White Road

along, not really expecting an answer.
    “I think that must be the power of the tayan’gil.”
    “I still say they don’t have such an ability.”
    Turmay frowned at him from the depths of his fur-lined hood. “Even so, I tell you this one does. Remember that it was made from a half-breed’s blood. Who knows what that would do?”
    Rieser snorted softly. “That should make it weaker, not stronger. One of the others must be a wizard. They exist among the Tír in the north, so why not here?”
    Turmay shrugged. “Then perhaps it was that.”
    They followed the trail for nearly a mile before it ended; the snow was less deep on the ground here. The wind had swept away all trace of them.
    With a muttered curse, Rieser turned back and kicked his horse into a gallop, retracing his steps with Turmay beside him. The chase would have to wait for as long as it took for his riders to recover.
    And what then, he could not say.

CHAPTER 18
A Wizard’s Touch
    S EREGIL and the others were relieved to finally see the glow of firelight through windows in the distance. They urged their tired horses into one last gallop and reached the inn a few minutes later.
    He and Micum knew the Bell and Bridle well; they’d sometimes stayed here when they were out working for Nysander, and Seregil had sung for their supper by the broad hearth a time or two. It was a large, friendly establishment frequented by traders and travelers of all sorts, with a comfortable, smoky taproom on the ground floor and rooms of passable cleanliness above.
    There was a sizable crowd tonight, mostly traders and drovers, with a handful of soldiers mixed in. Few of them gave the newcomers a second look, focused as they were on the pretty young woman plucking a harp by the fire. That suited Seregil just fine, together with the fact that he didn’t recognize the woman giving orders from behind the polished bar. Better not to leave a trail of acquaintances if someone might be tracking you.
    He looked around for Thero as he made his way through the crowd to the bar, but didn’t see any sign of him. “Have you any rooms for the night, Mistress?”
    She gave him a pretty smile. “Have you the silver to pay for it, sir?”
    Knowing he didn’t look much like a sir, much less Lord Seregil of Rhíminee after so many weeks on the road, hegave her a wink and slid two silver sesters across the bar. “Will that do for a private room and a hot bath?”
    She scooped up the coin. “Just right. You can have the small room at the top of the house. The bathhouse is behind the kitchen. I’ll have the cook put some cans of water by the fire while you carry up your gear.”
    Their room looked out over a chicken yard in the back but had a broad, clean, vermin-free bed and no holes in the roof, which was about all Seregil required of a place like this. An oil lamp stood on a small table. A washstand and a single chair stood by the window.
    “Much better than last night, aside from the smell of the chickens,” Alec said.
    Micum sat down on the edge of the bed to test the mattress. “I’ll take that over fleas any day.”
    They stowed their gear and went back downstairs to take turns in the cramped wooden tub, then sat down to a piping-hot rabbit pie, thick with onions and turnips.
    “This was worth the ride,” Alec said around a mouthful, digging in with his spoon for another bite. With his bangs cut long over his eyes, Sebrahn attracted little attention.
    Seregil nodded absently, glancing around at the crowd. There was still no sign of Thero, upstairs or down.
    They stayed, listening to the harper until she stopped for the night, then returned to their room.
    “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep,” Micum said, stretching out on the bed with a happy groan. “Seregil, you can have the first watch, and don’t the two of you get up to any mischief.”
    “That could be taken several ways,” Seregil noted.
    “And I meant all of them.” With that, he threw an arm over his eyes. A few minutes later he was snoring loudly.
    They waited for two days, passing their time as they could. Alec remained upstairs with Sebrahn while Seregil and Micum went out hunting with the innkeeper’s daughters in the early morning. They added considerably to the house larder, for which they got much praise at supper. In the afternoon Seregil played his harp and made a bit of silver, whichhe parleyed up in the evening as he and Micum gambled with the other guests. They won