The Wild Dead (The Bannerless Saga 2)

Semperfi came into view. The horrible wreck of a house was hidden at first—they’d have to take a turn toward the river to reach it. The rest of the holding was entirely normal. Respectable. The paths between cottages were neatly laid out and lined with stones. A row of raised garden beds produced a tangle of herbs and vegetables. A small wind turbine worked, the cisterns seemed well maintained. The place was almost pretty. They didn’t need the antique house. Its value was sentimental. Which wasn’t to say that sentiment never had value. But not at such an expense.

Erik, Anna, and a couple of other of their folk were working outside and saw the investigators as soon as they came up the path. Erik strode forward to meet them.

“You found out anything? How that girl got there?”

At least he asked about that first, instead of the house. It improved Enid’s mood slightly. “We’re still talking to people,” she said. “You said you’d never seen her?”

“No, I didn’t recognize her at all. And I go to the market at Everlast once a month or so.”

“We don’t think she’s from the Coast Road.”

His expression tightened, his jaw clenching. “I told you they’d been coming down here, I knew it. You think she was the one sneaking into the house? It was probably her.” There was anger in his voice.

Enid tried to steady him. “That’s what we’re trying to find out. You said you’ve seen outsider folk around. How often? Would you recognize any if you saw them again?” Maybe the blanket and pouch they’d found belonged to her, which was why they hadn’t found anything with the body? It was a possibility.

His mouth worked a moment before he admitted it: “Not often. Every few months. Mostly they go to the coast to scavenge. But if they decided they’d get better pickings from here—”

Enid tilted her head. “If you’re sure that girl was here stealing from the households, then it stands to reason someone here at the Estuary was the one who killed her. You know who might do something like that?” She prodded him intentionally, to get a reaction.

“No, nobody here ever would. At least . . . I don’t think . . .”

“What?” Teeg demanded. Enid had to put a hand on his arm to hold him back. Pouncing on the guy would only scare him.

“Last House. Talk to Last House. They’ve been trading with the wild folk. They see them all the time. You want to know what’s going on, talk to them. I bet they know.”

This was interesting. Lots of fingers pointing at Last House. Didn’t necessarily mean anything. Or it meant that no one liked Last House.

Enid asked, “Kellan, the man who found the body—has he been back through here since he went up the hill?”

“No, he hasn’t been back.”

“All right, thanks. Mind if we talk to your other folk, in case they’ve seen anything odd?”

He didn’t mind—couldn’t, really. He stood by as Enid and Teeg asked questions, just as they had at the first two households. Even their child, a nine-year-old named Peety, though his parents bristled at it. Enid was careful, sending Teeg with his staff to stand farther off, kneeling down to Peety’s level, and asking gently, “Have you seen anything strange? Have you seen anyone around you didn’t recognize?” The boy was wary of her and the uniform, even though he’d likely never seen one before. He’d heard the stories.

She and Teeg finished and set off toward the path again when Erik came up to intercept them, frowning. His face was flushed; he’d calmed down, but some anger lingered. Enid suspected she knew what he wanted, and was feeling contrary enough to make him ask for it.

“Yes?” she prompted.

“I have to know . . . I mean, you have to have decided. I know you’ve got other things going on, but you can’t leave us hanging. About the house. Do we get to keep it?” He was trying to sound strong, brave. But he couldn’t meet their gaze. He kept his eyes on their uniforms.

Enid sighed, annoyed. Time to finish it, then.

“I’m sorry, Erik. You’ve got to let the place go. You can’t ask the others to put time and resources into a thing that isn’t doing anyone any good. More, it’s a hazard. We don’t want anyone to get hurt trying to save it.”

Erik listened without reaction, then nodded like he understood. Like he had expected this. He looked away, hiding reddening eyes, and wiped a hand across his nose. He must have known what she was going to say, must have known the whole time. Back toward the main cottage, Anna saw them talking, must have guessed, from Erik’s reaction, what about. She came up to him, held his hand, which he squeezed back.

“They’re killing the house, Anna,” he said quietly.

“It’s okay,” she murmured.

“Yeah. Okay, okay. I understand.”

Enid’s shoulders unknotted, and Teeg relaxed the grip on his staff. Enid hoped someday Erik would come to be relieved that he didn’t have the maintenance of that wreck hanging over him anymore. She wasn’t going to suggest that to him now, however.

“I thought you would,” she said. “Thanks for your cooperation; it’s been helpful.”

“Yeah. Just . . . just one question. This won’t hurt our chances for another banner, will it?”