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<Girl> kept entering the ambient. It kept Je
But the snow-fall was the creature’s friend if it was still in the village. Now and again the horses caught a whisper of something in the ambient that made all three of them in direct contact with the horses entirely uneasy, it was impossible to see what might be more than three buildings away, and hard to focus up into falling snow to check the roofs.
“Papa,” Je
“Hush,” Callie said. “We know. We—”
Shots went off down the street. A flurry of them. Glass broke. He wanted—and Slip was off, Shimmer and Rain close behind, leaving the marshal and the hunters and the others to hold the middle of the street in mid-village as he and his went down the street, Je
Those men, some with guns, were screaming in panic at others still inside to get down as sounds of breakage resounded in the building. The shattered glass still in the doors showed dark spatter against the light, more dark spatter showed on the walls and a chaotic wreckage of overturned tables lay inside—<blood> was in the ambient, <blood and anger> and something else. Alive. Hurt.
And <predatory.>
“Stay <here!”> he said to Callie and Je
He saw what looked and felt like <man hurt and ru
He let off a shot, and knew from <Callie and Je
He rode Slip breakneck back around the building, fearing that at any moment the thing might come <plunging down on top of him> or onto <Callie and Je
He reached Callie and Je
Laughingat them. Eludingthem.
Slip wanted <fight.> So did Shimmer, now. Shimmer’s peace had been challenged, the vicinity of her winter den disturbed.
But something else had flared into the ambient: <girl> and <wanting> and <anger.> Je
“Dammit,” he said to the clatter of miners shouting appeals and drunken orders at him, “get <inside! ”>
< Je
“Stay with us!” he ordered Je
He’d never sworn at Je
Neither was Slip going to lose one of his own herd, young male or not: Slip was sending a strong <Slip to the fore,> boss horse, and Shimmer came in with < mama> fit to chill the spine of an intruder.
They’d stopped in the midst of the marshal’s group, guns all around them, guns aimed toward roof edges—when all of a sudden <challenge > rushed right underthem and up the street.
“God!” Peterson cried.
Callie said, “It’s found the passages.”
Chapter 22
Run and run and run down the dark of the road, carrying only the rifle and a dozen shells—Da
Guil and Carlo were coming behind them with the rest of their belongings at the best rate they could, a man healing of a wound and a new rider whose chief use to them was outright strength—carrying three riders’ ordinary gear.
It was up to themto get to the village with horses that might make the difference—to prevent another Tarmin.
The bells had gone silent an hour ago at least.
Slip reared, then lunged at invisible threat under his feet as the creature raced right under them, and the <anger> went flaring off toward the church.
At that place, by the light of lanterns hung on the village hall posts, two men stood on watch with shotguns.
But more volunteers were actually heading down into the passages, by the church front access, to try to get a shot at it point-blank. Hunters had volunteered for that harrowing post, village-siders accustomed to standing their ground in dicey situations, and Ridley entirely gave them their due: hedidn’t want to be in their position at this precise instant.
Je