Page 118 of Circle of Days

Pia wondered what was going on. Had someone killed Stam? If so, they had not forewarned her or Yana. Which was probably wise.

Troon said: “Did he tell you where he was going?”

“He said good night as usual, and headed off in the direction of your place.”

Troon looked at Pia. “If I find that your herder friends have killed him…”

She was scared. Was she going to be blamed for something she had not done? But she would not show fear to Troon. “I hope someone has killed him,” she said spiritedly. “He murdered two people—he deserves to die.”

Troon did not argue with that—he was focused on his questions. “Have you spoken to any herders lately?”

“No.”

“Or even seen any?”

“No.”

He shrugged. “Anyway, it’s unlikely. Those people haven’t got the guts for revenge.”

Troon’s minion, Shen, appeared behind him. “We’ve found something,” he said. “Some clothes near the river. A tunic and a pair of shoes. The right size for Stam.”

“By the river?”

“On the edge.”

“Right,” said Troon. “Search the banks on both sides, upriver and down. And remember, he might not be alive. So look for a body.”

Troon arrived at Bez’s village that evening.

The woodlanders were eating supper. Every one of them knew where Stam was, but they managed to look normal, sharing their food with their children, throwing scraps to the dogs.

Behind Troon emerged a handful of young men, all armed with bows. The woodlanders got up from their supper and picked up their own weapons. But Bez felt sure the farmers would not attack, being outnumbered several times over.

Troon said: “Where is he?”

Bez was the only one who had more than a smattering of the herder language. He said: “Who have you lost?”

Troon gritted his teeth. He hated to admit weakness. He said: “My son, Stam.”

“Stam the murderer,” Bez replied. “We are the ones who should be looking for him. He killed our fellow tribesmen.”

“If you’ve killed him in revenge…”

Troon’s men hefted their bows, and the woodlanders tensed.

Bez said: “No, we have not killed him.” That was true, although it was only a matter of time. “And if we did kill him, it would restore the balance.”

“We’re going to search for him.”

The woodlanders bristled, but Bez said: “Let them search. It’s the quickest way to get rid of them.”

The farmers looked in all the houses and the surrounding wood. One of them poked the foliage pile with an arrow, and Bez tensed; but the man moved on.

Troon said to Bez: “I’m going to search the entire wood. If he’s here, I’ll hold you responsible.”

“Go ahead, waste your time.”

As they left, Bez pointed to Omun and Arav, two light-footed hunters. “Follow them. Let us know when they give up and leave the wood.”