At the Queen_s command

Nathaniel posted a hand on the doorjamb right beside Seth's head. "Now that ain't likely, is it, being as how his grave has moved. I don't reckon you wanted to bury him once, much less twice."

Seth moaned and slumped in the doorway. "Don't be telling the Reverend. I never should have done it, but I had no choice."

"We ain't telling nobody 'cepting the Queen, and she'll be sending you a medal."

The man's expression brightened. "You gotta understand. 1761, very cold. Ground froze hard. Wasn't till late summer I could get down five feet. East side of some ravines never did get clear of snow. Now Pierre goes out, gets himself frozen solid. Two trappers brought him in. Reverend weren't around, so I just had them tuck the body up against the Church. Snow drifted on up over."

Seth looked down at his hands. "So one night me and Ef Park was having a dram. You know he got a new still a while back, makes the sweetest whiskey. And it were cold. And I told him that the trappers had two dogs they tied to Pierre's ankles to drag him in. No shroud, nothing, just him froze solid. And Ef said he had two dogs, he wanted to see it for himself.

"So we drank more, then got his dogs, and got Pierre and hitched him up. But the dogs, they wouldn't go. So Ef climbs right up there on Pierre's chest like he's a sled. And them dogs took off through the woods. Headed down into Fall's Ravine, got skewed around. We cut the dogs loose and the body just rode the snow crust down."

"Can you take us to that spot?"

"I can, but I ain't gonna." Seth's shoulders slumped. "I ain't slept good since that night. Ain't drunk much neither. Went looking for him spring of this year, after I planted Mercy. Didn't see no sign of him. When he thawed, animals ate him. Cain't say I am sorry about that."

Nathaniel frowned. "You're sure it was him?"

"When they first brought him in, we poured boiling water on the face. Bit of his nose went away. But it was him, no doubt."

Makepeace punched a barn slat, shattering it. "Damn you, Plant."

The little man cowered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"To think I wasted good ale on an empty grave."

Nathaniel scratched at his chin. "It was Gates' ale."

"You have a point."

Nathaniel slipped an arm over Seth's shoulders. "Well, you don't want to go and tell people we was asking questions."

"No, no, I won't, I promise."

"And you're going to do us a favor." Nathaniel nodded to Owen. "Captain Strake is going to write a message and you'll be taking it to Doctor Frost in Temperance."

"Oh, I can't go. I have Bessie here needs milking every day."

Kamiskwa unsheathed his musket.

"Now I'm thinking, Seth Plant, that the Gateses would be more than happy to watch your cow for her output for a month."

"I can't get to Temperance and back in a month."

Nathaniel cuffed him hard. "You let a man ride a frozen corpse through the woods. You tied dogs to it and you lost it. Can't ain't a word you want to be using right now."

"But, Nathaniel, that's too far."

"Well, then, we'll wait here for the preacher to come by on his circuit."

Seth looked from the musket to the cow, and then at all the stern faces surrounding him. "I guess I can catch a boat to the coast and another to Temperance."

"Good man." Nathaniel turned him toward the barn and gave him a shove. "Milk your cow. We'll be waiting."

Owen composed his messages quickly-a coded one for Prince Vlad, and a cover letter for the Frosts. In the Prince's note he outlined the mystery, reiterating everything from the identification of the wendigo down through discovering that the body never got buried. He described Ilsavont as "Mister Frozen Corpse." He wasn't sure what the Prince would make of that, and he hoped he didn't assume Owen had gone mad. The letter to Doctor Frost talked about trapping and mercantile issues. He referred to Ilsavont by name and suggested the letter could be communicated to the Prince. With any luck at all, the Prince would make the necessary connections, especially if Msitazi got to Prince Vlad before Plant delivered this note to the Frosts.

With the messages sealed up tight they gave Seth his instructions. Nathaniel made him repeat them back twice, then told him to get moving. Seth protested that he wanted to start in the morning, but Nathaniel remained adamant. "If I don't see your feet on the road now, we're finding dogs and Makepeace will ride you to Kebeton."

The big man smiled. "Always liked Kebeton."

Seth groaned and acquiesced. The four of them watched him leading his cow down to Hattersburg.

Nathaniel sighed. "Well, we cain't go back to town. Not sure what that idiot will tell them, but best to give them time to forget."

Owen opened his hands. "Everything points west. Du Malphias is out there somewhere. We don't know what he's doing, but we know whatever it is, it's going to be bad."

"I reckon you're right. Something terrible bad."