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described someone very like this woman one of her few supporters after the innkeeper's first wife had
died. The cook
"Are you Annie Cook?" Robin asked. The woman stared at her, and nodded, slowly, her expression
turning to one of apprehension.
"How d'ye know " Annie began, clearly suspecting Robin of an uncanny, unnatural method of learning
her name.
"Rune told me about you," Robin replied quickly, not sure how long it would be before Stara or Jeoff
came to chase them off. "She said you were a good friend to her while she was here."
The uneasy expression turned again to one of pleasure. "Rune! I hope th' child's well! She did aright t'
run off from here."
Impulsively, Robin decided to tell Annie a more edited and truthful version of what she had told
the villagers. "Rune is doing wonderfully; she is a Master Free Bard herself, she's wedded Master Bard
Talaysen, and they are both in the service of the King of Birnam. She isvery happy, and she and
Talaysen are expecting their first child in the summer."
Annie gaped at her, then the gape turned into a smile. "Yedon't say! Welladay!" The smile widened.
"Why good for the girl! If ever there was a child deserved a bit'a luck, it was that 'un!" She glared at the
closed door of the inn. "Not like 'er mother. That bitcan't get nothin' without it bein' through some man's
bed. An' had Rune stayed here, she'd'a been slavin' away i' that tap room while her mam sat on 'er fat
rump an' held th' cashbox."
"Annie?"the voice from within was muffled, but clearly Stara's. Annie rolled her eyes, waved a friendly,
but silent farewell, and retreated to her kitchen.
Dark as it was, the road was smooth enough to permit them to travel by night, at least for a while.
Kestrel held the horses to a walk. It wasn't as if they had to fear pursuit from the village. It wasn't likely
that, even if by some miracle the three bullies got over their fright, any of them would come pursuing the
Gypsies in the dark. "S-so that w-was S-Stara," he said. "N-n-nasty, p-petty piece."
"I'd have run off long before Rune did," Robin said thoughtfully. "Long, long before Rune did. That
woman can't see past the end of her nose, and if she ever had a generous bone in her, it's long since
gone."
Kestrel chuckled. "S-sunk in f-fat."
It was still barely warm enough for crickets, which sang a melancholy tune in the grasses beside the
road. Overhead, thin clouds obscured the stars; the overcast was blowing off, but the moon was not yet
out. No way to see past the dim lanterns on the front of the wagon, but the underbrush was so thick on
either side of the road that there was no chance of the horses wandering off. And this road, according to
the maps, went straight to Carthell Abbey without forking.
By way of Skull Hill.
That was according to the map; according to Rune and Annie Cook, the road forked a little way ahead,
and while the old road still went over Skull Hill, the locals had cut another, cruder path around the
dangerous place. Passable, she had said.
"I th-think, that c-compared to S-Stara, the Gh-Ghost m-must have been a p-pleasant audience," he
said, trying to make a small joke.
Robin chuckled. "Certainly more appreciative. And the Ghostrewarded talent instead of stifling it."
"T-true." The horses clopped on, through the thick darkness, carefully feeling their way. Kestrel had
been watching for roadside clearings, but there didn't seem to be any. He was beginning to wonder if
they ought to stop and camp along here, even if they had to camp in the center of the road. After all, it
wasn't as if it got very much use they were hardly likely to block anyone's travel! By the old tracks
they had seen, they might have been the only wagon along here in the past week.
"Th-that p-place where the r-road f-forks should b-be around here s-soon," he said. "What if w-we "
"What if we go up Skull Hill?" Robin asked, suddenly.
For a moment he wasn't certain he had heard her right. "Wh-what?" he blurted.
"What if we go up Skull Hill?" she repeated. "Confront the Ghost, just like Rune did?"
Hehad heard her correctly. "Are you c-c-c-crazy?" he spluttered. "Why?"
She laughed; she didn'tsound crazy. She did sound rather determined, however. "Why not?" she replied.
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