Page 11 of Mistletoe

The ride into town would not be safe on his own but telling him that was a surefire way to ensure that he did just that. He was a stubborn old goat and could dig his heels in when the spirit moved him.

Issues of his vision aside, the notion of her absent-minded father unsupervised in Sweetwater Point soured in her stomach. At best, he’d lose his coin purse either from drink or from pickpockets. At worst, he’d get into a fistfight and be locked up for the night, like last time.Talkmeant visiting the waterholes where soldiers frequented, and her father just could not keep his political opinions to himself.

Yes, Oscar De Lacey could not go alone, especially dressed in his nightshirt.

“I’ll go with you tomorrow,” Emma said hurriedly.

“I am more than capable of going to town on my own. I could do it blindfolded.” He grinned, pleased at his own joke.

According to the physician, he had a degenerative condition that would have been nothing to cure with old Earth technology. No such technology existed on Nexus, so Oscar had to endure an ever-growing black spot in his vision. He had limited sight in the periphery, enough to navigate if he moved carefully and no one rearranged the furniture in the house.

For the record, he was also capable of dressing himself, but allowances needed to be made as he was preoccupied.

“I know you are busy with the farm. I see all the work you do, my prairie flower,” he said, using a pet name, presumably, to soften her.

“Then you know I can’t rush off without some planning. We can go tomorrow. Besides, I need fabric for new trousers,” she said, which was not a complete lie. She did need a sturdy fabric to make a pair of properly fitting trousers for her orc… acquaintance.

“You can check on our consignments with the grocer while you’re in town, too,” Agatha added. They sold goat cheese consignment in the store. In the spring, they’d shear the sheep, spin the wool, and sell the yarn at the general store. “Use the money to restock our larder.”

Oscar’s gaze bounced from Emma to Agatha as they spoke. “I suppose you’ll be needed to read any notices,” he conceded.

Emma seriously doubted there would be any notices or casualty lists ready tomorrow. Those typically took time to compile.

“I’ll work on a shopping list for you,” Agatha added.

Emma nodded. “We can go at first light tomorrow.”

Oscar made a noise of protest, but Agatha put a hand on his back. “At first light,” he agreed.

“A marvelous plan. Come along, love. I’ll get your breakfast started,” Agatha said.

Chapter Four

Hal

West Lands

The steady soundof hooves on the ground broke the quiet, giving him enough warning to hide behind a snow-covered bush.

The woman from the barn drove past on a wagon led by a horse. An older man rode alongside her. Their noses shared the same profile, leading him to believe they were family.

Emma.She said her name was Emma.

The sight of her…he couldn’t explain.

She was bundled against the cold. A scarlet scarf obscured much of her lower face. A woolen hat covered her blonde hair. The skin that was exposed was pink from the cold. She wore a shapeless gray wool coat. It looked faded and worn and fit poorly, like it had been made for another. Hal certainly understood the necessity of secondhand clothes and wearing a garment until it fell apart.

What he couldn’t understand was the horse and wagon. Odd choice for such a cold day.

Actually, he hadn’t seen or heard any vehicles. The creaking of a wagon and horse hooves hardly seemed to count as a vehicle. The silence was unnerving, almost as unnerving as all the empty sky. On Earth, vehicles crowded the street and sky to nearly the same extent. There was always the constant noise of traffic, especially when you lived in a street-level apartment. Hal eventually learned to tune the noise out, ignoring it like he ignored the neighbor’s too-loud television.

He also could not explain the compulsion he felt to follow, like an invisible hook in his chest dragging him along.

He followed at a safe distance. When Emma twisted in the wagon’s bench to look behind, he flattened himself against the snowy ground. Hiding seemed prudent. He had escaped from a dungeon, after all. The smoke rising from the mountain indicated that Draven’s priorities might lay elsewhere for the moment, but soon enough, he’d move to capture Hal again.

He had no worries about following Emma’s trail. Even if the wagon had not left a very clear trail, he’d follow her scent. Soap, clean and herbal, like rosemary and other green things. Awareness of her burned in him, guiding him.

Hal smelled the smoke and horseshit before the first building appeared, hinting that they neared a town. Careful not to be seen, he slinked around the buildings, picking his way through shadows and over puddles of questionable liquid. He hid himself behind an abandoned hut and observed.

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