He patted the beast on its shoulder. The horse gave him a scornful curl of his lip before twitching free of George’s hand.
“Yourhorse?”
“The priest gave it to me.”
“Lent it to you,” she corrected.
She tied the horse to the post as George stumbled to the door.
“He didn’t tell me when I had to bring it back. He gave me coin too, to speed my travel.”
Coin that George had promptly converted to drink, judging by the smell of him. Rowan rolled her eyes as she followed him inside. The witch hunter came to his feet at once, the blanket falling from his shoulders as he crossed the room in two quick strides. He was too big for their small home, making the space feel cramped and tight. It was almost hard to breathe with him there.
He snatched the letter from George’s hand and turned to pace to the window as he opened it. Light from the setting sun spilled through the warped glass. He read quickly, his expression revealing nothing, but when he got to the end, he cursed and crumpled the letter in his hand.
She leaned against the doorframe. “Bad news?”
“The priest sent a rider to the capital for reinforcements.”
“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“It will take even a fast rider several days to reach the capital. If there’s a patrol ready to ride out immediately, it will take another week for reinforcements to arrive. Two weeks at least before anyone will reach us. I asked for volunteers from Sulen to go into the woods to help me track my men. The priest says there’s no help to be found.”
She could have told him that. No one from Sulen would risk their neck going into the woods. They were all farmers and merchants and craftsmen. What were they going to do against a witch?
The captain turned on George. “Are there any able-bodied men in Toam who would be willing to help? They would be very well compensated.”
George’s brow wrinkled. “You mean go into the woods?”
“Yes.” A muscle leapt in the witch hunter’s jaw. “My men don’t have two weeks. They need help now.”
“If they’re alive at all,” she said.
The witch hunter cut her a scalding look before returning his attention to George.
“There’s no one I can think of,” George said, scratching his patchy beard. “Most of the men moved on after that flood last spring. There was never much work here to begin with. No point in rebuilding the houses that were lost.” He heaved a sigh. “I would offer to help you myself, but I’ve got that problem with my back, you see.”
The captain’s scornful expression suggested he saw perfectly well.
“But speaking of payment,” George continued, holding out his hand. “I’ll take that twenty cord you offered and be on my way now. I have to get home to help tend my ailing mother.”
Twenty cord?That was a full year’s wages for George. The witch hunter moved to his bags and rummaged around. He was moving better, though he still favored his right side a bit. Another few days and he’d be well enough to travel to Sulen to wait for his reinforcements.
She sidled up to George. “Does Tilly know how much he’s paying you?”
“She doesn’t need to know anything about it,” he muttered sourly, not looking at her at all. He was watching the witch hunter, noting exactly which pocket he stored his money in and the size of the bag he pulled out.
She stepped in front of him to block his view. “But George,” she said sweetly. “Think of how glad yourpoor ailingmother will be to see how you provide for her.”
Tilly had been supporting the both of them with her sales of charms and potions for years now. She deserved a cut of George’s pay.
George took a menacing step towards her. She lifted her chin and held her ground. He wouldn’t actually take a swing ather. Surely he remembered what happened last time he’d tried it. She’d spiked his drink and he’d spent the next week in the outhouse. And then Tilly had kicked him out of the house for a month after. He wouldn’t do it again.
The witch hunter turned, pausing as he took in the confrontation. His eyes narrowed as he moved forward, nudging her aside and stepping between her and George as he slapped two coins into George’s meaty palm.
“Thank you for your assistance,” he said tightly. “I’ll let you know if I have any further need of your services.”
George wiped his face of any animosity and bobbed his head. He showed himself out. Probably on his way down to Rina’s. She should go tell Tilly about the windfall before he managed to spend it all, but she had problems of her own at the moment. Her biggest problem was currently frowning at her as if she were the one scaring off volunteers.
