Finn pushed the door open with his shoulder, and the smell that came out

he said.

fs beside it, a wooden bench along the wall, and a pile of old straw in the corner. Finn laid Ronan down on

od is that

p. The wound along his ribs had stopped bleeding, but the edges were

er side of him. "How lon

to say it that did not make me want to break something. "He is a late bloomer. His

eds a

ed up at him. "You said you would bring bread.

m light of the bothy his face was harder to read than it had been on the ridge.

ing too," he s

ill c

d crossed to the door. "I will bring bread, and wate

would

hand on the frame. "I do not k

lone with the smell of old smoke

tone. My wolf was still pacing, still pulling toward the door

and he stepped in with a cloth bag over one shoulder and a clay jug i

pack healer. It will help the boy's ribs." He straightened. "I will take

g to ask me anyth

imply. "I have had

ked shut, and I heard his foot

, and then I ate a piece of bread standing at the bench because I could not remember the

I went to the do

e bothy, his back to me, his shape dark against the

be resting

ted enough.

masked it. Then he shifted along the stone, and I sat down beside him, cl

r and cold, and the heather around us had gone the colour of old

by that wound?"

ch o

arm that you ar

I had forgotten I was bleeding. That was the trouble with running fo

ll of it. "Three men found us crossing the low road two nights ago. They were not enfor

ppened to th

e loch. "The third one is on the low

r a long moment.

m. "If that changes what you think of me, then it changes it. I woul

ght. His pale golden hair had fallen forward ov

ou," he said. "It changes what I thin

ad said to me in three years that did not come with a price attached, and

use," I said. "If your father finds

sk them in the morning whether I am there or n

on

"And your pack. Ashfall. I have heard the name before, in

he ribs. I kept my face still. I

s a fire,

ng to ask you something, and I want you to think before you answer. Why is an enforcer of the Council of Alph

y wolf pushed forward hard, wanting to tell him. Wanting,

outh. And the

rying. Then a second howl answered it, and a third, and t

went to the knife at his belt, and his fac

he said quietly. "Those

owls were closer now. Somewhere on the dark slope above

id. "Get inside and d

in

a, pl

idge was silver grey and ran with a long, unhurried stride, and

" I said. "T