The Vaetra Chronicles: Book 01 - Vaetra Unveiled Read Online Free PDF Page B

pine. I took a deep, satisfied breath, thankful for the change to relatively clear weather, a rarity this early in spring.
    Small mounds of snow clustered in the most shaded areas under the trees, but the road was clear. Our horses clopped along firmly on frozen mud that would later thaw and probably become an impediment on our return journey. Unseen squirrels chattered at us as we passed, and an occasional blue jay swooped by with a harsh scolding caw.
    Patches and I trailed the other riders. I was just thinking about moving up to ride alongside Agent Delano so I could repeat my question about her employer when she broke into a full gallop. "Let's put a little distance behind us," she shouted over her shoulder before she leaned forward in her saddle and thundered off.
    Our horses needed no urging to follow her. They were all a little frisky this morning and seemed more than willing to stretch their legs. The other agents and I charged down the road after her, our cloaks flapping in the breeze of our passage.
    We covered the first few miles quickly and then Agent Delano slowed her horse to a walk. "That's a good start. Let's rest the horses a bit," she said as she pulled her pretty tan appaloosa back and alongside Patches.
    "You said you had questions. I can only tell you so much," she warned me, "but I'll answer what I can."
    "Thanks," I said. "Where are we headed?"
    "We lost the trail of the other thief in the woods off the road west of here. We were following his tracks, but they became confusing and finally seemed to disappear. Barek is a good tracker, and it's unusual for someone to completely lose him like that," she said.
    I had an uncomfortable thought and grimaced. "About how far west?"
    "About as far again as we've already traveled, beyond that little village west of here," she answered. She looked over at me and cocked her head. "Is there something I should know?"
    I thought for a moment about what she had described. The little village Sulana referred to was named Dunver. I decided that an experienced tracker losing the trail west of the village was no coincidence. "There's an old healer living back in that area," I said, "and she has some skill with Wards."
    Agent Delano sat back in her saddle thoughtfully. "Well, that would explain a lot," she murmured, "but not everything. What do you know about these Wards," she asked.
    "Not much, really. She keeps a Ward around her cottage that deflects unwanted visitors, which includes just about everyone. A few years ago, I helped her lay in wood for winter, and she gave me something that let me go through with no problem."
    "Do you still have the means to go through the Ward?" she asked.
    "No. She gave me a trinket to carry that let me pass. I gave it back to her when I was finished."
    Agent Delano nodded. "What can you tell me about her?"
    "Well, she's getting to be fairly old now. I don't know how much longer she'll be able to live back up there all by herself. She used to travel around to the nearby towns, healing folk for trade and the occasional coin. She had a strict rule that people needed to call for her when they wanted help, but one day someone brought a sick child up to her home instead. Her husband caught the illness and never recovered. She became reclusive after her husband died."
    Agent Delano listened to my story and then grimaced. "Wonderful. An angry healer with warding skills."
    "Oh, she's not so bad now," I reassured her. "She seems to know when someone really needs her help. A friend of mine fractured an arm badly, and she came out to treat him when it started going septic. That was the autumn I helped with her firewood in thanks. However, she does still have a strict policy against visitors to her home, and the Wards ensure it's never ignored again."
    We rode in silence for a few moments. Our swift ride through the cold morning air had given me a chill, so the sun warming my back was welcome.
    I finally turned to her. "So, Agent Delano, how is it that