Silver Siren, The by Chanda Hahn

Author:Chanda Hahn [Hahn, Chanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morningstar Books
Published: 2014-05-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The trail was a small one, hidden along a cliff and barely discernible.

During the winter months it would be completely blocked by snow. Even now, snow started to fall gently, covering the pines and leaving a white blanket across the higher peaks. It wasn’t cold enough to stick, but in another few months it would be impassable. My breath left a white trail in the air as Faraway and I continued up a cliff opposite of Sumner Pass. Gotte said they had been watching this pass, and I wanted to confirm with my own eyes who was coming and going.

This wasn’t a stealth operation. I knew that Gotte or one of his men would have seen me already riding up on my horse. Faraway’s white coat was a beacon in the valley. Still, now that we were heading north, he had a better chance of blending in among the light flurries and gray rocks.

Once we found a comfortable perch on a ledge to wait and watch, I donned a thick wool cloak and sat. The chances were slim of catching anyone using the pass. I imagined I could sit here for weeks and not see a hint of life. Well, that wasn’t true. I’d already seen movement on the other side of the pass. I’d recognized the stance and red fox fur wrap of Fenri, before he moved and hid behind a tree, taking up watch across the pass from me. But he was trying to be seen. He had noticed me across the way and had waved his arms and gestured angrily toward the village.

I pretended I never saw him.

A few hours later, after I had accidentally eaten most of my day’s rations out of boredom, things changed. I heard something before I saw anything—the echo of horse hooves on rock. Instantly alert, I crouched low and watched with anticipation. Six horses with riders walked single file down the pass below, still a great distance off. Five of them were dressed in metal armor ready for battle. The man in front, the one with a trimmed mustache, wore a brown wool cloak and leather gloves. Very official looking.

Movement across the way distracted me as Fenri raced from his position and down the mountain. He pointed up at me angrily and mouthed the words, Stay there! With his hands, he pointed to me and signaled me to stay put. He slid down a path to his horse tethered at the bottom of the mountain and raced off toward the village.

I watched in interest as the riders passed beneath me. The finely dressed noble rode ahead of the others, while the fighters scanned both sides of the pass. I ducked behind a large rock and waited until I couldn’t hear the sound of their horses’ hooves clapping against the rocky path.

“Hoowah,” someone called just enough to echo across the pass. I peeked over the top of my boulder and saw Gotte standing there. He looked grim and had a bow and arrow nocked, ready to release.

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