told you earlier. I know only that their cottage is near a village called Capelin Beach. There is more than one Capelin Beach in Buck, that is true. But if you tell me you will find her, I believe you will."

"Capelin Beach?" His eyes went distant. "I think I recall … I thought I had dreamed that." He shook his head and almost smiled. "So I am now a party to one of the closest-held secrets in Buck. Chade told me that not even he knew precisely where Burrich had hidden Molly away. He had only a place to leave a message for Burrich, so Burrich might come to him. `The fewer who know a secret, the fewer can tell it,' he told me. Yet it seems to me I have heard that name before. Capelin Beach. Or dreamed it, perhaps."

My heart went cold. "What do you mean? Have you had a vision of Capelin Beach?"

He shook his head. "Not a vision, no. Yet a nightmare toothier than most, so that when Kettle found and woke me, I felt I had not slept at all, but had been fleeing for my life for hours." He shook his head again slowly and rubbed at his eyes, yawning. "I do not even recall lying down to sleep outside. But that is where they found me."

"I should have known something was wrong with you," I apologized. "You were by the hot spring, speaking to me of Molly and … things. And then you suddenly lay down and went to sleep. I thought you were mocking me," I admitted sheepishly.

He gave a tremendous yawn. "I do not even recall seeking you out," he admitted. He sniffed suddenly. "Did you say there was meat roasting?"

I nodded. "The wolf and I got a kid. It's young and should be tender."

"I'm hungry enough to eat old shoes," he declared. He threw back his bedding and left the tent. I followed him.

That meal was a better time than we had had in days. The Fool seemed weary and pensive, but had abandoned his barbed humor. The meat, though not tender as fat lamb, was better than anything we had had in weeks. By the end of the meal, I shared Nighteyes' sleepy satiation. He curled up outside by Kettricken to share her watch while I sought my blankets in the tent.

I had half expected the Fool to be wakeful after he had slept so much of the afternoon away. Instead he was first to his blankets and deeply asleep before I had even dragged my boots off. Kettle set out her gamecloth and gave me a problem to consider. I lay down to get what rest I could while Kettle watched over my sleep.

But I got small rest that night. No sooner had I dozed off than the Fool began to twitch and yip in his sleep. Even Nighteyes poked his head in the tent door to see what it was about. It took Kettle several tries to rouse him, and when he dozed off again, he slipped right back into his noisy dreams. That time I reached over to shake him. But when I touched his shoulder, awareness of him surged through me. For an instant, I shared his night terror. "Fool, wake up!" I cried out to him, and as if in answer to that command, he sat up.

"Let go, let go!" he cried desperately. Then, looking round and finding that no one held him, he dropped back to his bedding. He turned his eyes to meet mine.

"What were you dreaming?" I asked him.

He thought, then shook his head. "It's gone, now." He took a shuddering breath. "But I fear it waits for me, should I close my eyes. I think I shall see if Kettricken wants some company. I would rather be awake than face … whatever it was I was facing in my dreams."

I watched him leave the tent. Then I lay back in my blankets. I closed my eyes. I found it, faint as a silver shining thread. There was a Skillbond between us.

Ah. Is that what that is? the wolf marveled.

Can you feel it, too?

Only sometimes. It is like what you had with Verity.

Only weaker.

Weaker? I think not. Nighteyes considered. Not weaker, my brother. But different. Fashioned more like a Wit-bond than a Skill joining.

He looked up at the Fool as the Fool came out of the tent. After a time, the Fool frowned to himself and looked down at Nighteyes.

You see, said the wolf. He senses me. Not clearly, but he does. Hello, Fool. My ears itch.

Outside the tent, the Fool reached down suddenly to scratch the wolf's ears.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE. The Quarry