“Somewhere Rodric canna find,” he replied. “Not much further.”
She scanned the landscape, searching for the telltale sign of wood smoke or buildings that might indicate they were nearing their destination. She saw nothing.
She glanced at her companion. Deryn strode purposefully, seeming completely at home in this wild landscape and not in the least encumbered by carrying Rory on his shoulders. The wind sent his auburn mane streaming out behind him and the sunlight made his blue eyes glint. Unlike her who stumbled and slipped over the uneven ground, Deryn almost seemed to glide over the terrain, as nimble as a cat.
Who was he, this rescuer of hers? He called himself a farmer, but Rodric had recognized him and called him something completely different. Deryn the Destroyer. What did that mean?
She was too exhausted to pursue it right now. It took all of her willpower to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and when Deryn suddenly stopped, she walked right into the back of him.
She blinked, looking around. “Why have we stopped?”
He pointed. “Home.”
Maddy lifted her tired gaze and her mouth dropped open in an O of surprise. Up ahead, a deep valley opened out, cutting through the landscape like a sword-slash. It had steep sides with patches of woodland clinging to its slopes, interspersed with more open areas of field. The valley was so well-hidden bythe surrounding hills that it was invisible until you were almost upon it and it would be easy to wander by without even knowing it was there.
“Wow,” Maddy murmured. “That is unexpected.”
Deryn laughed softly and the sound of it lifted her spirits. “Aye, it is. A perfect place to escape a bad man dinna ye reckon?”
Maddy nodded. “I do reckon. But what areyouescaping from, I wonder?”
She had meant it lightly but at the comment, all signs of humor vanished from his expression.
“Come. It isnae far.”
He stalked off, leaving Maddy to scramble to catch up and wondering what she’d said to offend him.
The slope into the valley was a steep one and Maddy found herself clinging to bushes and tree branches, slipping and sliding on the muddy ground until her dress was caked in mud. God knows what she must look like.
She was relieved when they reached the valley bottom and the ground leveled out. Only now did she realize how big the hidden valley was. It stretched ahead and the far reaches were lost in haze. Perhaps half a mile distant, clinging low down on the south side of the valley where it would get the most sunlight, Maddy spotted a farmhouse. A thin line of smoke was rising from the chimney.
She was so glad to see it that she went weak with relief. Smoke meant a fire and a fire meant warmth and a chance to dry off. She had never wanted those things so much in her life.
The farmhouse was single-story, built out of stone with a thatched roof. To her architect’s eye it looked solidly built although the windows were small, and the door didn’t fit very well. The little farmstead had a range of outbuildings around it, including a large, thatched barn. As they got closer, sheheard the annoyed bleating of a sheep from inside and the door shuddered as something impacted with it.
“Ye remember Surly?” Deryn said, nodding at the door.
“I do,” Maddy replied. “And it looks as though his temper hasn’t improved since yesterday.”
Deryn snorted. “Surly’s temper wouldnae improve even if he spent every day gamboling in a sun-drenched meadow, eating the sweetest grass on God’s clean earth, surrounded by a harem of willing ewes.” He reached up and lifted Rory down, setting him on his feet. “Look lively, lad. We’re here.”
Rory blinked sleepily and looked around. “Is that a sheep making that noise?”
“Yes, honey, we’ve come to visit Deryn’s farm.”
“Can I meet it?” Fatigue suddenly forgotten, he jumped up and down with excitement.
Deryn knelt. “I’ll make a deal with ye, lad. If ye are good and do as yer mam says, I’ll introduce ye to the animals tomorrow and even let ye see Mara herding the sheep. What do ye say?”
Rory nodded solemnly and Deryn ruffled his hair. “Good lad.”
He walked over to the door and pushed it open, then gave a flourishing mock-bow. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
Maddy took Rory’s hand and followed Deryn into his home.
She found herself stepping into a cozy, if rustic, living room. The walls were bare stone, the floor was polished flagstones and there was a fireplace big enough to stand up in at one end. Deryn was crouched by the hearth, adding logs to the fire. Two rocking chairs sat by the fire and a well-scrubbed table with benches down each side took up the rest of the room. An assortment of things hung from the ceiling: hams, strings of onions, hops, strips of cured meat.
Maddy tried not to stare as she took it all in. The house looked as medieval as Torryn Keep had. It had none of themod cons she’d expect. It didn’t even seem to have electricity or running water.
