Page 53

“Not much.” Gustav patted the pouch at his waist.

Josslyn tugged at his coat. “You can’t wear this.”

It led to Gustav looking at the badge sewn onto the breast of it. The royal crest of Daerva.

He sighed as he stripped it, leaving him only in his linen shirt. “Should have dumped it long before.” He carried it into the woods to hide it from casual eyes.

The ragtag trio made their way into the town only to realize they’d worried for naught.

No one asked them any questions because Herder’s Respite had been abandoned.

Chapter 13

“What happened to the people?”Avera couldn’t have said why she whispered. Blame the eerie feel of the town. It was as if the inhabitants simply walked away.

Without any of their belongings.

Their first hint of something amiss occurred as they entered the outskirts of Herder’s Respite. A house stood on its lonesome. The garden was overgrown and ripe with vegetables, the yard empty of people, laundry flapped on the clothesline, some of it twisted as if caught in a strong wind and forgotten. Of more concern was the open front door.

With a hand on the hilt of his sword, a grim-faced Gustav approached the home. As he neared the gaping entrance, he called out, “Hello, anyone there?” When no one answered, he stuck his head inside only to emerge shaking it. “It’s empty.”

“Maybe they’re hiding because they don’t like strangers?” Josslyn opined.

“More like they left in a hurry. Dinner is still on the table. With a layer of mold, I should add, before you get ideas about eating it.”

“Any smells?” Avera asked.

“What an odd thing to ask,” Josslyn exclaimed.

But Gustav understood. “If someone died it wasn’t inside.” A decomposing body left an unmistakable stench.

Avera glanced at the road leading into the town. A road empty despite it being just past the noon hour. “Something’s not right.”

“Agreed,” Gustav stated, rejoining them. “Should we turn around?”

“And go where?” Avera waved her hands. “We can’t go back, and Fraegus Spire is in sight.” Indeed, the tall mountain, wreathed in mist, loomed over the small town.

“What if it’s the plague?” Josslyn asked, her brow creased in concern.

“A plague leaves behind bodies,” her brother replied.

“Could be they were removed,” she countered.

“Removed but the door left open and unmarked?” Gustav riposted. While it didn’t happen often, illness did sometimes sweep the population. Homes with the infected had Xs painted upon their doors to warn people not to enter.

“What if it was marauders who kidnapped them?” Avera suggested.

Everyone had heard the stories of how they abducted people for slaves. It usually happened elsewhere, though. Daerva never had that issue because of their inaccessibility.

“The marauders tend to stick close to their ships. Herder’s Respite is too far inland.” Gustav glanced towards the town. “If you’re scared, stay here while I check on things.”

“Should we be splitting up?” Avera didn’t like the idea of them being separated.

“No, we shouldn’t,” Josslyn groused. “If you’re going into town, then so are we.”

“Stay close,” Gustav commanded. “Let’s see if this abandoned home is an anomaly.”

It wasn’t.